Is it written anywere that we can splice a smaller conductor onto a larger conductor to accommodate a lug or termination size limitation? Here's the case: To feed numerous site lighting poles, a few hundred feet from our building, we determined that a #8 conductor is needed, for voltage drop mitigation purposes. We're controlling these site lighting luminaires from a low voltage, relay based, networked lighting control panel. None of the branch circuits exceed 20A, so we're simply tying the 20A relays directly to the site lighting branch circuit conductors. The issue is how does one connect a #8 conductor to a relay designed to accept #12 conductors.
Voltage Drop/Conductor Size Issue
- Thread starter rsoto
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Logan, Utah
In your scenario it would be acceptable to splice a #12 to the #8 conductors to terminate on the relays.
Chris
Chris
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
A crimp on terminal may work IE an 8 AWG to #10 fork, But the large 8 AWG may put a lot of strain on the small relay terminal. I would land it on a DIN terminal block and then run a 12 AWG to the relay. Use a DIN relay as well.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
It's done all the time in schools that have centrally located dimmer and receptacle control rooms that require hundreds of feet of conductor. The one I did used 8 for the run which isn't going to fit on a 20 amp receptacle. We put 12 solid on the receptacles and then used wire nuts to connect to the 8. Since each drop was individual all we had to worry about was the two wires in each connection.
360Youth
Senior Member
- Location
- Newport, NC
I like that thinking. Good thing to be aware of in the design/application.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I've seen this done too. Would the EGC to the device need to be a #8 or a #12?
- Location
- Logan, Utah
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I say not compliant but I see #12's tailed to #10's quite often. No real safety issue but might not be code compliant. Now you see pre-wired devices that have a separate pigtail and a plug in connector. Not sure that these are compliant either when the circuit conductors have been up-sized.
- Status