Unusual receptacle placement

Pretty sure this is a no no. Anyone see this before?

220 receptacle needs its own box.

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I found this on some blog. I have no idea if it’s accurate. But it might help researching NEC

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There could be a problem, what do you see as the issue?

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Welcome back to our forum, Anthony!..enjoy participating. :smiley:

It looks site modified from N. MI

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Thank you Larry. Will do!

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Hey Robert, the 220v receptacle is located next to the 110/120v receptacle. It appears they modified the faceplates to accommodate the extreme proximity of the 220v to the 110/120v receptacle. Who knows what the electrical looks like behind it, but as I see it and as Will pointed out, the 220v needs its own box. There may be a potential hazard in this setup as they are extremely close. I recommended a licensed electrician on this one.

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There is no requirement for the 240 volt receptacle to be in a separate box. The 120 volt device and the 240 volt device can be next to each other in the same box. It’s hard to tell with the cover on the box but if both devices are designed for a single gang each then it’s code compliant.

Regarding the cover that appears to be the type of cover that is customizable. You buy each section separately based on the device in each section then you join them together.

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Very interesting Brian, I will definitely look into this. I haven’t come across anything like this yet. The difference that I see is that the one I came across appear to be two separate receptacles at an unusually close proximately. The one in the diagram appears to be a modified receptacle to handle both loads. Only research will tell… or a licensed electrician. lol. Thank you for the information provided. I’ll keep you posted on what I find.

What Robert said is correct. There is no specific prohibition from having 120V and 240V devices in the same box. That said, its problematic for the plate and I wouldn’t do it. As he pointed out they used to make modular plates that would snap together and you could make them in the field in customizable combinations as seen here:

Pass & Seymour doesn’t make them anymore as far as I know though. Also, power outlets such as this one were never an option for them as their diameter was too large to gang together with standard devices.

Also, that’s a 30A 250V 3 wire receptacle, and not even the common configuration one if it’s for a clothes dryer. If you are inspecting for a new move-in client you may want to point out that they may need an electrician to change it out anyway if they have a 4 wire dryer cord as all the new ones are required to be. Here is that power outlet receptacle:

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That is not a modular plate. The duplex plate has been cut to fit.

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It sure looks that way, Jim. :+1:

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To include making sure you can’t remove it to look inside :smiling_face:

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So in your opinion Jim, is there more to write up here than an “improper” cover plate?

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Not Jim but Improper cover plate with 240 and 120 volts behind.

Possible narrative:
“Recommend a qualified electrician verify safety of interior components and repair as needed.”

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Is there a code section that is violated when using a custom faceplate?

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Rob, if Harry homeowner site modified the plate, the chances are good the he goofed up the interior of the box…checking for safety can’t hurt and may save a life, IMHO.

Just a thought especially since we don’t do code, per se.

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Larry, I agree. In my first post I said that there could be a problem with this but without removing the faceplate no one can say that there actually is one. As Jim said the plate has likely been modified to fit both receptacles but I would ask if that’s the only issue is that an actual problem? The NEC requirement is that the faceplate cover the opening and be flush against the wall. It says nothing about the plate being listed or that it cannot be custom made. I’m just playing devil’s advocate here.

406.6 Receptacle Faceplates (Cover Plates). Receptacle faceplates shall be installed so as to completely cover the opening and seat against the mounting surface.

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I have heard of inspectors red tagging a coverplate that had been trimmed to clear molding that was too close.

I would be more concerned about what we can’t see.

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What I can see, is that they didn’t spend money on a good drywall guy or painter, lol.

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