Hello and good day to all. I am at an inspection and see a couple loose wires in pannel.
Thanks Stacey
I had problems getting this to post. I have a couple loose wires in the main pannel today and they should have wire caps on them. If so this will correct the issue, I think. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
Yes all exposed wire ends need to terminate with a wire nut
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I carry wire nuts with me to correct this issue. It is easier to put the wire nuts on than to write it up.
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Just my thought. Thanks Stacey
Really? Takes like 10 - 20 seconds to put in report.
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Do whatever you want buddy. I rather fix it then leave a hazard.
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The wires are not going to jump and connect themselves.
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No but conductors do arc.
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Abandoned wires in the panel are most likely dead circuits. Easy enough to check.
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There is no voltage to arc, nor is anything close enough to arc to.
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In a perfect world. A open conductor in a live panel is a hazard.
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Stick your hand in a live panel and let’s see if you change your tune.
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Do it every day. No problem.
If it were arcing you would see the burn marks. Since the voltage comes from the breaker into the wire there is no voltage. Even if backfed it’s too far from a grounded surface to arc given the voltage.
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In my opinion, there should not be any non-terminated wiring anywhere is the house. In fact, it is best practice to remove abandoned or obsolete wiring to ease troubleshooting and maintenance when practical. At the very least, cap it an terminate it in a junction box. I call it out every time I see it not done, including inside the panel.
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IMO there’s nothing wrong with leaving abandoned wiring for possible future use but I agree with you that the ends should be made safe by using a wire-nut or tape. In commercial work we almost always pull spare conductors for future use and leave them in a junction box with the panel ends wire-nutted for safety.
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Recent home I inspected, the7 converted to a gas cooktop, the contractor left this behind…energized.
Leaving wiring behind if properly terminated is not something I call out.
What typically happens; a flip home or old home has old, obsolete components left behind. Therefore I will make a general statement.
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