Inspectors with their own code. Kings of Their Kingdom.
You think you've got things A-OK fine and Surprise!
I got hit not long ago because I had conductors carrying 120 volts and conductors carrying 277 volts in the same duct. (All THHN-2). I politely asked for the code reference and the guy replied: "My turf, my rules.". What ya gonna do? Win this one, lose the next one.
I wired a house for a friend. For the refrigerator I put a GFI receptacle outlet because the range was on one side and the stainless sink and faucet on the other side. Defrost heater cal rods eventually leak and can send current to the frame when the heater is energized. Touching the refrigerator while leaning on the range or sink could send voltage through the user. I don't often work residential, but this made sense to me. We do it in industrial as standard practice when cal rods are involved.
I was told by the inspector to remove the GFI. Why? I asked, as peacefully as I could.
Reply: The defrost heater will eventually leak voltage and nuisance trip the ground fault. Nuisance trip? Is not that their purpose?
I complied, got the green tag and put that GFI right back in.
King of His Kingdom!
Paul
PS: If I may please add a question to this thread:
Next door neighbor ran a circuit in MC cable from load center to his furnace with a homeowner's permit. He got hit because he stopped at a new 4" square junction box and made a splice, then continued to the furnace.
Same inspector as Mr. Refrigerator above said the conductors had to be unbroken from circuit breaker to furnace. I don't pay a lot of attention to residential rules, but that one sounds fishy.
Is there such a rule?
