Does grounding for four receptacles pigtail have to be a green screw?

[Eddy Current]

I know about the threaded code, but i thought there was a code that stated it has to be identified as a green screw.

 

[infinity]

Nope, the screw on a receptacle is permitted to be identified by green marking.

406.10 Grounding-Type Receptacles, Adapters, Cord
Connectors, and Attachment Plugs.
(B) Grounding-Pole Identification. Grounding-type recep-
tacles, adapters, cord connections, and attachment plugs shall
have a means for connection of an equipment grounding con-
ductor to the grounding pole.
Aterminal for connection to the grounding pole shall be
designated by one of the following:
(1) A green-colored hexagonal-headed or -shaped terminal
screw or nut, not readily removable.
(2) A green-colored pressure wire connector body (a wire
barrel).
(3) A similar green-colored connection device, in the case
of adapters. The grounding terminal of a grounding
adapter shall be a green-colored rigid ear, lug, or simi-
lar device. The equipment grounding connection shall
be so designed that it cannot make contact with
current-carrying parts of the receptacle, adapter, or at-
tachment plug. The adapter shall be polarized.
(4) If the terminal for the equipment grounding conductor
is not visible, the conductor entrance hole shall be
marked with the word green or ground, the letters G or
GR, a grounding symbol, or otherwise identified by a
distinctive green color. If the terminal for the equip-
ment grounding conductor is readily removable, the
area adjacent to the terminal shall be similarly marked.

 

[Eddy Current]

That sounds like it's talking about the screw on the device, i was talking about when grounding a pigtail to something like a four square box.

 

[infinity]

That sounds like it's talking about the screw on the device, i was talking about when grounding a pigtail to something like a four square box.

That's why the first word of my post was nope.

It's not required to connect to a metallic box.

 

[Eddy Current]

That's why the first word of my post was nope.

It's not required to connect to a metallic box.

I saw that a pigtail to the box is required if there isn't a grounding wire in the raceway, but you're saying that you don't even need a pigtail if there is a grounding wire in the raceway? Is that just a thing that a lot of inspectors prefer?

 

[K8MHZ]

I saw that a pigtail to the box is required if there isn't a grounding wire in the raceway, but you're saying that you don't even need a pigtail if there is a grounding wire in the raceway? Is that just a thing that a lot of inspectors prefer?

I thought it was the other way around. If you had a grounded box you didn't need a grounding wire on a self grounding receptacle.

 

[Eddy Current]

I thought it was the other way around. If you had a grounded box you didn't need a grounding wire on a self grounding receptacle.

Here they make you ground the box with a pigtail, even though you have a grounding wire pulled in the conduit.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I believe the pigtails must be green or bare

 

[Eddy Current]

I believe the pigtails must be green or bare

Oh ok, yeah i knew about that, i was just wondering about the screw, if there was a code stating that it had to be green, but then it was mentioned that the pigtail is not even a code.

 

[kwired]

I know about the threaded code, but i thought there was a code that stated it has to be identified as a green screw.

Just what is the question, I thought you were asking if the mentioned screw was required to be green?


The box needs to be bonded, the yoke/EGC of the receptacle needs to be bonded, if a metallic cover is used it needs to be bonded. But if a raceway that qualifies as an EGC is supplying all of it you could accomplish all the required bonding without any actual bonding "wires"

Now if any bonding connections are required to be made by a wire jumper there is no requirement that a screw used to make that bond needs to be green though many screws that are sold for that intent are green.

 

[Eddy Current]

Now if any bonding connections are required to be made by a wire jumper there is no requirement that a screw used to make that bond needs to be green though many screws that are sold for that intent are green.

That answered my original question, but the other question came out about grounding the box. So the additional grounding pigtail to the box is not a code, just a local requirement?

 

[kwired]

That answered my original question, but the other question came out about grounding the box. So the additional grounding pigtail to the box is not a code, just a local requirement?

Some local requirements are going to vary, NEC only says each item I mentioned before needs to be bonded to the EGC. Like I said, per NEC you could potentially have a metal raceway serve as the EGC, it bonds the box via the raceway connection to the box, and the bond from box to receptacle could happen via solid contact between box and cover or receptacle - and in that case there is no "wire" EGC at all yet everything requiring bonded is still bonded.

 

[K8MHZ]

Just what is the question, I thought you were asking if the mentioned screw was required to be green?


The box needs to be bonded, the yoke/EGC of the receptacle needs to be bonded, if a metallic cover is used it needs to be bonded. But if a raceway that qualifies as an EGC is supplying all of it you could accomplish all the required bonding without any actual bonding "wires"

Now if any bonding connections are required to be made by a wire jumper there is no requirement that a screw used to make that bond needs to be green though many screws that are sold for that intent are green.

For receptacles they are. See post #2.

 

[Eddy Current]

So the screw doesn't have to be green, but by code you do have to have a ground pigtail grounded to the box even though you have a ground wire pulled in the raceway.

 

[infinity]

This thread seems to be going sideways because of the incorrect terminology being used. If you have an EGC in a metallic raceway and a metal 4" square box and the circuit conductors are spliced within the box or connected to a device in the box then the EGC must terminate to the box. If the device is self grounding then a equipment bonding jumper between the metal box and the device is not required. If it's a surface mounted box and a surface mounted 4" square cover with dimpled corners an equipment bonding jumper is not required between the device and the box. Take a look at 250.148.

 

[kwired]

So the screw doesn't have to be green, but by code you do have to have a ground pigtail grounded to the box even though you have a ground wire pulled in the raceway.

If you pull a ground wire in the raceway and have splices or devices in the box then yes (Rob did answer this). You may or may not need a pigtail to the receptacle depends if it is already bonded by an acceptable means through it's mounting method.

 

[kwired]

For receptacles they are. See post #2.

The screw on the receptacle is more the problem of the manufacturer then it is for me - nearly all of the time. If the screw is missing from the receptacle then it may be my problem to ensure any replacement is green. The screw used to bond the box (if one is used) is not required to be green.

 

[Eddy Current]

If you pull a ground wire in the raceway and have splices or devices in the box then yes (Rob did answer this). You may or may not need a pigtail to the receptacle depends if it is already bonded by an acceptable means through it's mounting method.

What is the code reference for this, 250.148? I saw the picture in the Mike Holt book but it only showed bonding to the box if there was not a ground pulled in the raceway.

 

[kwired]

What is the code reference for this, 250.148? I saw the picture in the Mike Holt book but it only showed bonding to the box if there was not a ground pulled in the raceway.

250.148 would contain requirements for bonding the box to the EGC. If there is no EGC pulled in the raceway then the raceway would have to be the EGC, and should inherently bond to the box via the raceway termination to the box.

If you are asking about a jumper from the box to the receptacle - that is covered in 250.146. A summary of that is that if there is metal to metal contact between the receptacle yoke and the box (presumed to be connected to be bonded to the EGC) then that connection is suitable for bonding the receptacle, or specially designed devices(often called self grounding) can be allowed to do the bonding in cases where there is not direct metal to metal contact between device and box. Raised device covers that meet requirements in 250.146(A) can also be used without any additional bonding jumpers for providing EGC to the device and it doesn't matter if a EGC has been pulled in raceways or not, but if they have been pulled they must have a connection to the box if the box contains splices, devices or other connections involving the contained conductors.

 

[Little Bill]

This is where the discussion went "south" IMO.

That sounds like it's talking about the screw on the device, i was talking about when grounding a pigtail to something like a four square box.

That's why the first word of my post was nope.

It's not required to connect to a metallic box.

I saw that a pigtail to the box is required if there isn't a grounding wire in the raceway, but you're saying that you don't even need a pigtail if there is a grounding wire in the raceway? Is that just a thing that a lot of inspectors prefer?

Rob was waying that the screw wasn't required to be green in the metallic box, not that it didn't need to be bonded!