Bonding with plastic boxes

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geochurchi

Senior Member
Location
Concord,NH
Occupation
Retired electrician
Hi All, when using plastic boxes and plastic plates do the bond wires still need to be connected to the devices?
Geo
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Find the rare device that has a non metallic yoke and then you shouldn't need to bond it.

I disagree. He said do the bond wires still have to be connected to the devices,,,, more commonly referred to as an Equipment grounding conductor,,,,, so regardless of wether the box is plastic, the cover is plastic, and the yoke is plastic,,, you still need to connect the EGC to the deivice to clear a ground fault.

JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
You are saying that the EGC and Bond wire are the same?
Geo

No.

What are you considering "bond wires" ?
There is not a bond wire until you install one, so I'm assumied you were talking about the EGC's that are already in the box.


JAP>
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I disagree. He said do the bond wires still have to be connected to the devices,,,, more commonly referred to as an Equipment grounding conductor,,,,, so regardless of wether the box is plastic, the cover is plastic, and the yoke is plastic,,, you still need to connect the EGC to the deivice to clear a ground fault.

JAP>
I'll buy that if there is something to bond, like the equipment grounding terminal of a receptacle that will pass the grounding connection on to the cord/plug that plugs into it. But should you have a switch with a non metallic yoke - what is there for ungrounded conductors to fault to? An EGC terminal that isn't conductive to anything but itself? Waste of time and money to even put the thing on the device IMO.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
I'll buy that if there is something to bond, like the equipment grounding terminal of a receptacle that will pass the grounding connection on to the cord/plug that plugs into it. But should you have a switch with a non metallic yoke - what is there for ungrounded conductors to fault to? An EGC terminal that isn't conductive to anything but itself? Waste of time and money to even put the thing on the device IMO.

I completely agree. It's just the way the original post is worded. Unless you've created your own bonding jumper by screwing a short piece of wire to a plastic box ( which would be useless)....there are no "bond wires" to begin with. Which led me to believe he may be talking about EGC's instead. I may be wrong.

JAP>
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I completely agree. It's just the way the original post is worded. Unless you've created your own bonding jumper by screwing a short piece of wire to a plastic box ( which would be useless)....there are no "bond wires" to begin with. Which led me to believe he may be talking about EGC's instead. I may be wrong.

JAP>
So you want to duke it out over definitions I see.

IMO the wire between the device and the box and/or the incoming EGC technically can be considered either a bonding jumper or an EGC.

That wire alone is a bonding jumper but it bonds to the EGC effectively making it part of the EGC.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Plastic box, NM cable w/G, where's the bonding jumper?
If you have more then one NM cable entering the box, splice all the EGC's together and then add a tail to the device, is that tail an EGC, a bonding jumper, or maybe even both?

I feel that tail it fits both art 100 definitions.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I'll buy that if there is something to bond, like the equipment grounding terminal of a receptacle that will pass the grounding connection on to the cord/plug that plugs into it.

You have no choice but to 'buy that' it is required.


But should you have a switch with a non metallic yoke - what is there for ungrounded conductors to fault to? An EGC terminal that isn't conductive to anything but itself? Waste of time and money to even put the thing on the device IMO.

It amazes me the work people putting into finding a reason to disagree with things posted on the internet. :D

404.9 Provisions for General-Use Snap Switches.

(B) Grounding. Snap switches, including dimmer and similar
control switches, shall be connected to an equipment
grounding conductor and shall provide a means to connect
metal faceplates to the equipment grounding conductor,
whether or not a metal faceplate is installed.

The section continues and there are some exceptions but in a nut shell if there is a grounding means in the box and it is a standard snap switch you are grounding the switch either by a wire or by contact with a metal box. :)
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
You have no choice but to 'buy that' it is required.




It amazes me the work people putting into finding a reason to disagree with things posted on the internet. :D



The section continues and there are some exceptions but in a nut shell if there is a grounding means in the box and it is a standard snap switch you are grounding the switch either by a wire or by contact with a metal box. :)
Well I swear I once saw a non metallic bodied snap switch, just what is there to bond/ground if that is the case, unless they made provisions to have grounded metal screw catchers for the cover plate - then yes it must be grounded per the code you quoted, several years ago it didn't unless you were attaching a metal plate.

Otherwise I agree the section you quoted likely means the chances of finding such a switch is going to be pretty slim as the switch itself apparently isn't permitted to be used - at least if it is capable of having a metal faceplate attached to it.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
So you want to duke it out over definitions I see.

IMO the wire between the device and the box and/or the incoming EGC technically can be considered either a bonding jumper or an EGC.

That wire alone is a bonding jumper but it bonds to the EGC effectively making it part of the EGC.

I agree again , but, "the wire", "a bonding jumper" and "an EGC" are all singular.
You generally only connect one wire to the green screw on the device.

The original post asked "when using plastic boxes and plastic plates do the bond wires still need to be connected to the devices?"

"wires" is plural so I assumed he was actually referring to the EGC's in the box, which is what they are ,before they are twisted together and somehow extended to the device.

Otherwise I would have thought he would have asked "when using plastic boxes and plastic plates do the bonding wires I installed on the devices need to be connected to the EGC's in the box?"

There would be no reason to ask that if he had already connected "bonding wires to the devices".

JAP>
 

K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Find the rare device that has a non metallic yoke and then you shouldn't need to bond it.

Not so.....I have one of these in my collection but couldn't find it, so here is an Internet pic. Plastic yoke, bonding required.

IMG_0768.jpg


And yes, the yoke is all plastic. They were made by Slater.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Not so.....I have one of these in my collection but couldn't find it, so here is an Internet pic. Plastic yoke, bonding required.

IMG_0768.jpg


And yes, the yoke is all plastic. They were made by Slater.

K-wired already acknowledged that in an earlier post.

Quote
"I'll buy that if there is something to bond, like the equipment grounding terminal of a receptacle that will pass the grounding connection on to the cord/plug that plugs into it."

JAP>
 

norcal

Senior Member
Not so.....I have one of these in my collection but couldn't find it, so here is an Internet pic. Plastic yoke, bonding required.

IMG_0768.jpg


And yes, the yoke is all plastic. They were made by Slater.


Slater "Hi Tech" spelling may be wrong though, used those switches & receptacles in a couple of houses back in the 80's, did not like them.
 
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