Our local hardware store carries one size of crimp fitting for crimping the ground wires together in a box. Some of the boxes in my kitchen remodel have more ground wires than will fit in a fitting, and, while I can use wire nuts, they take up a lot of room. I ran the line ground wire to the grounding screw in the metal box in all cases. Is it permissible to run the line ground through one crimp fitting with however many wires I can fit in, add a second crimp fitting, and crimp some more wires in the second one?
Incidentally, the issue is not excessive wires for the box – I did that calculation, and I’m OK.
Replies
You can daisey chain ground. Nothing wrong with it.
Dave
Can use a "Greenie", takes three #12 and 1 #14 or Buchannan B-cap takes up to 5 #12.
http://www.idealindustries.com/wt/TwistOnWireConnectors.nsf
What is the size of the box? how many ground wires do you have? If its more than three, where do they come from/go to? What size wire?
You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
Edited 7/25/2007 3:35 pm by Marv
3-gang, 2-1/2" depth, line plus four load NM cables, three switches (one switch ties to two cables, for overhead lighting in different directions in the room), in the box that triggered my question. Some of the other big ones have line plus three - I'm less concerned about those.
line plus four load NM cables, three switches
Land one each on each switch. Tie the last one to any one of the three with a crimp connector. No need to bug them all together then pigtail to each switch. Keep it simple, they all go back to the ground bus in the panel anyway, don't they?
Dave
Edited 7/26/2007 7:46 am ET by DaveRicheson
No need to bug them all together
Yes there is.
they all go back to the ground bus in the panel anyway, don't they?
No, they simply go back to the previous switch/junction or outlet box in the circuit. If all the boxes were done the way you suggest, if I understand you correctly, they wouldn't be connected to anything.
Ed
Your right.Also IIRC the code requires all egc to be connected together, regardless.For example if these had beween 3 switch legs, so that each one is connected to the incoming EGC at the light you still need to connect them all of them together.I don't know why. Electrically it does not matter. One EGC is enough. Must just be belt and suspenders, plus some crazy glue..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
'Cuz if you remove a switch, (to replace or ???), everything downstream is degrounded, but still may be hot. If a switch self destructs and takes the ground with it, same thing.I would add one bare pigtail to the main ground wire bundle, then add three green insulated pigtails to that one wire. I would use insulated grounds to the switches to prevent possible shorts when they get moved around when anybody works on the box in the future.SamT
Sometimes fitting all the wires in a box is a pain in the butt. When I have a lot of wires I do it in a systematic way. I always put the ground in back to get it out of the way. Fold the wires and push them back with your neddle nose pliers. The next wires are ones that pass throught the box. The last wires are the ones you will nedd for plugs or switches in that box. I like to use pig tails for the box if you can fit them in so next time you go into that box the switch or recepticle comes out more easily.
When I put boxes in I get big ones. You can plan where the big ones are most likely going to be needed if money is a concern.
I started using the crimps on all of my grounds too, until I realized that I was severing the wire with the crimp tool. I would neatly twist three to four bares, slide on the appropriate sized sleeve and crimp. When I would fold the bundle into the box one of the bares would simply break off inside of the crimp sleeve.
I know that crimps have been used successfully for many years, so I must have been doing something wrong and Ididn't want to continue.
I abondoned the crimps for the rest of the job and switched to the feed-through green nuts and the ground pig tales with stranded #12 and a spade connector. These really make it easy to trim out.
What were you crimping with?
Dave
Ya no those big red tools with 3' handles and itty bitty 2" anvil shaped mouth pieces. Whaddaya call'em. . . . Oh, yeah, bolt crimpers, er, cutters.SamT
luggers are what we call them. Not really correct, but just a term we are all familar with. Real Luggers are used by our linemen for big crimp on splice connectors. Huge monsters that won't fit in my back pocket.
Dave
http://cableorganizer.com/klein-tools/strippers-cutters-crimpers/journeyman-crimping-tool-insulated.htm
These are what I use.
Dave
This is probably the tool you should have been using...
http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_C-24.htmNew knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
use this type / style...
http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/model_C-24.htm
View Image
View Image
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!