In article , "jmagerl" wrote:

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
et...
In article , "jmagerl"
wrote:
I live in a house that used to belong to a DIY'er. Problem is, there isn't
anything he did right. I am in the middle of fixing his mess in the
garage.
HEre is the situation: The main breaker is in the basement .it is a 20 Amp
dual breaker. THere is a subpanel in an upstairs closet (don't ask me why)

If it's a clothes closet, or linen closet, that's a Code violation.

Yes its a clothes closet. Chalk another one up to the idiot. I'm not even
sure why theres a subpanel, its an attached garage. 50 ft of wire would
reach the garage from the basement panel.

Specifically prohibited under 2005 National Electrical Code, Article
240.24(D): "Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily
ignitible material, such as in clothes closets."

A different question. Thru out this whole house, He has taken the ground
wire in the romex and bent it so it was under the box termination clamp (not
sure of the nomenclature). The assumption is that the romex clamp contacts
the ground which than contacts the box by the nut. I'm having a hard time
believing that is code.

It's not -- now. Cable clamps, box mounting screws, and the like are not
permitted by the 2005 Code (and, I think, by the 2002 Code) to be used for any
other purposes, including attachment of ground wires. This hasn't always been
the case, though. I'm not sure when these prohibitions entered the Code, but
it's entirely possible that this *was* permitted at the time it was installed.

In several spots he has looped the ground wire thru
a hole in the box and then nailed the box up with the intent that the ground
wire is pinched between the box and the stud. I cringe everytime I fix
something.

*That* has never been permitted.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.