Electrical panel i just came across yesterday

I’m currently studying to be a home inspector through internachi but I’m still doing side work as a carpenter for now. A friend of mine asked me to come over and do some work on his house. During my walkthrough I found this in an occupied bedroom, as is. After explaining that Im looking for images i can use for my electrical exam essay (ive already written my essay and submitted it as of posting this) they allowed me to take this photo for use. Seems to me the more I look at it, the more problems I see. what do you see? I see alluminum wires, corroded contacts, mismatched breakers… Fyi the bottom breaker on the right bottom is racked out on the wired side but its hard to see in the photo.

As is without the dead front? Or did you remove that?

Yes just like that. The dead front cover was on the ground leaning against the wall bent. oh yeah, I left that out in the post didnt I

Challenger is the brand of panel btw.

Hey Robert, I’m a student too and I really appreciate that you shared this image! I like the practice. The resolution of the photo isn’t crazy high, so it’s a little difficult to see some detail… I didn’t include details you already mentioned. Here are some things I picked up on )click the link for a larger image):

https://i.imgur.com/v2N3K5F.jpg

  1. Missing handle ties.
  2. Double tap.
  3. It looks like this 20amp breaker has one ungrounded conductor but because of the handle tie, it should have two.
  4. The breaker doesn’t have anything connected to it (it’s also in the “Closed” position).
  5. It looks like this is a 15 amp ungrounded conductor in a 20amp circuit. Edit: Looks like there are a couple in the panel.
  6. I’m not sure about this one, I don’t think you can splice the ground like this?

Top right…yeah that extension cord wire going in there…its all good. :face_with_monocle:

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Great catch Mark! I was so focused on the inside of the panel that I missed that extension cord!

That is a 10/3 wire.

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Yes it’s NM cable. :slightly_smiling_face:

There is no issue with a multi-pole circuit breaker with a conductor on only one pole.

I don’t see a splice in the EGC.

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Cunningham’s Law states “the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.” :rofl:

Thanks for helping me learn!

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well you sure got that right! LoL aint that the truth!

Welcome to our forum, Robert!..Enjoy! :smile:

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Yep, now that I zoom in. Looks like it at first glance and not being there.

The missing handle ties may not meet current codes, but probably were not required when installed.

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