2

I'm wiring a whole house and I have a bunch of metal boxes that have 4 ground wires connected together with a wago:

  1. 2 grounds for the line (line in/out)
  2. The pig tail to the device
  3. The connection to the box itself with the green screw

This ends up taking a bunch of spaces and it can be hard to work with when the device is large. I was wondering, could I use a crimp ring connector under the ground screw? That would remove the wire between the wago and the box and the wago itself. It would then be very easy to tuck all the ground wires nicely in the box. Is this code code? As far as I can tell it is if the connector is UL listed but the NEC 2020 does not even mention "crimp" once.

Thanks for your help.

Improve this question
6
  • 1
    I'm having a bit of trouble identifying what your solution will buy you. Are you intending on crimping all 4 wires into one connector, then screwing that ring to the ground screw on the box? Or are you putting individual rings on each ground wire then screwing 4 rings to the box's ground screw? Or something else...
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 12:10
  • 2
    Are your boxes big enough? Give an example please of a device you're struggling with and what box size it's in. This is sounding like your box may be too small.
    – KMJ
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 16:22
  • @Armand the latest NEC is "4 ground wires for the price of 1" and you combine it the same as you would at the discount store. A box with three #6 grounds and five #12 grounds counts as one #6 and one #12.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 21:36
  • Thanks @Harper-ReinstateMonica Corrected comment: Remember there are calculations for "box fill" to determine if the box is big enough for what you want to put in it. Gauge of wire and type matter. For example, from BHG website "Each item in an electrical box counts as a different number of wires. Each insulated wire, ... count as one wire. Each switch, outlet, or other device counts as two wires." Grounds count differently as Harper mentioned in comment; there are more rules, so best to look up the details.
    – Armand
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 21:51
  • 2
    I don't understand how losing 1 Wago and a few inches of wire gets you from "hard to work with" to "very easy to tuck ...". Maybe I just don't have experience with the crimp ring you're planning to use ... can you add pictures?
    – jay613
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 22:47

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

I do it.

With ground wires, strictly. And I'm into stranded wire.

Per NEC 110.2 you must use UL-Listed terminals (Not RU-Recognized) which means reputable vendors and not cheap Chinese.

Per NEC 110.3 you must use them according to labeling and instructions. And that can be a significant issue with solid wire. That also means 1 wire per terminal.

But as far as stacking terminals within reason, I do it.

Now, why are you running ground wires to devices?

You really don't need to. That's 1 less ground wire to deal with.

  • Switches automagically pick up ground via the mounting screws.
  • Receptacles will do the same if they are labeled "Self Grounding" meaning they are the better spec-grade receptacles, or GFCIs.
  • Even the el-cheapo receptacles pick up ground if they have hard flush clean-metal contact with the metal box, i.e. the surfaces are paint-free and rust-free, screws are bottomed out and the device is not floating up on drywall ears, and the little "screw capture squares" are removed.
Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    Even with your stamp of approval, I'm struggling to figure out how the ring connectors save the space of anything but the one ground wire to the self-grounded device (and the ring connector math doesn't impact it because it doesn't require any ground wire at all). Some sort of drawing or something (preferable from the OP - I asked him for it) or one of your wonderful pieces of art would help out.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 25, 2022 at 23:30
0

Crimp connecters have been around forever, and we have all struggled trying to get wire, connectors and devices into a box. If it is UL approved for your application and provides the proper bonding of a ground, then I say go for it.

Improve this answer
-1

See 110.14(B)

Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified for the use

All splices and joints and the free ends of conductors shall be covered with an insulation equivalent to that of the conductors or with an identified insulating device

In other words, uninsulated "crimp connectors" may be used as labeled for wires that do not require insulation.

This is NOT the same as a "ring terminal". Those are labeled for ONE wire, not for splicing multiple wires.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.