When you see something and it scares you!

Okay, as some of you know I'm in a sheetrocking project. A friend of mine who is a good sheetrocker asked me if I could take some time to come help him and he would tape for me. I jumped at the chance, I really dislike sheetrocking. While his little girl (25 lbs) had been jumping in the bathtub, she had broken A fitting and tub sprung a leak. Opened it up was just cheap compression fitting 45 minutes and ..

Then I saw this



Can you see it..

Plumber drilled electrical box for half inch water line. That electrical is 220

 

So, flip a switch and the water comes on? Turn on the faucet and the light comes on?
Very 3 stooge-ish.
WTH???
I think I've now actually seen everything. Yep.

 

Slit a piece of PEX lengthwise and slip over the pipe through the box? I know...redneck repair on top of hillbilly install...better than it is now though...

 

I did not fix it.. This is a condo. While in my house I would have, I am not licensed or insured against this level of stupidity. Those wires are live. If/when pipe leaks, scary!!

 

why is there 220 in the bathroom???

 

when the plumber and electrician don't get along

 

That's frigging insane.
Metal water pipe through a wire box??


Eh, what could go wrong?

 

220 might be for an in-wall heater. Otherwise......no clue.
Yeah, pipes can't move, so should go in house before elec, which bends quite easily.

 

It goes to an electric heater..

 

yes, yes and yes!!!

 

Plumbing first very logical!!

Drilling through electrical box.. Not so much.. This was an inspected building.. Obviously easiest way to fix is move electrical box.. Just WOW.

 

However, when all you have is a hammer (or drill), everything starts looking like a nail.

 

OK IMO the plumbing was there first and the box was added later, why you ask?

1) you can see thru the box, it was apparently notched to fit, again why you ask?

2) it is a new work box with no nails in it and if you enlarge the pic there are drywall screws holding to the stud
which is notched so the box will miss the valve.

 

ironpony yes new work box!! Very possible it was done by worker (I hope not licensed electrician) did that as code mandate placement of boxes.. I was just amazed at stupidity not trying to blame 1 trade or other. I thought ( granted hard to see) it looked as box was drilled.

 

OK so this peaked my curiosity and I did some digging, reading NEC and Googleing , there is no requirements for clearances between electric and plumbing, the only stipulation is no sharp edges.
They can be in the same hole touching as long as there are no sharp edges. So the electric connection is in a box as required the pipe is run thru the box with no sharp edges.
As stated the NEC is not there to cover what could happen but for best practices. Would this be recommended? NO but is it illegal? can not find anything that says so.
HMMM..................
anyone got anything else?

 

Water and live electricity don't mix well. If that fitting pops, hopefully the breaker will do it's job before any major damage is done.
Somebody did a goofy thing (illegal or not), and IMHO, one of those should be moved. Go to about the 1:40 mark.............

 

Those new work electrical boxes aren't gonna keep water out of there if the pipe pops anyways...in my mind it is just about one more layer of non conductive material between the dry juice, and the wet juice...

 

I agree, I am not a master, gramps was, if I had done this, I would have been ummm 'educated'

IME, most pipes on inside walls, joints leak before pipes burst.

 

Holy smokes, my house has some questionable wiring, but NOTHING like that! Yikes!!

The house I am moving into is a little bit scary now as it has tube and knot wiring, but it is a gut-job so I am rewiring the entre house. Trust me when I say, I probably will not drill a hole through an electrical box for plumbing through.