connecting eight ground wires in a box

[James Owens]

Can I do this with one wiring cap? Or could I solder them together?

I have 8 grounds in the box because I want to use pot lights, but I can't use the pot light connection boxes as junction boxes -- there can be only one set of wires going in. I want to avoid using separate junction boxes because they would have to remain accessible, and the guide I'm using says to avoid them if possible. So I plan to use a switch box at the end of the run to distribute the power to each pot light separately.

What I have is two ganged 3 x 2 x 3 boxes and two switches. Each switch controls two pot lights. So I have five bare wires coming into the box (the source and 4 pot lights); one bare wire pigtail from the green terminal on each switch; and another bare pigtail from the ganged section of box.

What's the best way to connect all these grounds together?

-- "For it is only of the new one grows tired. Of the old one never tires."

-- Kierkegaard, _Repetition_

James Owens, Ottawa, Canada

[zxcvbob]

I used a copper split-bolt connector for about 7 or 8 ground wires once and it worked well. I didn't even have to bend half of the wires so they all come in from the same direction -- just bring all the wires together into a bundle (no twisting necessary) and clamp them tightly.

Bob

[Robert Barr]

You could use an add-on neutral lug strip. These are sold at home centers in the vicinity of the service panels, and are used to add more neutral lugs to existing panels.

The strip has about 10 new spaces for neutral wires, each with a screw-down lug, exactly like you'd f> Can I do this with one wiring cap? Or could I solder them together? >

>

[Wayne Whitney]

The solution that occurred to me is to use two wire nuts, with a short pigtails between them. That way each wire nut would have only five wires in it, which is common enough. However, I am no electrician, so perhaps someone else here can comment on whether this is a reasonable idea.

Isn't this box going to be a little tight? By my count you have 15 or

16 volume allowances (depending on whether there is an internal wire clamp), so you are OK according to the NEC as long as your wire is #12 or smaller. But those grounds are going to take up alot more space than the 1 volume allowance the NEC assigns.

Cheers, Wayne

[James Owens]

Box stuffing worries me, all right, but I hope I'll be OK on this one. I'm using two ganged 3 x 2 x 3. A single box of this size would normally be used to run one cable in and two out; basically I'm just doing that twice, except it's one in, four out.

Thanks all for the replies, I'll look into that grounding strip to see if Ontario code permits it.

-- "For it is only of the new one grows tired. Of the old one never tires."

-- Kierkegaard, _Repetition_

James Owens, Ottawa, Canada

[Childfree Scott]

The grounding strip is the way to go if you have room for it. Otherwise I was thinking that you could put O rings at the end of the wires and bolt them togather.

[KJS]

On Mon, 4 Oct 2004 01:25:00 -0700, James Owens wrote (in article ):

James -

I don't know what the Ontario code allows, but the NEC specifically prohibits solder connections for the equipment grounding conductor.

You can reduce the number of ground wires by running one of them around the box ground screw(s) before it terminates in the connector, and using one ground pigtail for both switch grounds - that would total 6, and you can get a "wirenut" that will accomodate 6 #14 conductors (eg: Ideal Wingnut 454 "Blue".)

Otherwise, there's no reason you can't divide the grounds into two groups with a jumper between and use two connectors rated for 5 #14 each - that would be the usual solution.

The grounding strips suggested by another poster are "listed and identified" for use in panelboards. They are not for use in device boxes and I would be surprised if the inspector allowed that application.

Regardless of the code, I think you're over-filling the box (again - I commented the same in your other thread). For two switches feeding four lights, I would use a 2-Gang deep box with device ring (eg: RACO 941 at 6

3/8 x 6 13/16 x 2 1/2"). That will give you about 80 cubic inches as opposed to 36 for the two 3 x 2 x 3 1/2" boxes. If you can't find one of those, consider a 4 11/16" square by 2 1/8" deep box with a device ring - that will give you about 47 1/2 cubic inches.

Good Luck,

- Kenneth

[Tekkie]

Childfree Scott posted for all of us....

O rings??? What the heck are they for this purpose? They're rubber aren't they? For sealing?