Terminal strips!

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gutierrjg

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Can anyone tell me, where to find in NEC an article related to the use of TERMINAL BLOCKS OR STRIPS? Also, in a residential application we have to install a distribution box to spliced together some wires and we are looking for the best look and aproved by NEC.
Any Iedas will help
 
tom baker

tom baker

First Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Bremerton, Washington
In WA state we can make a control panel, or terminal box, from listed parts.
DIN rail terminal blocks are not UL listed, they are component recognized. The older type phenolic terminal strips are UL listed.
What I recommend is a suitable hoffman enclosure with a back panel, allow ample room for conduit entries and dressing the wire, use adhesive back cable tie bases and with a bit of care it will look first class.
I have seen a lot of terminal boxes with no backpanel, its just a poor way of mounting equipment on the back of the box
 
infinity

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
43 cents each plus a few bucks for the rail. You can get them in Grey for even less money.

m_dnt12red.jpg


http://www.automationdirect.com/adc...s_-a-_Accessories/12_AWG_(EURO_2.5)/DN-T12RED
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
petersonra said:
Pricey? You should be able to get them for 35-40 cents each.
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Try the alternative - required terminals for a loaded box... Vs. (hand full of the most expensive) Wire nuts.... :D

While you're at it break out the percentage too... ;) Then compare the labor units... Sure it LOOKS real good - but a few 3M R/Y's could easily do the same.
 
Twoskinsoneman

Twoskinsoneman

Senior Member
Location
West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
Occupation
Facility Senior Electrician
e57 said:
I'm particular to the DIN rail style. Pricey - but nice.

Wouldn't worry much about them - but the conductors and box fill.
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petersonra said:
Pricey? You should be able to get them for 35-40 cents each.
Click to expand...

infinity said:
43 cents each plus a few bucks for the rail. You can get them in Grey for even less money.

m_dnt12red.jpg


http://www.automationdirect.com/adc...s_-a-_Accessories/12_AWG_(EURO_2.5)/DN-T12RED
Click to expand...

I agree that they are cheap and the best way to go. Not sure that mounting the rail right to the box is that big a deal but a backplate looks more professional.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Twoskinsoneman said:
I agree that they are cheap and the best way to go.
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Again cheap is subjective. Say you have 4 condtors on 2 terminals At say $.40 ea.... = $.80 plus time... (Not to mention DIN rail itself) Vs. one 3M R/Y wire nut at say $.11 and the time to install it.

I'm sure many of the bean counters out there will have better ideas.
 
C

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
Wirenuts and terminal strips both have their place. I'd lean towards the terminal strips if the job had the money/time for it, or if there were a lot splices to be made. I simply can't stand large j-boxes packed with coils of wire and wirenuts hanging out everywhere.:roll:

Terminal strips also have the added bonus of making it a lot easier to check power using the terminal screws, rather than trying to jam your probes into a stuffed wirenut.;)
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Cow said:
Wirenuts and terminal strips both have their place. I'd lean towards the terminal strips if the job had the money/time for it, or if there were a lot splices to be made. I simply can't stand large j-boxes packed with coils of wire and wirenuts hanging out everywhere.:roll:

Terminal strips also have the added bonus of making it a lot easier to check power using the terminal screws, rather than trying to jam your probes into a stuffed wirenut.;)
Click to expand...
I agree with this.
 
Rockyd

Rockyd

Senior Member
Location
Nevada
Occupation
Retired after 40 years as an electrician.
It's a time/dollar continuum. Large industrial facilities and some major commercial may have terminal strips. The determining factor that helps a lot is the non-tangiable aspect of cost of trouble shooting. Terminal strips save a lot of time in a witch hunt for a problem, in a new place - providing they are "journeyman like installations", not some hack that pushed a fistfull of wires into a box, with a terminal strip "somewhere" in a Hoffman box (4X or stainless)!
 
D

Doug S.

Senior Member
Location
West Michigan
I would be curious about how #12 solid conductor would do in a DIN rail mount terminal?
I know MANY are rated for 30 amps, and some even more, but I don't think it would seat well if the conductor had any sort of roll to it?

Maybe it's just a bias? I've but hundreds of thousands of wires ( maybe millions by now? ) into DIN terminals, never any sort of NM.

I'm gonna try it at home... we'll see if the barn burns down? ;)


My 2?
Doug S.
 
e57

e57

Senior Member
Location
San Francisco, CA
Doug S. said:
I would be curious about how #12 solid conductor would do in a DIN rail mount terminal?
~~~hundreds of thousands of wires ( maybe millions by now? ) into DIN terminals, never any sort of NM.
Click to expand...
Ever do a Lutron Homeworks panel? These resi dimming panels use them and they fair very well with #12 solid.
 
P

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Rockyd said:
It's a time/dollar continuum. Large industrial facilities and some major commercial may have terminal strips. The determining factor that helps a lot is the non-tangiable aspect of cost of trouble shooting. Terminal strips save a lot of time in a witch hunt for a problem, in a new place - providing they are "journeyman like installations", not some hack that pushed a fistfull of wires into a box, with a terminal strip "somewhere" in a Hoffman box (4X or stainless)!
Click to expand...

Its also about being able to organize and prewire some things. A lot of time is spent in the field figuring out waht to do versus doing it.

A well organized terminal strip is a whole lot faster to figure out.

I agree its not a cheap substitute for connecting a couple wires together.

Keep in mind that a typical field electrician costs something close to a dollar a minute. Most of the time reducing the amount of field labor is highly cost effective.
 
G

Goroon

Member
We use for retrofits this "local Inspector approved" in line splice, commercial.
In small projects it saves Rail Mounting and Box conversions for access.

Barrier Strip, Maximum Wire Size 10 AWG, Minimum Wire Size 22 AWG, Number of Circuits 12, UL Rating 35 Amps/600 Volts, CSA 35 Amps/600 Volts, Center Spacing 0.472 Inch


Grainger Item # 6YJ02
 
G

gndrod

Senior Member
Location
Ca and Wa
Buchanan, Cinch, Amp.... all have barrier strips available and include pre-made ordered jumpers that save install time. The backboard Tom mentions is the professional best way. Tyco's Flex-Block terminating system is UL rated 300 V 10 and 20 A. Using solid 14 and up conductors can be time intensive in close quarters, stranded might be a better avenue. rbj
 
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