Can anybody tell me why the receptacle for my sump pump in mounted to a floor joist ? The cord reaches and the only the friction of the conductors holds it there, but is there a code reason for mounting it there. Wouldn=92t a more cosmetic place to mount it be 12-16" up from the floor near the pump ?
Thanks
Safer from a flood up there, and the cord doesn't have to travel across the floor. I would at least nail a clamp over the cord, though.
Ever try to attach an outlet box to a concrete wall and staple the romex to the concrete that is feeding the outlet?
Limp Arbor wrote: ...
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That would require conduit per Code--exposed romex would not pass.
For OP, somebody else also noted the advantage of keeping the connection high, but if it flooded that deep it would have gotten a lot of other electrical connections long before then, anyway I'd reckon... :)
I'd say the ease factor was probably controlling as to the "why".
You could reorient it so the plug isn't hanging vertically or use a tie wrap to make sure it doesn't come out as the simplest cure. Or, switch the outlet and plug to a twistlock design for a little more upscale solution.
A run of conduit to an outlet close by on the wall wouldn't be bad, but unless they have cord hanging across some area that's a sifnificant nuisance doesn't seem like any compelling reason to move it down the wall.
The electrical panel is just down the wall about 20', I thought that if the receptacle was as least as high as the busses in the panel it wouldn't matter which one it reached first ?
sid wrote: ...
Not at that point, no... :)
If it reaches that point you've more serious problems anyway.
I've not personally tried. However, it would be easy enough nail some 1 x 4 to the ceiling beam, and run a wire down the plank.
Still wouldn't be code-compliant if on surface.
That would be too low, but nothing wrong with a wall mounting about 36 to 48" off the floor.
s
ever hear of tapcons and conduit?
Unless it is in a flood area where nothing electrical can be under 8' of the floor. Some coastal areas require 8' ASL.
Nothing wrong with that, and a lot of advantages- not in the way, no trip hazard, etc. Yes, they probably did it that way out of laziness, but how much does the cord weigh? If the outlet can't hold it, it needs replacing anyway. I'm sure the electric aisle at the Borg has the little clips that screw into the plate screw and have a fork to capture the
3-wire plug, if you are worried. (Or fake your own with a small eyebolt run into the joist, and a ziptie around the cord 6 inches from the plug,) I definitely would not bother changing to a different location unless there was a real problem.-- aem sends....
like one of the other replies said, if you get over 4' of water, the electrical outlet is the least of your worries.
That's where mine is.
Cinder block walls iirc. The first owner covered them with insulation.
I mean that mine is about 12 inches above the floor.
A fellow I worked with has had 6' of water in his basement a few times. Not a problem. He lives next to a river and is prepared for it.
What about the furnace and/or air handler? Are they not allowed in the basement in flood areas?
Here, where the code is quite strict, allows romex to be installed on the surface of the basement wall from the ceiling to a point 48" above the floor where a plug or switch is normally installed. Any permanent wiring below this is required in armored cable or conduit.
What about the furnace and/or air handler? Are they not allowed in the basement in flood areas?
******************************************Codes can vary by region. I do know that in some places, the street level portion is 8' high and can have nothing mechanical or electrical mounted in it. The portion is essentially a big storage area because they don't care if you "stuff" gets soaked. Furnace is in the space above, as is everything else.
Other coastal towns have the house on pilings so water can freely flow below. Think of it as a slab house, just raised up.
I have friends whose parents bought coastal houses in Tuckerton, NJ in the
1950's and 60's. Most every house has since been raised at least 4' above street level. Flooding is very common there.
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I have a friend in Forked River, NJ and he put a big addition on his slab house a few years ago.
Slabs are no longer allowed. He had to have telephone poles driven down into the sand until they hit solid dirt. Then the addition was built on top of the poles. I think it is up about 2' with 'blowout' doors around the crawl space. The theory is if the water comes up the doors will allow water to flow through the crawl space.
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