Conductor protection - InspectionNews

Mike Schulz · #1 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 10:31 AM

This townhome has a storage room on the back. It was built in 01.
The conductors are nailed on the wall surface. As you can see the panel is about 5' off the floor or so and the conductors are nailed/secured to the surface above it.

Do these conductors need to be in conduit or behind the wall surface for protection?

Sorry about the fuzzy picture. I must of moved while taking it.

Mike Tracy · #2 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 11:18 AM

My understanding is that the service wires from the panel are to be secured within twelve inches of the panel and then every forty eight inches of the run. To my knowledge, there is no requirement for a conduit or that the wires need to be behind the wall.

Mike Tracy, CRI

Mike Schulz · #3 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 11:32 AM

Thanks for the quick reply.

Reason I said conduit or behind the wall covering is for protection. I thought the conductors where required to have protection if damage could occur. Being it's a small storage room I'm sure you have seen people stuff these thing full of crap and that being said could cut/damage the conductor.

Rick Fifield · #4 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 11:54 AM

While a bit sloppy, that installation is fine. The code does mandate a minimum clear space in front of the panel for service access. You are right about possible damage from excess storage. The panel location is just plain bad. It's difficult to codify bad design for the masses.
I can't tell how the service entrance cable is handled.

Rick

Matthew Barnicle · #5 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 01:47 PM

I thought anything below 8 foot level needs to be protected, no?

Jerry Peck · #6 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 05:06 PM

Those conductors should be protected from physical damage, and they apparently made provisions to start building an enclosure over them (or may have and someone removed the enclosure box covering them to add more - such as that loose wire hanging there, whatever it goes to).

You can even see the what looks like the top outline of the enclosure box at the ceiling.

Mike Schulz · #7 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 05:22 PM

What you see at the top is rock wool stuffed around the wires. You might be right about the enclosure.

Starting to make sense. They Sheetrock over the plywood wall I guess to meet fire requirements '4 rule because on the other side of the wall is the storage room for the adjacent building.

Mike Schulz · #8 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 05:26 PM

4' That's not right is it. Is that just for attic's. I don't recall wall assemblys except the adjacent wall back to back with adjcent home.

Jerry Peck · #9 (**permalink**) 02-18-2008, 06:21 PM

If that is a fire rated wall assembly, that OSB is not going to cut it.

Both sides of that fire rated wall need to be 5/8" Type X gypsum board.

Also, that opening into the attic should be firestopped.

Mike Schulz · #10 (**permalink**) 02-19-2008, 02:58 PM

No the OSB wall is to the home side. The back wall is the shared wall. Look at the first picture of the storage building, the other units storage room looks just like it and on the other side of it.
The rock wool is draft stop to the common shared roof.

Jerry Peck · #11 (**permalink**) 02-19-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Schulz

the other units storage room looks just like it and on the other side of it.
The rock wool is draft stop to the common shared roof.

Then the common wall between the two storage rooms should go all the way to the "common shared roof" (it would be the fire rated wall separating the two different town homes) and the roof sheathing would been to be fire retardant treated to 4 feet from each side of that wall (not measured from the wall center line, measured from each side of the wall).