Grounding Electrode Conductor Splicing

E

Eddie702

Licensed Electrician
Location
Western Massachusetts
Occupation
Electrician
I was watching a new Ryan Jackson vid on u tube and 2026 if I am not mistaken you are now allowed to splice a GEC with a set screw butt connector. It does not have to be irreversible
 
But really is it true that they got rid of the Irreversibe splice requirement? Cant remember the last time something good happened in the NEC, maybe last good thing was when they changed SER ampacity back up to 75.
 
We can only hope. Eddie702 post was the first I heard anything about it. I'm not on '26 code yet and I'm back to full time service work so I haven't worried about any changes in this cycle. There has been surprisingly little chatter about the new edition.
 
There were a number of public inputs on this subject, and they all pretty much said two things. One, the EGC is much more important in terms of electrical safety as it is the fault clearing path and there is no restriction on splicing EGCs. Two, there was never any technical substantiation for the unspliced GEC. All of the PIs, were rejected for lack of technical substantiation, yet the panel issued a First revision with a panel statement that said:
" The requirement is revised to allow the splicing of grounding electrode conductors with listed grounding and bonding equipment to be used where the splice is made at an accessible location. Splicing by exothermic welding process and irreversible compression-type connectors is still permitted for accessible or non-accessible locations."
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
All of the PIs, were rejected for lack of technical substantiation, yet the panel issued a First revision with a panel statement that said:.....
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Given the conversations we've had in the past about the CMPs only voting up or down on public inputs and not issuing changes without substantiation how is this possible?
 
ActionDave said:
Given the conversations we've had in the past about the CMPs only voting up or down on public inputs and not issuing changes without substantiation how is this possible?
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not really, even a couple of the panel members I talked to about this change though it might be overturned at a higher level
 
Eddie702 said:
That is pretty much Ryans opinion as I understand it.
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This was Ryan's substantiation for his PI.
There is no reason to prohibit a splice in a grounding electrode conductor. An equipment grounding conductor is allowed to be spliced, and its role is infinitely more important than that of the grounding electrode conductor. Not only is the EGC more important as it relates to electrical safety, it will also carry current in far greater amounts than the GEC, yet has no splicing limitations. Recent revisions in the NEC allow an EGC to act as the required GEC if both wires meet the requirements for both purposes, but the deal breaker is usually the splicing limitation.
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