A def "A" for workmanship!
And, it's a "Stab-Loc"
John

What's with the yellow romex and suicide outlet on the end?

And and old Stab-Loc. (black breaker and handle, red tips)

well at least now you are kind of forced to use a broomstick or hopefully some other wooden ( read insulator AND "get you the heck out of the way handle") to operate the breakers..

A.D

That one gives new meaning to the term "hack job". Wow. I am speechless. Anyone who knows me will agree that's a first for me.

Obviously he was raising the panel up high enough so the romex would not be exposed to damage under 8'.......

Actually, it may have been a good thing. Panel cover was long gone and I'm not sure whether it would open if it were on. Putting them up high keeps the little guys wondering fingers out of them. This home is chocked full of some real "quality" work. About 10' right of this is a flying splice of some 6/3 running to a garage. No box, no tape and he tied them together with small bolts and nuts. They have been real crispy hot, too. I bid moving and replacing the service which is done. Working T&M now fixing this mess. I'll be there awhile.

electricianjeff

Thats what the demo guys were using to run their stuff. Its long gone now.

electricianjeff

"OLD Stab Loc's are brown...the red tip ones were the last 'new' from FPE. The replacements (American) are Black with white numbers.
John

....and the ones with the magenta tags are newer than the yellow tagged ones.

Stabloks were not available for a while in the early '80s. (I was told that they'd "Lost their UL"). When they showed again,, they had those magenta colored labels.

Actually they were challanger breakers, I keep a few if anyone is interested. But the story is getting better. I ventured into the garage today, I guess they ran out of staples, lots of the 12/2 put up with finish nails, seems to be working, guess you just got to hit them babies dead center. Honest, I'm not talking bent up nail, I'm talking nails dead center in the romex.

electricianjeff

Is it the way I'm viewing it or is the entrance cable coming through the joist all that's holding the panel up? Along with the 2x4 in front of it?

This is certainly a different twist on the phrase "High Leg Panel".

Maybe the handyman didn't have any masonary anchors handy... or a drill bit, so he hung it high and screwed it to the floor joists.

IA

high panel's such as this, can often be ascribed to "high" installers

yeah Ian, no masonry anchors, roto-hammer, brains, or common sense! pick one, or a combination of all three

Ed, I'm with you on this one. Wow.

Maybe someone wanted to avoid it getting flooded?

How 'bout all four?

Ian A.

Exactly, one drywall screw into each joist. The 2 x 4 served no 'electrical' purpose. I think he used it to store conduit for his other jobs. You can see a piece sitting there in the first photo. I was told this was a drug house so some things are making sense.

I'm wondering why they went to the trouble of stripping the 3/0 neutral all the way back to where it enters the panel. Anybody have any ideas?

electrician jeff

To smoke the insulation?

The only reason I can see for stripping insl. is they were too cheap or too ignorant to use white tape to identify the neutral.

Obviously it was stripped back so it's easier to touch it with your bare hand.

Actually, I have four Stab-Loks from the brown era that are... tie-dyed? Seriously hippie-dippy. Came out of a house built in 1953. Different colors of resin all marbled together: pink, blue, yellow.

I'm betting that this panel is at the bottom of what used to be a staircase.