House is in Tucson, AZ.
It was noted by HI that these wires in the panel were not appropriately abandoned. Buyer asked that the wires be properly abandoned & brought up to code. Subsequently, this note was found attached to the wires in question.
Seller says they were told by the electrician that came to property that this is all that was necessary.
Buyer is concerned that a note claiming that wires are dead does not constitute “properly abandoned to meet code”.
I represent the buyer, and want to advise them correctly. HI was shown the new picture and said, “I find it hard to believe that an electrician would stick a scrap of paper on the wire rather than cap it.” He stands by his assessment that this is improperly abandoned.
We are at an impasse, with sellers saying our HI is full of — umm…bananas.
So is this good enough? Is it worth calling in an electrician of our own?
Need to know what the local code states for abandoned wires, if any. The HI is not a code inspector, but can recommend that certain issues that are not properly done per code.
If the wires have no current or means of reconnection, best solution is to cap the threaded conduit, tape electrician’s note on top and move on.
There is no NEC requirement to remove abandoned power cables. Abandoned telephone, data, CATV cables are required to be either removed or tagged for future use. The cables in the photo do not even require a tag. If someone is so inclined this can be fixed for about $5 with a plastic bushing and a conduit blank (sometimes called a penny).
I would like see where it is written that something needs to be “properly abandoned to meet code”.
Still skeptical that the sellers ever had an electrician out… it just doesn’t seem believable that a licensed professional would scribble a note on a ripped scrap of paper, stab it onto the wire ends, and call it good. They conveniently failed to get a receipt of any kind from this so-called electrician either… At this point, it’s probably not worth continued arguments, as the sellers have dug their heels in on this issue.
The conduit cannot simply be capped because there are at least 2 other live wires coming out of it. Seems like the wires should be able to be pulled out completely, though.
I believe I’ll just pay an electrician myself, and then we’ll be sure. I’m making enough on the commission that I’ll just do this for my client, but it is frustrating that I have to just because the sellers don’t believe the HI.
I must say these forums are a terrific resource. I’m glad the HI told me about them & suggested them as a place to get clarification or 2nd opinions. Heck, just reading various threads here this afternoon has taught me so much!
Yup, I’ve bought and sold a few houses and it’s amazing how some people (both buyers and sellers) can get obsessed with meaningless details. There is no real issue with what it shown in the photo, if that was an abandoned NM cable cut off at the connector would anyone have an issue?
They conveniently failed to get a receipt of any kind from this so-called electrician either… At this point, it’s probably not worth continued arguments, as the sellers have dug their heels in on this issue.