# Of Wires Allowed Under Each Neutral Screw

nick114920

I have done put more then one neutral on one screw many times before.... When doing this i have also had Private and city inspectors inspect the work and never been questioned before... Maybe because there is such a thing as a panel cover and during the 20-30 electrical inspections i have had they never once pulled it off!!! Maybe you should try the same and not do extra work unless they make you

MacRoadie

Aren't you allowed to splice as long as it's only to lengthen an existing conductor?

nick114920

depends... i say yes and have done it many times with no problem.. if you ask CELTIC he will tell you NO... Fire, Shock, and DEATH!!! then spit out some MP325B Code like he knows the book... Then you can just tell him to shut the up and go find himself a real job

JohnJ0906

Yes. The NEC permits splices, but local amendments may prohibit them.

312.8

__________________
John from Baltimore
"One Day at a Time"
All replies based on the 2008 NEC

Speedy Petey

No, you said:

Keep trying. Maybe someone qualified will come along and tell you it's all OK.


I am VERY surprised that a home sale inspection will allow a non-electrician do this work. Typically they want someone qualified to do the "repairs" and show documentation of the work.
How do you plan on showing everything was done properly and to code? Especially since you obviously don't know the code.


I will also say that this is a key home inspector item to pick on. I see them miss crap all the time that is WAY worse, but the neutral bar issue, GFIs everywhere, etc. are small things that LOVE to fine.
Hell, I even hear them calling out no AFCIs, even in much older homes, as a defect.

__________________

DMC

Yes, It is a real estate inspector. He removed the elcectrical pannel himself. Were 50 miles from nowhere and don't even need a building permit to build, and no inspections. This was a pre-inspection requested by the owner so that when they sell the house there wouldn't be issues to resolve later. I have a handyman business and try to do what I can to help. I have replaced several panels in homes I purchased and remodeled. I admit I've wired them the same way (although I always put a loop in the wire so it can be moved). They were in the city and were inspected and there was no issues. I'm comfortable that I can resolve the issue here, I was just surprised that it is an issue. I pulled the panel on my own home and of coarse it is also the same way. Many open screw locations but the wires are all plenty long enough to move. I'll just go back and take another look to see if maybe some grounds can be moved or whatever. I might be able to pull some slack in a few wires in the attic.
Thanks for the code info - "one neutral wire per hole".

Jim M

Nick,

This kind of disrespect for other forum members really is uncalled for. Celtic, and others here quote the Code like they know it because they do. Their ability to install a safe and Code compliant job depends on it. Since the purpose of the Code is to protect life I find your cavalier attitude disturbing.

Just because it works, or because you have done things a certain way for years does not make it right. Not all problems are immediately apparent, some need time to become an issue that can result in a loss of life or property. What do you say then? Sorry, my ignorance in proper installation methods really didn't mean to burn your house down or cause your children to die.

Doing the right thing is easy when someone is looking. Doing the right thing when no one is looking shows personal integrity and I believe is the sign of a true professional, regardless of their trade or education.

PS, this requirement for 1 neutral per hole has been in the labeling instructions for years. It was added to the Code so that more people would have knowledge of it .

Forry

Go Jim!

Celtic

Unless the no splice thing is a local amendment to the NEC, that inspector is WRONG: 312.8

__________________

Speedy Petey

Celtic, how come you get a fan club and I am all alone?

__________________

Celtic

I got mad skills


Nick is some punk kid that thinks he has a clue - but in reality is more than just a little wet behind the ears:


You remember him now?


Here are some his greatest hits:

bathroom electrical

Wireing by code

Electrical wire sizing


When it is revealed that he is as dumb as a rock and less useful than one, he resorts to cursing to express his superior intellect....it's actually funny to watch him spiral down

I do what I can help him achieve his goal.

__________________

mickeyco

Don't listen to these wacky electricians and their years of experience throwing around crazy code citations and safety considerations. Next thing you know they'll want you to use those fancy wire nuts instead of just tape. I find it best to push in as many wires as you can, it creates what I call the "wedge effect", and that is far superior to any mechanical fastener and can save you lots of time and money. That NEC is for suckers, plus I think it only applies to electricians.

__________________
Some people climb mountains. I take out the trash. But we both do it for the same reason.

Magnettica

Ahhh, the hell with the neutral buss, just use one big ol' split-bolt connector!

Hey, it would work wouldn't it?

__________________
Electrician service in Rahway, Cranford, Clark, Westfield, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Roselle, Roselle Park, and New Jersey | Same day electrical service and repairs | Licensed and Insured Electrician in Rahway

BigMikeB

[quote=DMC;339546]No, I'm not an electrician. I do have a background in Electrical engineering.

Wearing an engineers hat and running electric toy trains as a child doesn't count as an electrical engineering back ground.

Jim M

Not to worry Petey, i counted you in with the others that spout Code for fun. I just happen to know Celtic better than I know you. If the weather was better I would go over and take him a pie.

JohnJ0906

Yea Speedy!!!

Don't want you left out or anything....

__________________
John from Baltimore
"One Day at a Time"
All replies based on the 2008 NEC

L. B. Condulet

I'm a master electrician, licensed electrical contractor and an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. So when I say the best route is to use wirenuts to lengthen the wires, it's like getting electrical advice from 'Ol Nicola Tesla himself.

I can't believe you're gonna waste your time crawling around in the attic, trying "to pull some slack" out of wires when a few yellow wingnuts and 5 minutes at the panel will fix the problem.

JohnJ0906

Modest, too!

__________________
John from Baltimore
"One Day at a Time"
All replies based on the 2008 NEC

goose134

Electrically, yes that is correct. The neutral is common from one screw hole to the next. Those dumb electrons will flow to anything. The point everyone is trying to make is not that the connection is different somehow; but that two wires under a neutral terminal is unsafe. I understand what you are trying to say, but try and understand that this is not an attack on your competence, but a commonly misunderstood concept. Again, just because it works, doesn't mean it's safe.

jbfan

You may not have your fan club here, but I have seen some of your fans in action on other forums!

__________________
We are the people (our parents warned us about) (Jimmy Buffett)