Question. I just had as subpanel installed. Inspected it and notice that all of the feeds are through conduit. But one is romex. The circuit wires seem on the short side. I am wondering if I were to want to change out the subpanel at a later date and the wires were not long enough to configure the panel, I could repull through conduit but what about romex. I know you can't splice in the subpanel. Would I have to install a splice box in the wall before the circuit wire enters the subpanel or what?
Splicing Circuit Wire Entering Subpanel
Sep 29, 2003
10 Replies
Who said you couldn't splice in a panel? You can't go crazy but the rule says "Splices and taps shall not fill the wiring space at any cross section to more than 75%". (312.8) A few wire nuts should not be an issue. In new construction this could be seen as a workmanship problem but in a retro it is very common.
Whereas On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 04:26:41 GMT, "Michael Roback" scribbled: , I thus relpy:
Or replace the length of romex to it's load.
why wouldn't you make a splice in the panel box? certainly you want the contents of your panel box to be neat and clean but your box is designed and approved to contain elec equipment, devices and connections.
Shheesh, what a thing *not* to worry about today.
You always seem to be in a panic. *Every* post is HELP. Do you really think you need to say that?
-v.
It's against NEC to splice in a distribution panel (or subpanel). Typically a gutter can be installed above or below the panel intercepting the wiring. You can splice in the gutter.
ELA
Cite that. I gave the article yesterday. 312.8 It doesn't say you can't have splices in an enclosure for O/C devices. It only says "conductors, taps and splices" can't use more than 75% at any cross section of available wiring space with a total of less than 40%. If it was illegal to have splices in a O/C device enclosure, why do they specify how much volume that splice can occupy?
A transfer switch involves splicing in the panel. Isn't that acceptable? Then why wouldn't other splices be acceptable?
Do you have a reference for this piece of information?
He is probably referring to 373-8, "Enclosures for Switches or Overcurrent Devices." (1996 NEC) But it doen't look like a good reading of that section to me (who is no expert in NEC!).
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.
Copyright 1995, NFPA
Basically what the 2002 code section I quoted says
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