Whats happening here?
- Thread starter shoaib10
- Start date
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mbrooke
Batteries Included
- Location
- United States
- Occupation
- Technician
I think those are Polaris connectors, and all they would be are splices. Ie, solid electrical connections between conductors.
Can you explain a little bit more?
I think this picture might help a little bit on whats going on...
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jtinge
Senior Member
- Location
- Hampton, VA
- Occupation
- Sr. Elec. Engr
It appears that two branch conductors are being fed from one circuit breaker. Instead of trying to land both wires on the circuit breaker, they landed them in a splice terminal and pigtailed up to the breaker.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
qcroanoke
Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
- Location
- Roanoke, VA.
- Occupation
- Sorta retired........
Looks like to me the original feed (bigger of the 3 wires) was maybe pulled off of the main in that panel and spliced, tapped to the other wires. (One set of the smaller wires) re-feeds that panel and the others appear to exit through the other pipe on the right and maybe go on and feed something else making that a tap.
Could use a few more pictures so we can maybe follow the wires out.
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
I'm thinking that if this tap had been done in a trough it wouldn't look at all odd.
They are feeding this panel and something else (probably another panel) and they have CTs and wish to monitor the power of this panel.
Again if you were to see this done outside the panel in a trough you wouldn't think twice about it.
They are feeding this panel and something else (probably another panel) and they have CTs and wish to monitor the power of this panel.
Again if you were to see this done outside the panel in a trough you wouldn't think twice about it.
Unfortunately i dont have any pictures..But what i am thinking is there is another panel a floor below..Maybe they would have bought the wire from that panel which is the bigger size and spliced,tapped into two set of wires(small ones),one set going into main breaker in the panel i showed above and one wire as you mentioned may be going down to feed another panel?
But yo are saying bigger of three wires may be pulled of main...I dont think thats happening coz the feeder size is smaller from the main breaker of the panel compared to the bigger wire size..
What are polaris connectors?What are they used for?
Why would they run wires like this?Any idea?If it was in a trough its much easier to understand but here its confusing...Do you know why they would install wires like this?
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
When poeple do things it's normally because it was the easiest and cheapest thing to do at the time.
If you were there in front of the panel it probably would not be confusing it would just seem a bit odd they were making the tap in a panel. Normally you would have some branch circuits comming onto the bottom of a panel and this would be in the way. It doesn't look as if anything else is comming into the bottom of the panel, one coundit that's empty.
qcroanoke
Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
- Location
- Roanoke, VA.
- Occupation
- Sorta retired........
That's why I thought maybe those wire had originally been landed on the main breaker. Just my thinking. Saved a piece of wireway and nipples.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Nothing wrong with splicing in a panel as long as you have the room. I'm thinking though, maybe those CTs on one of the taps has something to do with it?
-Hal
-Hal
You were saying that the bigger size wire may have landed on the main breaker but if you look at the main breaker the wire size is same as the other two feeders..
The wire connector at the end of the three orange-taped wires...
...and the like are used for splices and/or taps. The one pictured is actually Ilsco brand. There are three in the panel, one for each leg.
Slang wise, I suppose you can call 'em bugs... but in my mind they are not. To me, a "bug" is an old-school splice or tap made up using a split-bolt connector and taped up in traditional manner (that's another story :happyyes
.PS: Note the wire in the middle is larger (at least it appears to be). As such, it is likely a feeder and the other two [seemingly] smaller wires would be feeder taps.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I hope you are not working in that panel without some protective gear.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
The wire connector at the end of the three orange-taped wires...
View attachment 17280
...and the like are used for splices and/or taps. The one pictured is actually Ilsco brand. There are three in the panel, one for each leg.
Slang wise, I suppose you can call 'em bugs... but in my mind they are not. To me, a "bug" is an old-school splice or tap made up using a split-bolt connector and taped up in traditional manner (that's another story :happyyes
PS: Note the wire in the middle is larger (at least it appears to be). As such, it is likely a feeder and the other two [seemingly] smaller wires would be feeder taps.
Looks that way to me as well.
The wire connector at the end of the three orange-taped wires...
View attachment 17280
...and the like are used for splices and/or taps. The one pictured is actually Ilsco brand. There are three in the panel, one for each leg.
Slang wise, I suppose you can call 'em bugs... but in my mind they are not. To me, a "bug" is an old-school splice or tap made up using a split-bolt connector and taped up in traditional manner (that's another story :happyyes
PS: Note the wire in the middle is larger (at least it appears to be). As such, it is likely a feeder and the other two [seemingly] smaller wires would be feeder taps.
Thanks for clearing it up for me regarding the Polaris connectors..Was scratching my head...:thumbsup:..As far as the connection goes i think what you are saying is the bigger of the three wires maybe coming from somewhere and the other two(smaller sizes) may be taped from the bigger one?If that's the case where does the tap happen?Inside the connector?And as far as i was looking at the panel board one of the smaller wires go to the main breaker and other tapped wire goes out to feed something else?
All these connections happen inside of the connector?
Not me...:happyno:..I am working on SC study to give them these labels so that they can work on it wearing some gear..
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Yes.
- Status