I am wiring for a home theater. Included is a 3 gang box with 3 duplex recepticles. There is a feed coming into the box and a line out to power another duplex receptical. My question is when grounding the 3 recepticles is it legal or (proper) to have more that one wire on a grounding screw?
Thanks for any help.
kb
pigtail and wire nut. Don't be such a lazy f*ck.
NO........Removing a device should NOT interrupt the grounding wires......You need to attach the grounding pigtails together with a wirenut and a separate Green wire to each device.......
If the box is METAL and the box is SURFACE MOUNTED.....you MAY be able use the self grounding type receptacles w/o the pigtail........Check for local code.........
No, it's not proper to have more than one wire under a ground screw. (I think you can have more than one ground screw in some terminals that are listed that way)
Cut the ground wire really long. Loop it under the box's ground screw first, then continue to the first, 2nd, and third device, making a more than 180 degree loop under each ground screw. The secret is to not cut the ground wire.
Best regards, Bob
I think proper procedure is every nut gets its own wire. 1 wire to case if its metal. Then you splice them all together with a twist cap.
How do you check the code? Is there a book somewhere or a person or what typically?
You hire a trained, licensed, experienced PROFESSIONAL to do the work.
Running one wire to everything is a good way.
Around here pigtails have to be crimped rather than wirenutted. Don't know why. Maybe if your wirenutted hots fall apart you find out immediately because stuff doesn't work, but you don't find out about grounds falling apart until you get a shock?
Another way to pigtail, more useful in combining cables than devices, is a wirenut with a wire sticking out the top. They don't meet code (at least not here) but they work well. It is one less wire in the bundle, so it is more secure.
I'm not quite sure what you are talking about. Is there basically an extension cord which terminates with a 3 gang box and this 3 gang box has 3 regular duplex electrical outlets (3 prong), and the plug on the extension cord is 3 prong, and you have looked inside the 3 gang box and are wondering if it is wired correctly so far as the grounding goes?
Anyway the proper way to wire the grounding wires to a 3 gang box with 3 outlets would be to have a separate grounding wire or "pig tail" going to each outlet grounding screw, then use a wire nut or crimp connector to connect the 3 grounding wires with the ground wire on the power cable. Also to have a 5th wire screwed to the 3 gang box if it is metal.
And code or rules aside, it does not work very well to try to firmly connect two or more wires to one screw. One wire can be firmly held in place, but with two or more, they will tend to come loose or you may have a difficult time trying to get them to stay put. Much easier and better to just use one wire per screw and then wire nuts/crimp connectors.
According to Bill :
I believe it's an in-wall triple box.
I personally wouldn't do it that way. I use an ordinary box/outlet on the wall, and mount a power bar (or even two) on the back of the entertainment center. This is how it's commercially done, ie: racks of computers.
Bob's suggestion is best:
When you do things this way, it takes up remarkably little room. The only change I make to his suggestion, is to have the ground wire loop around a screw on _each_ box, and then to the outlets. You can have as many outlets as you want, and you only need one wirenut, one continuous wire.
Just because they are trained, licensed and experienced does not mean they will pull a permit. I'm sure I can ask them how to check the code, but I thougth I woudl ask here.
Ask your local; building inspector / electrical inspector / planning and zoning department / building permit department, or whatever they call it in your area - what electrical code they go by and where you can read it.
These are usually in a library.
Also you can usually ask your electrical inspector questions before doing any work.
And there are many do-it-yourself books on electrical wiring in home improvement stores, etc. But these will cover typical home wiring situations and will not get into more complex issues.
"National Electrical Code" for sale here...
The requirement to crimp Equipment Grounding Conductor splices is a very common misapplication of 250.64 (C).
250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation. Grounding electrode conductors shall be installed as specified in 250.64(A) through (F). (C) Continuous. The grounding electrode conductor shall be installed in one continuous length without a splice or joint, unless spliced only by irreversible compression-type connectors listed for the purpose or by the exothermic welding process.-- Tom of the sparks and arcs
"This alternating current thing is just a fad. It is much too dangerous for general use." Thomas Alva Edison
I believe code here is to run the ground wire that come in from the power feed through the screw and then pigtail the rest to the tail of that ground, going up to the # allowed for that wire nut/ and or box size
"250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation. Grounding electrode conductors shall be installed as specified in "250.64(A) through (F). (C) Continuous. The grounding electrode conductor shall be installed in
one continuous length without a splice or joint, unless spliced only by
irreversible compression-type connectors listed for the purpose or by the exothermic welding process.
-- Tom of the sparks and arcs "
I guess that explains those little metal crimp connectors that look like little barrels that are used to secure ground conductors together!
Like some electrical inspectors you are confusing Equipment Grounding Conductors with Grounding Electrode Conductors.
Put one wire on the grounding screw and pigtail the others to the one wire.
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