Parallel GECs or EGCs allowed?

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wrobotronic

wrobotronic

Senior Member
Location
Colorado
Hey again everyone,

I have a job with a meter ped ±150ft from the house. When running my URD 4/0,4/0, 2/0 to the house I obviously need a GEC (or is this now considered an EGC?) and usually use a #2Al. My question is that I have loads of #6 Al and was curious to see if that could be used. IE run two sets of the #6 with irreversible crimps on either end to essentially make the correct size, based on the circular mils of the conductors. This is not a standard practice thing for me, as I always have run the #2. Please don't judge me, I'm more curious than anything.

Also wanted to see what the correct term is. I suppose I consider it to be an EGC since the bond takes place at the Meter Ped. However, I still take a conductor to the ufer and cold water at the house, but do not bond. Perhaps I am having a bad Friday with asking these things. So I apologize in advance for them if these are first year apprentice things I should know. Cheers
 
P

packersparky

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
Inspector
wrobotronic said:
Hey again everyone,

I have a job with a meter ped ±150ft from the house. When running my URD 4/0,4/0, 2/0 to the house I obviously need a GEC (or is this now considered an EGC?) and usually use a #2Al. My question is that I have loads of #6 Al and was curious to see if that could be used. IE run two sets of the #6 with irreversible crimps on either end to essentially make the correct size, based on the circular mils of the conductors. This is not a standard practice thing for me, as I always have run the #2. Please don't judge me, I'm more curious than anything.

Also wanted to see what the correct term is. I suppose I consider it to be an EGC since the bond takes place at the Meter Ped. However, I still take a conductor to the ufer and cold water at the house, but do not bond. Perhaps I am having a bad Friday with asking these things. So I apologize in advance for them if these are first year apprentice things I should know. Cheers
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Where is the service disconnect and overcurrent protection? Is it at the meter pedestal or at the house? If it as the pedestal it is an EGC. If it at the house it is GEC.

In either case the smallest conductor you can parallel is a 1/0 AWG.
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
There need be no fourth conductor if these are service conductors, and not a feeder.

The answer lies in the response to Packer's questions
 
C

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
packersparky said:
In either case the smallest conductor you can parallel is a 1/0 AWG.
Click to expand...

That is when it is a current-carrying conductor, where 1/0 is the minimum size you can parallel. You can build a 400A circuit by 2 sets of 3/0 Cu in parallel, with them each having their own #3 Cu EGC. The EGCs would therefore be in parallel, but wouldn't be greater than 1/0. Granted, you can't take credit for their conductance "adding up", because you have to run the same size EGC in both conduits as you would otherwise run in a single one.
 
P

packersparky

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
Inspector
Carultch said:
That is when it is a current-carrying conductor, where 1/0 is the minimum size you can parallel. You can build a 400A circuit by 2 sets of 3/0 Cu in parallel, with them each having their own #3 Cu EGC. The EGCs would therefore be in parallel, but wouldn't be greater than 1/0. Granted, you can't take credit for their conductance "adding up", because you have to run the same size EGC in both conduits as you would otherwise run in a single one.
Click to expand...

So in other words, while they are in parallel, they are not in parallel. :D
 
J

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
Parallel grounds are encountered all the time in switch boxes were two separate circuits have the EGC wire nutted together. In those cases though, the ground is appropriately sized for the circuit, and not built upon two or more separate paths.

Although against code, this was also pretty common for neutrals in switch boxes until the advent of afci breakers.

I am not sure the code section, however I believe it is against code to parallel two or more smaller conductors to make an equivalent size circular mil larger EGC. I am aware of section on current carrying conductors, eg you cannot run 2 14/3 Romex to a 30 amp dryer receptacle in place of a 10 / 3.

as far as I'm aware though, if one wanted, for whatever reason, to run a redundant ground wire, as long as the initial ground is the appropriate size, I do not see any violation in running multiple ground wires of any size.
 
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