National Electrical Installation Standards

Standards as High as Your Own

 
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Thursday, November 9, 2023

Question:

Hi Code Question of The Day. Why did the grounding rules get changed? I am very confused as to why one wire must connect from a splice to a device, then another from the ground to a device, and then finally one from the feed to the splice. The way before was fine and had no issues. Caleb Perez
A

Answer:

Hello Caleb, thank you for the questions. The changes to Sections 250.146 & 250.148 over the last 2 revisions of the NEC® regarding equipment grounding conductors and equipment bonding jumpers for boxes and devices was done for the following reasons:

  • To ensure proper terminology was being used, the rules in Article 250 are often misapplied simply because of the use of incorrect terminology.
  • To ensure an effective equipment grounding path was maintained and not reliant on a device or equipment bonding jumper.
  • To ensure the required equipment bonding jumpers were effective at providing non-energized parts from becoming energized.
The history of any revision to a specific NEC® section, including the Code Making Panels statement as to why the change was made, is available to the public on NFPA’s website at: www.NFPA.org/70 you can view the revisions to the current or prior editions of the NEC®.

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CHARLIE TROUT: Charles M. Trout, better known as Charlie, was a nationally known NEC® expert and author. He served on several NEC® technical committees and is past chairman of CMP-12. In 2006 Charlie was awarded the prestigious Coggeshall Award for outstanding contributions to the electrical contracting industry, codes and standards development, and technical training. Even though Charlie passed away in October of 2015, his work continues in spirit. NECA continues to maintain this question forum for its many subscribers in memory and recognition of all his significant contributions to making the NEC what it is today.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE: Unless the question requests a response based on a specific edition, all answers are based on the latest edition of NFPA 70® National Electrical Code®.

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