Box fill requirements NEC vs CEC

K

Kevin W Holland

Member
Location
Naples-Bonita Springs, FL
Good morning all.
Question for Canadian electricians: Are the box fill requirements in the CEC different than in the NEC to the extent that a 2-1/2 deep metal gem box stamped with "12.0 cu in" inside the box is allowed to have (3) #12-2 MC cables enter the box and also, upon trim, will have a device (receptacle) also installed within the box? A client who has relocated from Toronto, CA to here in SW Florida claims that they allow this configuration. ? Of course the electrical inspection failed miserably and all the 1-gang gem boxes had to be changed out. To which the GC stated "well, I guess some things we can do in Canada we cannot do here". Can I get some clarification on this from Canadian electricians?
Thanks in advance.
 
I'm no Canadian, but I have studied a bit of the CEC, and the way I understand it, you can get more wires in less volume, but wire nuts count as well. Every pair of wires connected together counts off 1 conductor. All grounds count individually. And the device counts as two.

I looked it up, and each #12 consumes about 1.75 in³, so three 12-2 MC cables would be 9 conductors and a device is 17.75 in³, then at least 3 pairs of wires have to be connected, so that is another 5.25 in³, bring the total up to 24.5 in³.

I could be off a bit, but I don't believe the CEC allows three 12-2s and a device in a 12 in³ box.
 
Obviously the box fill does not meet NEC or CEC requirements. I can't imagine trying to splice (3) 12/2 cables in such a small box let alone try and get a device into it.

For me (3) 12/2 MC cables would be getting a 4SQ deep with single gang ring. Standard 4SQ meets NEC but minimal additional cost but makes life much easier.
 
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