Can I use #8 bare aluminum wire for a ground with 3 insulated #8awg wires in PVC pipe? I have this wire just lying around. Or should I use all insulated wires?
-
1Is the "PVC Pipe" (it had better be actual electrical conduit) outside? If so, it's defined as a wet location. If it's entirely inside a building it (should) be dry.– EcnerwalOct 3 at 13:11
-
Indoors or outdoors? You know #8 neutral needs to be natively white wire, not re-marked, right?– Harper - Reinstate MonicaOct 3 at 16:54
-
Where's the NEC verbiage about mystery meat in conduit? diy.stackexchange.com/questions/243586/…– MazuraOct 4 at 1:08
-
Anytime I've done this in PVC it was SE cable. And if it's EMT... then it isn't. - Can I use a bare conductor for a ground in conduit? - 'Aluminum' comes later.– MazuraOct 4 at 1:10
-
(exception 1 to 310.4) : "Outer coverings shall not be required where listed without a covering." up.codes/s/conductor-constructions-and-applications - IDK what "1" is referring to, nor what "listed without a covering" means.– MazuraOct 4 at 13:18
|
Show 1 more comment
1 Answer
Assuming you are in the US, the National Electric Code (NEC) allows bare aluminum equipment grounds and grounding electrode conductors.
For equipment grounding the relevant section is NEC 250.120, which prescribes corrosion protection for bare, covered, or insulated aluminum or copper-clad aluminum:
For grounding electrode conductors, NEC 250.62 explicitly allows bare aluminum grounding electrode conductors:
with NEC 250.64 prescribing corrosion protection that doesn't differentiate insulated ground wire from uninsulated ground wire:
-
6Please include text quotes here. It makes everyone's lives easier - not everyone can read text in an image.– FreeManOct 3 at 15:28
-
3
-
-
-
This is all about grounds and material types, nothing about conduit. I've never seen a bare wire in conduit. But then again I don't ever see many ground wires at all; I'm in EMT land.– MazuraOct 4 at 1:16