CEI Inspection Techniques & Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An electrical inspector performing a pre-inspection plan review notices that load calculations are missing from the submitted documents. The inspector should:
- Proceed with the inspection and note the omission verbally
- Approve the inspection contingent on load calculations being provided later
- Reject the permit application and require complete documents before scheduling inspection (Correct answer)
- Perform a field load calculation using the installed equipment
Correct answer: Reject the permit application and require complete documents before scheduling inspection
Complete plan review documentation including load calculations must be approved before field inspections begin to ensure code compliance can be verified.
Question 2: When inspecting a trench for underground feeder (UF) cable installation, what is the minimum burial depth required in a residential driveway subject to vehicular traffic?
- 12 inches
- 18 inches
- 24 inches (Correct answer)
- 36 inches
Correct answer: 24 inches
NEC Table 300.5 requires UF cable under residential driveways to be buried a minimum of 24 inches.
Question 3: During a commercial kitchen inspection, the inspector notices that the exhaust hood over the cooking equipment has no electrical bonding connection. This is:
- Acceptable since hoods are non-current-carrying metal
- A violation; metal exhaust hoods in commercial kitchens must be bonded to the grounding system (Correct answer)
- Only required if the hood has integral lighting
- Required only when the hood exceeds 6 feet in length
Correct answer: A violation; metal exhaust hoods in commercial kitchens must be bonded to the grounding system
NEC 250.104 and related sections require bonding of metal piping and structural metal that could become energized, including commercial exhaust hoods near electrical equipment.
Question 4: An inspector is checking the working space clearance in front of a 480-volt switchboard with live parts on one side and a grounded wall on the other. What is the minimum required working depth?
- 2 feet 6 inches
- 3 feet
- 3 feet 6 inches
- 4 feet (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 4 feet
NEC Table 110.26(A)(1) Condition 2 (live parts on one side, grounded on the other) for over 250V to 600V requires a minimum of 4 feet of working space depth.
Question 5: When should an electrical inspector call for a re-inspection after a failed inspection?
- Only if the contractor requests it in writing
- After all cited violations have been corrected and the contractor has notified the inspection office (Correct answer)
- Automatically after 30 days regardless of correction status
- Only when the AHJ director approves the re-inspection request
Correct answer: After all cited violations have been corrected and the contractor has notified the inspection office
A re-inspection is appropriate only after the contractor has corrected all cited deficiencies and formally notified the inspection office that the work is ready.
Question 6: An inspector discovers that flexible metal conduit (FMC) has been used for a 10-foot unsupported run between a junction box and a motor. The maximum unsupported length of FMC without a separate support is:
- 3 feet
- 4.5 feet (Correct answer)
- 6 feet
- 8 feet
Correct answer: 4.5 feet
NEC 348.30(A) requires FMC to be secured within 12 inches of each box and at intervals not exceeding 4.5 feet; a 10-foot unsupported run violates this rule.
Question 7: When inspecting a swimming pool bonding system, which item does NOT need to be bonded together?
- Metal pool shell or reinforcing steel
- Underwater luminaire housings
- Water heater cold water supply piping within 5 feet of the pool
- Plastic PVC return fittings embedded in concrete (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Plastic PVC return fittings embedded in concrete
Non-metallic (PVC) fittings are not conductors and do not require bonding; only metallic components within the bonding perimeter must be bonded.
CEI Inspection Techniques & Procedures 3
An electrical inspector performing a pre-inspection plan review notices that load calculations are missing from the submitted documents.
The inspector should: