Do you splice all your EGCs together?

Learn the NEC with Mike Holt now!

Do you splice all your EGCs together?


  • Total voters
    45
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
.....When I teach wiring I have the following rules:

1) Work from the load back to the source. [makes it really hard to accidentally energize the circuit until it is all but completed.]
2) Connect all the grounding together wires first. ["They are the most important wires", and go to the back of the box.]
3) Connect the grounding wire to each device that needs one.
4) Connect the grounded wires next.
5) Connect the hot wires last.

This is what I follow as I have been thought this way by my teacher.

However, I voted "NO" in the pole and it only applies to smaller boxes with #12&14 conductors, however, if I have a 6x6 or larger splice box I always use a ground bar.
 

mtfallsmikey

Senior Member
This is what I follow as I have been thought this way by my teacher.

However, I voted "NO" in the pole and it only applies to smaller boxes with #12&14 conductors, however, if I have a 6x6 or larger splice box I always use a ground bar.

That's the way I was taught as well.
 

DBoone

Senior Member
Location
Mississippi
Occupation
General Contractor
If you make two bundles and jumper between them, the jumper just has to be sized to the largest OCPD correct?
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
If you make two bundles and jumper between them, the jumper just has to be sized to the largest OCPD correct?
Depends entirely on what is in each of the two bundles.
For example: one bundle includes home run EGC for 50A circuit passing through the box as well as the continuation EGC. Other bundle includes 15A circuit EGC and pigtails to a bunch of devices on the 15A circuit in the box. No need to jumper at all, but jumper sized to 15A EGC would be fine.
 

SceneryDriver

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Electrical and Automation Designer
I splice them all together. If the box is big enough that I have #6 or larger EGC along with 10s and 12s most likely i have a ground bar as well.

I use lots of ground bars. They make landing EGC's in a pull box easy. Cheap and easy to use too.



SceneryDriver
 

Jon456

Senior Member
Location
Colorado
I use lots of ground bars. They make landing EGC's in a pull box easy. Cheap and easy to use too.

I like to use ground bars in 6x6 or larger. But this has me thinking: would it be acceptable to install a ground bar in a 2-gang or even a 1-gang box? (I can't really think of an application where I would want a ground bar in a 1-gang box, but I'm curious if it would violate listing or code.)
 

DBoone

Senior Member
Location
Mississippi
Occupation
General Contractor
Our poll isn't unanimous so obviously 250.148 is debatable as to interpretation. So, for all who think it is a requirement to splice all, and who believe if you do not splice all you are violating code, will some of you please agree with me and admit that by keeping them separate it does not pose anymore of a hazard than the many other circuits with only one return path. It does not cause great risk to human life.

Anybody?
 

qcroanoke

Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
Location
Roanoke, VA.
Occupation
Sorta retired........
Our poll isn't unanimous so obviously 250.148 is debatable as to interpretation. So, for all who think it is a requirement to splice all, and who believe if you do not splice all you are violating code, will some of you please agree with me and admit that by keeping them separate it does not pose anymore of a hazard than the many other circuits with only one return path. It does not cause great risk to human life.

Anybody?

nevermind
 
Last edited:

ritelec

Senior Member
Location
Jersey
250.148 is debatable as to interpretation.

It's not debatable.


Read it again.

any equipment grounding conductor associated with "those" "circuits".
Not "that" "circuit".


Again, if you grouped grounds, as your stating, how then would you count them in conductor fill. 1 ground per group?

My suggestion. Move on. Put all your grounds together and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
 

fmtjfw

Senior Member
It's not debatable.


Read it again.

any equipment grounding conductor associated with "those" "circuits".
Not "that" "circuit".


Again, if you grouped grounds, as your stating, how then would you count them in conductor fill. 1 ground per group?

My suggestion. Move on. Put all your grounds together and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

All the grounding conductors in a box count as 1(ONE) conductor of the largest sized EGC. Be it 1 or be it 100.
 

ritelec

Senior Member
Location
Jersey
All the grounding conductors in a box count as 1(ONE) conductor of the largest sized EGC. Be it 1 or be it 100.

LOL...
I know, I know..

Just making reference to if you have several ground bundles that shouldn't be the case. It should be one per bundle.


To mention too as I was thinking.

You do a house rough, all the boxes are cut in, no splices have to be made to pass the rough inspection, however, what does need to be done?
 

jaylectricity

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
licensed journeyman electrician
Our poll isn't unanimous so obviously 250.148 is debatable as to interpretation. So, for all who think it is a requirement to splice all, and who believe if you do not splice all you are violating code, will some of you please agree with me and admit that by keeping them separate it does not pose anymore of a hazard than the many other circuits with only one return path. It does not cause great risk to human life.

Anybody?

Scenario: One circuit suffers a ground fault. One group of EGCs is close enough to another group to cause an arc-flash. Now other conductors in the box could be damaged by the heat. All behind a device or cover plate never to be known that there is damage.
 

Ponchik

Senior Member
Location
CA
Occupation
Electronologist
Our poll isn't unanimous so obviously 250.148 is debatable as to interpretation. So, for all who think it is a requirement to splice all, and who believe if you do not splice all you are violating code, will some of you please agree with me and admit that by keeping them separate it does not pose anymore of a hazard than the many other circuits with only one return path. It does not cause great risk to human life.

Anybody?

I don't see any safety issue by keeping them separate. If there is ground fault I am sure the breaker will respond and I highly doubted that there is any Arc Flash hazard as mentioned by previous poster.
 

DBoone

Senior Member
Location
Mississippi
Occupation
General Contractor
Jay, Edward, thanks for the feedback. Its been a good poll/topic and has been interesting to read responses on both sides of the spectrum. I always like picking the brains on this forum to see how my views and opinions line up with the professionals with tons more experience and time in the field than I have.

Im gonna let this one rest now but I'll still be prowling around. Thanks for not roughing me up too bad. :)
 
LOL...
I know, I know..

Just making reference to if you have several ground bundles that shouldn't be the case. It should be one per bundle.


To mention too as I was thinking.

You do a house rough, all the boxes are cut in, no splices have to be made to pass the rough inspection, however, what does need to be done?

EI wants to see all grounds spliced at rough around here.
 

DrSparks

The Everlasting Know-it-all!
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Occupation
Master Electrician and General Contractor
Let's get a couple things straight here. For one, the abbreviation I assume we're talking about is Grounding Electrode Conductor, which is GEC, not EGC. And if that's what we're talking about, we're a little off track here talking about outlet boxes. I think your confusing GEC with equipment ground (EG). Big difference, both both provide (ideally);a low resistance path to ground. And they should be joined at each termination for sake of maintaining equipotential among non-current-carrying metal parts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top