Inspection Techniques & Procedures Flashcards
7 cards from real CEI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Inspection Techniques & Procedures flashcards as text
An inspector uses infrared thermography during an electrical inspection. An anomalous hot spot found on a breaker in a loaded panel most likely indicates:
Answer: A loose connection, overloaded circuit, or failing breaker
Hot spots on breakers detected by IR thermography typically indicate loose connections causing resistance heating, circuit overloading, or an internal breaker fault.
When verifying continuity of an equipment grounding conductor in a branch circuit, the inspector should measure resistance between the:
Answer: EGC terminal at the outlet and the grounding electrode at the service
EGC continuity is verified by measuring resistance from the EGC at the point of use back to the grounding electrode or main bonding point to confirm an unbroken path.
During a service inspection, an inspector notices the main bonding jumper is missing from the service disconnect enclosure. The consequence of this omission is:
Answer: Ground faults on branch circuits cannot return to the source through the grounded conductor
The main bonding jumper connects the grounded (neutral) conductor to the equipment ground and enclosure, providing the fault return path; without it, ground faults are not safely cleared.
A contractor presents an inspector with a Certificate of Compliance from a third-party testing laboratory for a listed electrical panel. The inspector should:
Answer: Accept the listing as meeting NEC requirements and verify correct installation in the field
NEC 90.7 states that listed equipment is presumed to meet the NEC; the inspector verifies correct installation and application, not the manufacturing quality.
During a rough-in inspection, an inspector finds EMT conduit with more than 360 degrees total of bends between pull points. The required action is:
Answer: Require the installation to be revised to not exceed 360 degrees total bend
NEC 358.26 limits the total bends between boxes or fittings to not exceed 360 degrees (the equivalent of four 90-degree bends) for any conduit system.
What is the correct procedure when an inspector encounters a permit for work that was begun before the permit was issued?
Answer: Require a stop-work order and double-fee permit reinstatement per local ordinance
Work started before permit issuance violates building codes; a stop-work order and potential double fee are standard AHJ responses to unpermitted work already in progress.
An inspector is reviewing a generator transfer switch installation. Which condition is a code violation that must be corrected?
Answer: A transfer switch that allows the neutral to float (non-switched neutral on a grounded generator)
When a generator is a separately derived system (with a switched neutral), NEC 250.30 requires the neutral to be switched at the transfer switch to prevent parallel neutral paths and shock hazards.