I almost don't know where to start:


OK, The feeder to a subpanel in a "Video Room" where TV ads are made starts here. (through the 1" conduits)




The 3-#1 & 1-#2 feed to this panel. (I've colored the wires, none of them are really identified).




From there, the 3 conductors that are exiting the top left run up to splices in these 2-5S Boxes (no nipple between them).




From there, there's about a 150' run (conduit's apart in many places), to the subpanel in the bootleg studio (other side of this wall)




Both the circuit breaker feeding the 120/208V panel in the 2nd Pic, and the 120V panel in the video room are 125 Amp 2 poles that have had the handle ties removed.


(BTW, the Romex in the 2nd picture runs through about 80' of 1/2 EMT towards the room also, where it becomes a flying spliced nightmare strung all over the room).

Wow!
Hack and slash at its finest!

Video equipment you say?? Just reminds me of when I worked at the supplier, an electrician I know had to run a 60A, 120V circuit to some piece of electronics equipment at some studio somewhere... Yes I know, sounds really bizarre but thats what it called for! The really weird thing was there was a single pole 60A breaker availible for the manufacturer of panel installed at the studio!... Didnt think they made anything bigger than 40 or 50A in a single pole!
A.D

Adam, the subpanel feeds only incandescent stage lighting, switched, without any dimmers or other equipment.

The actual video equipment is one the end of that &%#*!$ romex.
They tripped the romex's c/b by running a second portable heater on the circuit. I agreed to find the tripped c/b and label it for them. I also told them I wouldn't have anything more to do with it than that. I was at this point.

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 04-23-2006).]

So, the neutral to the second panel is carried through a different conduit than the phase conductors? And then the branch circuits fed by the small breakers in the right half of panel 2 go BACK to the forest of wirenuts in panel 1.

Engaging in a little contemporary archaeology, I was theorizing that maybe panel 1 was out of breaker slots, so panel 2 was added for some new branch circuits. The loads were all 208-volt, so the hack installer didn't bother running a neutral. Then the need arose for the big 120-volt load, so the neutral was added later (in the second conduit).

This doesn't quite make complete sense, though.

I guess it was just a lousy, careless installation from the git-go.