# Electrical Question, Fatal Accident.



## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

[email protected]#e said:


> thats just plain terrible. But it has me thinking. im building a boathouse for a good friend of mine in muskoka. The electrical will start next week and he has 2 young kids and i couldnt stand if something happened to them. Is there anything that we should watch out for. My electrician is qualified and knows what hes doing. But what should I do to make sure that everything is perfect. The dock it sits on is all steel framework with steel pilings into bedrock so obviously it conducts electricity. Any tips? There will be a panel located in the boathouse as well.


I will not provide an all inclusive answer but make sure that any circuits that head to the water are GFCI protected *from the panel*, make sure the electrician is actually licensed and not working under someone else's license like they all do in my area, :furious:, make sure the sub-panel is properly bonded.

Those are the basics, and I'm guessing 480Sparky will have more hints in the interest of safety. Follow his lead-he is GOOD!


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## John Valdes (Apr 14, 2010)

The NEC has provisions for this and jurisdictions have no excuse to allow shoddy and dangerous installations. Article 553 (Floating Buildings) and article 555 (Marinas & Boatyards) can easily be used as a benchmark.
Also article 680 (Pools ect) should be looked at for guidance. There is no excuse for faulty installations. The presence of water, whether it be from a pool,ocean or lake, should be addressed with the articles present in the NEC and local regulations.

While I do understand that in some rural and country settings there may be no jurisdiction. This is no reason to install a potential deadly electrical installation. The articles I mention, plus some research is in order when performing these projects and subsequent repairs if violations are found.


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## Electricmanscot (Feb 6, 2005)

[email protected]#e said:


> thats just plain terrible. But it has me thinking. im building a boathouse for a good friend of mine in muskoka. The electrical will start next week and he has 2 young kids and i couldnt stand if something happened to them. Is there anything that we should watch out for. My electrician is qualified and knows what hes doing. But what should I do to make sure that everything is perfect. The dock it sits on is all steel framework with steel pilings into bedrock so obviously it conducts electricity. Any tips? There will be a panel located in the boathouse as well.



Let your electrician worry about it. That's the reason you hire him no?


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## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

sorry about the loss..but god damn people...thousands, if not millions, of people swim every day in pools and lakes/ponds without dying...do we really need another law because of one accident?

i know, if it was my son/brother/nephew/etc I would feel different...

but we have more laws in this country because one person got hurt, so now the rest of us need to be protected...

again, sorry about the loss, but the answer is not more laws


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## [email protected]#e (Jul 5, 2007)

Electricmanscot said:


> Let your electrician worry about it. That's the reason you hire him no?


 well yes and he knows what hes doing, but the more you know right? I might hear something on here tht he might not have thought of. Plus as the general its my ass. If i spot one thing it could mean the difference. So why shouldnt I educate myself.


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## rselectric1 (Sep 20, 2009)

[email protected]#e said:


> well yes and he knows what hes doing, but the more you know right? *I might hear something on here tht he might not have thought of. Plus as the general its my ass. If i spot one thing it could mean the difference. So why shouldnt I educate myself.*



That is what why this forum is so successful.


Your question in this thread was completely legitimate and the regulars here ask cross-trade questions all the time with usually great answers.

If you were a "one post wonder" that would be different, but you're not-so no worries.:thumbsup:


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## mudpad (Dec 26, 2008)

mahlere said:


> sorry about the loss..but god damn people...thousands, if not millions, of people swim every day in pools and lakes/ponds without dying...do we really need another law because of one accident?
> 
> i know, if it was my son/brother/nephew/etc I would feel different...
> 
> ...


I guess that just depends on what value you put on human life. And I think the codes are in place to cover this one, there was just a breakdown in enforcement. 

Laws and building codes have saved countless lives over the years. Yeah some of them are a pain in the ass for us.


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