I am changing a 100 amp residential service to 150 amp service.The bare ground wires are all to short to hit the ground bus.The panel legend says I can put two grounding conductors in one lug,fine.Would it be code compliant to take five say #12 grounding conductors and barrel crimp them together with a #12 tail then hit the ground buss??? What I'm trying to do is save some lugs for my white ground/neutral wires which can have only one per lug.I thought about installing another multi tap grounding lug.
grounding wires
- Thread starter z-men
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bphgravity
Senior Member
- Location
- Florida
Re: grounding wires
I can't really find nor think of a code section that prohibits you from doing what you suggest. However, I don't think it is a very good choice. It would probably be better to add another ground bar to the enclosure and splice each individual EGC to it.
If you insist on bundling you EGC to form one large conductor, at least splice an "equivalent" sized jumper from them. So for your example, #12 solid has an area of .005 in? x 5 = .025 which is equivalent a #6 conductor. That way you completely assure current carrying capacity of the pigtail.
I can't really find nor think of a code section that prohibits you from doing what you suggest. However, I don't think it is a very good choice. It would probably be better to add another ground bar to the enclosure and splice each individual EGC to it.
If you insist on bundling you EGC to form one large conductor, at least splice an "equivalent" sized jumper from them. So for your example, #12 solid has an area of .005 in? x 5 = .025 which is equivalent a #6 conductor. That way you completely assure current carrying capacity of the pigtail.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
Re: grounding wires
why would you need current carrying capacity on a ground wire? it only has to carry enough current to trip a CB for a few cycles. I can't see any reason to make it any bigger then the largest of the wires he wants to splice together.
But, in case you may have forgotten, I hate splices anyway. I like adding the ground bar idea.
why would you need current carrying capacity on a ground wire? it only has to carry enough current to trip a CB for a few cycles. I can't see any reason to make it any bigger then the largest of the wires he wants to splice together.
But, in case you may have forgotten, I hate splices anyway. I like adding the ground bar idea.
Re: grounding wires
If you have enough length to splice these wires, it means they are long enough to install a ground bar right at the top where the short wires come into your new panel. Ground bars are cheap and come in several lengths. Just be sure to use two threaded bolts to secure the bar.
If you have enough length to splice these wires, it means they are long enough to install a ground bar right at the top where the short wires come into your new panel. Ground bars are cheap and come in several lengths. Just be sure to use two threaded bolts to secure the bar.
dana1028
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay area
Re: grounding wires
It is common practice and NEC compliant to run multiple circuits through a conduit using a single equipment grounding conductor (sized to the largest circuit).
Once you get to a pull/splice box these circuits usually go off in multiple directions; at this point additional equipment grounding conductors are added to each raceway to follow the circuit conductors. These additional EGC are all spliced together in the pull/splice box to the original 'home run' EGC.
Why is it common practice (and code compliant) to splice 1/2 dozen EGC together in the splice box for the home run, yet once you get to the distribution panel it is suddenly 'bad practice', 'not good workmanship' to splice EGC's together as Z-men is inquiring about?
The NEC Handbook has a commentary about splicing EGC's together (for the single home run) indicating they are not concerned about upsizing this conductor because multiple faults are unlikely to occur.
BTW - I too prefer providing additional terminal blocks in the panel when I need extra spaces for the EGC's. Personally, I do not splice EGC's together in the panel, but I do not have a problem with others doing this.
It is common practice and NEC compliant to run multiple circuits through a conduit using a single equipment grounding conductor (sized to the largest circuit).
Once you get to a pull/splice box these circuits usually go off in multiple directions; at this point additional equipment grounding conductors are added to each raceway to follow the circuit conductors. These additional EGC are all spliced together in the pull/splice box to the original 'home run' EGC.
Why is it common practice (and code compliant) to splice 1/2 dozen EGC together in the splice box for the home run, yet once you get to the distribution panel it is suddenly 'bad practice', 'not good workmanship' to splice EGC's together as Z-men is inquiring about?
The NEC Handbook has a commentary about splicing EGC's together (for the single home run) indicating they are not concerned about upsizing this conductor because multiple faults are unlikely to occur.
BTW - I too prefer providing additional terminal blocks in the panel when I need extra spaces for the EGC's. Personally, I do not splice EGC's together in the panel, but I do not have a problem with others doing this.
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