Code Violation?

| I live in California. Some time a go I replaced a 20 A GF Breaker in my main | entrance Panel (200 A). I connected the black and white wires from the house | to the correct terminals on the breaker. However, I connected the curly | white pigtail on the GF breaker to the other white wire (neutral?) going to | the house, with a wire nut.

"other white wire"? There are only 2 white wires?

Why would you not connect the pigtail to the neutral bus, in a hole all by itself?

| Later on I read that the NEC prohibits wire nuts in main panels. Is this | correct? Would a crimp connection (instead of a wire nut) between the white | wire and the pigtail be legal? When I press the test button, the breaker | disconnects properly.

Apparently wire nuts come loose.

Not true.

On Sat, 04 Dec 2004 21:12:47 GMT, Walter R. put forth the notion that...

The white pigtail on the breaker is supposed to go to the neutral bus bar in the panel.

On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 01:13:21 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@bellatlantic.net put forth the notion that...

The code prohibits using the panel as a junction box. Some inspectors take that to mean no splices, but if a wire's too short, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

just curious what section of the code prohibits this? perhaps you'd care to cite it for us.

On Sat, 4 Dec 2004 21:51:27 -0600, Bob Peterson put forth the notion that...

I really can't be assed to look it up. Why don't you ask your local electrical inspector?

snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news2.newsguy.com:

Not if installed properly...IIRC a minimum of three complete twists of the wire are required. I also tape the nut in a manner so as to prevent it from twisting or coming off the wires.

TAPE over wirenuts?

Completely useless.

312.8 Enclosures for Switches or Overcurrent Devices. Enclosures for switches or overcurrent devices shall not be used as junction boxes, auxiliary gutters, or raceways for conductors feeding through or tapping off to other switches or overcurrent devices, unless adequate space for this purpose is provided. The conductors shall not fill the wiring space at any cross section to more than 40 percent of the cross-sectional area of the space, and the conductors, splices, and taps shall not fill the wiring space at any cross section to more than 75 percent of the cross-sectional area of that space.

It's a big jump to read that and conclude that "wire nuts can't be used in service panels."

Just another example of the "tribal wisdom" being wrong. There is another thread currently running about locking motor disconnecting means in the "On" position. It too is running on "tribal wisdom."

On 06 Dec 2004 06:02:06 GMT Greg wrote: |>> just curious what section of the code prohibits this? perhaps you'd care |>to |>> cite it for us. |>

|>I really can't be assed to look it up. Why don't you ask your local |>electrical inspector? | | 312.8 Enclosures for Switches or Overcurrent Devices. | Enclosures for switches or overcurrent devices shall not be used as junction | boxes, auxiliary gutters, or raceways for conductors feeding through or tapping | off to other switches or overcurrent devices, unless adequate space for this | purpose is provided. The conductors shall not fill the wiring space at any | cross section to more than 40 percent of the cross-sectional area of the space, | and the conductors, splices, and taps shall not fill the wiring space at any | cross section to more than 75 percent of the cross-sectional area of that | space.

Seems that "feeding through or tapping off to other switches or overcurrent devices" means it won't apply to junctions of circuits originating within the box. Then there is "unless adequate space for this purpose is provided" which seems to allow it anyway, as long as the box fill limits are met.

I think the key to this citation is "... unless adequate space for this purpose is provided." In a typical wall receptacle or light switch, there is not enough room to make numerous splices, that is certainly true, and the purpose behind this paragraph.

But a service panel usually has more than adequate space.

daestrom