Conductor density

[tonype]

Qualitatively, the photo shows a very high conductor density in the panel enclosure - due to many added when a generator was installed. Is there any way to determine of this is excessive?

 

[tonype]

The portion I am referring to is the lower right

 

[wwhitney]

Is there any way to determine of this is excessive?

Yes, see 312.8(A) and do the computations there. You will find that the pictured arrangement is compliant.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[LarryFine]

Is there any way to determine of this is excessive?

Yes, it isn't. You would almost have to bundle wires parallel to approach a 40% fill.

Besides, with a panel full of tandems, you already have a more-than-usual density.

 

[infinity]

It is impossible to exceed the gutter space fill in a panel. What's is shown in the photo is a mess but it doesn't not even come close to exceeding the maximum fill amount. If the installer had more pride in his work it wouldn't look like such a mess.

 

[tonype]

Thanks all!

 

[jap]

Can someone explain to me what took place here?
Why are all the reds landed on Tandem breakers?

Jap>

 

[LarryFine]

Can someone explain to me what took place here?
Why are all the reds landed on Tandem breakers?

With that kind of transfer switch, half of the wire pairs are black and half of them are red.

 

[jap]

Does someone have a diagram of it they could post?

JAP.

 

[LarryFine]

Does someone have a diagram of it they could post?

 

[jap]

So where do the tandem breakers come into play?
It would seem the circuit would simply be extended from the existing breaker to the line side of the transfer switch and then possibly wirenuted back to the load in the main panel if the load wire wasn't long enough to reach load side of the transfer switch.

JAP.

 

[LarryFine]

So where do the tandem breakers come into play?

The tandem breakers and the transfer switch have nothing to do with each other.

Someone added a transfer switch to a panel that happened to have tandems in it.

 

[jap]

The OP indicated "many were added" when the generator was installed.
I thought he was talking about circuits which required adding the tandems, but now see he was talking about conductors only.

My bad.

JAP>