GEC Material

Status
Not open for further replies.

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Would tinned copper be ok/allowed as a GEC?
I don't see that particular material listed in the code.

As far as I know, no distinction is made between copper and tinned copper for this purpose. The bulk of the conductor is copper and the corrosion resistance and allowed connection methods are equivalent. But let's see who else chimes in.

For some specific purposes (e.g. lightning protection and Radio Frequency grounding) flat braided copper, usually tinned, is used instead of circular wire for connecting to ground electrodes, but I do not think the NEC recognizes that, since it does not correspond directly to AWG sizes.
 
Last edited:

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
As far as I know, no distinction is made between copper and tinned copper for this purpose. The bulk of the conductor is copper and the corrosion resistance and allowed connection methods are equivalent. But let's see who else chimes in.

For some specific purposes (e.g. lightning protection and Radio Frequency grounding) flat braided copper, usually tinned, is used instead of circular wire for connecting to ground electrodes, but I do not think the NEC recognizes that, since it does not correspond directly to AWG sizes.

Well there is a system in place for lighting protection. They want to replace the original GEC and continue their system to the building GES.
The GEC they are using is #2 tinned copper. It is not braided copper, just tinned #2.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
Well there is a system in place for lighting protection. They want to replace the original GEC and continue their system to the building GES.
The GEC they are using is #2 tinned copper. It is not braided copper, just tinned #2.
That's all we use in our communication sites to every thing out side, including the service disconnect.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
No doubt. If you can't used tinned copper there is a bunch of cell company engineers that are going to loose their minds.
Ours are emergency radio communication sites. I think the engineers have already lost their mind.

Along with using T&B Kopr-Shield? Compound on everything.
I hate that crap. Get it on your hands and it takes days to get it off. But the last I bought was only $95.00 per bottle :eek:

I was told by my customer that the main reason they use tinned copper is that it "cad welds" better than just bare copper.
Below what Tom says is true we have dug up tinned copper to repair grounds that have been hit by copper thieves. The wire had been in the ground for 7-8 years and looked just as good as the day it was put in. From my experience doing cad welding the hotter you get the mold and wire and what ever else your welding to, with a torch before you set off the shot, the better the weld.

Tinned copper is used for better corrosion resistance from acid rain.
 

ActionDave

Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
Occupation
Licensed Electrician
Ours are emergency radio communication sites. I think the engineers have already lost their mind....
I'm sure we could compare some notes.

Just had an engineer throw a fit because someone drilled a hole 1/4 inch away from an existing hole on the door to a cabinet so the door latch would work. He made a big enough stink that one of his supervisors showed up. "The way you went on about this you would think this whole site wasn't working," was the only thing the super said and walked away.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
I'm sure we could compare some notes.
No doubt. Its our radio techs. that get me. I would put most of then against any one in the country on the radio stuff but there is where it stops. We had one that went into a fit, got in his truck and went home because there was more than 1/4" of copper showing between the insulation of a#2 ground to a rack and the edge of the C tap on the halo. By the way the halo is all bare. He threw a fit with me, I let him know in terms he could fully understand what I would do with him, he left to pout.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top