Pulling a color other then green, then taping green. Legal?
- Thread starter zappy
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resistance
Senior Member
- Location
- WA
Stevareno
Senior Member
- Location
- Dallas, TX
This is no joke. My dad did some work in Mexico at a tile manufacturing plant...
Needless to say, if you ever do any work down there, put a meter on the wire before you work with it...even if it is colored green.
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
Careful, the rule is that EGC conductors larger than than #6 may have insulation other than green and may be re-identified as bonding wires. Neutrals/grounded conductors have similar rules.
The rule is at least 60 or more years old and the exact reasoning on the size of the wire being chosen is unclear to many of us.
It seems like a silly rule, but it is there and not likely to get removed.
Strathead
Senior Member
- Location
- Ocala, Florida, USA
- Occupation
- Electrician/Estimator/Project Manager/Superintendent
Not even close. 25 years in California (Bay Area) , and now 7 years in Florida, North central Florida work is hands down worse than California, especially some of the stuff you come across that was done in the 70's!!!!!!!!!!!!!
fmtjfw
Senior Member
- Location
- Fairmont, WV, USA
Just strip it
Just strip it
Although you cannot tape grounding wires smaller than #6 with green, you can strip the wire where it is exposed and meet the marking requirement.
Just strip it
Although you cannot tape grounding wires smaller than #6 with green, you can strip the wire where it is exposed and meet the marking requirement.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
The rule is for conductors smaller than #4, and you can not just strip the exposed insulation - it must be green or green with yellow stripes its entire length.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Because when you get into the larger sizes the manufactures only make it in black.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Well trust me, I've seen the same thing, but then I've never really looked at work in other states.:happyno:
Luckly I fall into the "one of the best" group.
- Location
- Logan, Utah
That used to be correct, but most wire manufactures now make larger conductors in most colors.
Chris
resistance
Senior Member
- Location
- WA
Exactly!! I just looked at my catalog!!
- Location
- Mission Viejo, CA
- Occupation
- Professional Electrical Engineer
It's true for most US and Canadian manufacturers; however, most other foreign manufacturers still have a #6 cuttoff - and there are plenty. See the UL Online Certifications Directory , check "Display Guide Information only" and search Category Codes ZLGR and ZKST. Click the link to "guideinfo" and in then the "view listings" in the upper left hand corner.
There are actually more foreign manufacturers than domestic since wire is one of the easiest electrical building products to market in the US. Several of the larger foreign manufacturers also can make colored conductors #6 and above, but often still don't except as "special" orders. For most of them it still isn't economically justified.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
I didn't have all of that information, but I know for a fact that no one around here carry's any colored wire that large. See my tag line if you want to know how to get it.:happyyes:
- Location
- Mission Viejo, CA
- Occupation
- Professional Electrical Engineer
Most of the thermoplastics (Cat Code ZLGR) are pretty easy to make in any color, in any size; however, stocking any color other than black over #6, is up to the distributer. They may feel it isn't worth the inventory space, especially at the "branch" level. If they are closely associated with a major US manufacturer's distribution operation, it is usually available fairly quickly - anyone can get it, but it may take a while. As local demand increases, so does the supply (and stocking).
resistance
Senior Member
- Location
- WA
Exactly!!! <<<<<seems this is my new answer to everything
fmtjfw
Senior Member
- Location
- Fairmont, WV, USA
110.54 Bonding and Equipment Grounding Conductors.
(B) Equipment Grounding Conductors. An equipment
grounding conductor shall be run with circuit conductors
inside the metal raceway or inside the multiconductor cable
jacket. The equipment grounding conductor shall be permitted
to be insulated or bare.
250.119 Identification of Equipment Grounding Conductors.
Unless required elsewhere in this Code, equipment
grounding conductors shall be permitted to be bare,
covered, or insulated.
2011 NEC
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
Yes, an EGC can be bare, but it must be bare its entire length
250.119 Identification of Equipment Grounding Conductors.
Unless required elsewhere in this Code, equipment
grounding conductors shall be permitted to be bare,
covered, or insulated. Individually covered or insulated
equipment grounding conductors shall have a continuous
outer finish that is either green or green with one or more
yellow stripes except as permitted in this section.
fmtjfw
Senior Member
- Location
- Fairmont, WV, USA
Entire length?
Entire length?
I don't know where the idea that stripped wire would appear to be a grounding conductor. I guess it was by analogy to the fact that a #6 or larger wire could be identified by taping a color only at a termination, rather than its entire length. Perhaps my father taught me that in the 1950's (he was an engineer and they as we all know they have strange ideas about wiring).
I do know if I saw a conductor stripped for essentially its full exposed length, I would consider it a grounding wire.
In any event I can find nothing definitive in the code.
Entire length?
I don't know where the idea that stripped wire would appear to be a grounding conductor. I guess it was by analogy to the fact that a #6 or larger wire could be identified by taping a color only at a termination, rather than its entire length. Perhaps my father taught me that in the 1950's (he was an engineer and they as we all know they have strange ideas about wiring
).I do know if I saw a conductor stripped for essentially its full exposed length, I would consider it a grounding wire.
In any event I can find nothing definitive in the code.
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
I don't know where the idea that stripped wire would appear to be a grounding conductor. I guess it was by analogy to the fact that a #6 or larger wire could be identified by taping a color only at a termination, rather than its entire length. Perhaps my father taught me that in the 1950's (he was an engineer and they as we all know they have strange ideas about wiring
I do know if I saw a conductor stripped for essentially its full exposed length, I would consider it a grounding wire.
In any event I can find nothing definitive in the code.
It is what it is, silly rule or not. If you re- identify an insulated hot colored conductor smaller than #4 as an EGC or neutral the world will end and pigs will fly.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
They can make any color in any size. If people are not buying them they will not be made. If NEC decided we will use green/white/gray no matter what size they would become more readily available because there would be a demand.
I know you used to see a lot of #6 with white or green tape around here. Some suppliers were not even stocking in those colors because there was no demand for them. When inspectors started enforcing correctly the demand went up and they are all stocked now - and have been for a long time as this was at least 20+ years ago when this happened.
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