Securing conductors with one hole strap

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xguard

Senior Member
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
New one on me. A contractor has used one hole straps to hold insulated conductors in place inside of equipment. I would suspect this product isn't listed for this application. It doesn't seem necessary to me to secure them in any way in this case. Thoughts??? Good, bad, indifferent?
 

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LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I don't see why it was done either; I'm more concerned with the conductor against the bolt threads.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Don't sweat the small stuff.

At least there was an effort put forth to keep C phase tucked back in the enclosure.

B phase is the one to worry about.

JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Give em extra credit for what seems to be like a very oversized EGC if that's actually what it is.


JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
It's not rocket science.

I'd probably take C phase out from behind the one hole strap, loosely zip tie C phase to the strap,then ziptie B phase to C phase, then
zip tie all of them together at the top of the vertical portion of the conductors.

JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
I'm not sure why one would expect extra credit for just using whatever was on the truck today without understanding the purpose of a GEC or why the Code specifies the sizes that it does.

So you think that conductor that's phase taped green is a GEC ?

Hmmm..... you may need to stay after class. :)


JAP>
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
If he cut them to the proper length so that they were all below the screws like the A phase, dressed them nicely and put one zip-tie around them it would be a lot better.

-Hal
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
I could only guess.... Maybe when the technician made up the equipment they left their plyers/ cutters at home and couldn't cut the conductors to their proper length?:)


Maybe it's Sq. D's fault for using 1" bolts to fasten a simple hub to the top of a 3r enclosure....


JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
If he cut them to the proper length so that they were all below the screws like the A phase, dressed them nicely and put one zip-tie around them it would be a lot better.

-Hal

Agreed, but, he landed C phase first and worked his way back.

By the time he was done it looks like he got the hang of it.


JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
I could only guess.... Maybe when the technician made up the equipment they left their plyers/ cutters at home and couldn't cut the conductors to their proper length?:)

I doubt that's the case.

I'd almost bet he had a pair of wire cutters on site when he made the terminations, and, there would be no need for "Plyers" for this size wire at all.


JAP>
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
This particular situation, I doubt it was all that necessary to provide additional securing that was done, but at same time I don't have too much issue with doing so with the 1 hole strap. If you are concerned about it eventually wearing through the insulation, put some wraps of tape in that spot, or even friction tape/rubber tape for a little thicker cushion at that spot. 1 hole strap is better than something ferrous that completely encircles the conductor - that sort of thing would create additional heating from magnetic effects.
 

chris kennedy

Senior Member
Location
Miami Fla.
Occupation
60 yr old tool twisting electrician
As for the EGC, how do we know that’s not a feeder tap and the EGC is sized for the OCPD ahead of it?
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
As for the EGC, how do we know that’s not a feeder tap and the EGC is sized for the OCPD ahead of it?

By what we can see of the picture there are a lot of unknowns.....

Is it actually an EGC ?
Is it actually a Neutral Conductor taped Green?
If it is and EGC Is it landed on the Neutral bar?
If so is the bonding screw installed ?
Are these actually Service Conductors?
If so a Grounded Conductor is not actually needed?
Are these Feeder Conductors?
If so, why is the EGC so large?
Is this a Tap?
If it is a Tap were they actually sharp enough to know about upsizing the EGC ?

ETC.....

JAP>
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
1 hole strap is better than something ferrous that completely encircles the conductor - that sort of thing would create additional heating from magnetic effects.

I would say, in a sense, they have created a ferrous ring around the conductor with the 1 hole strap.


JAP>
 
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