branch connections to circuit breakers


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Old 10-18-07, 11:36 AM
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branch connections to circuit breakers

I am installing a new subpanel in my detached garage. I currently have four branch circuits from the subpanel. When I attached the wires to the neutral bar/groundbar and circuit breakers, I only left enough slack in the wiring for a neat connection to the various devices. My neighbor looked at my work and he said I should have left the branch circuit wires long and looped the excess around the inside of the subpanel. He said electricans do this in the event a circuit breaker needed to be moved to another position. He also said breakers of similar amperage should be grouped together. I am currently using two GFI 20A breakers for plugs and two 15A breakers for lights. Is my neighbor correct about the excess length? If so, will I need to rewire my goof to pass an inspection?
Thanks in advance for your expertise.
 
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Old 10-18-07, 11:45 AM
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Your neighbor is completely wrong on both counts, at least as far as code is concerned.

Yes, we typically leave slack or square off the wires, but this is NOT required by code.
Nor is "grouping" of breakers. This is only done by the most anal of electricians and serves absolutely NO purpose.
 
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Old 10-18-07, 11:49 AM
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It is typical to leave excess wire. It does, as he said, improve future options. It is not, however, required, as Speedy says. However, some inspectors may give you a hard time over it as poor workmanship. If you get such an inspector, try to be especially polite and see if he'll approve it anyway.

Grouping breakers, as Speedy says, serves little purpose. However, it might help you find the breaker you're after more quickly if you know that all the 15-amp breakers are, for example, in the lower left side of the panel. It's a pretty picky point. Just make sure you do a good labeling job.

With most inspectors, you will be able to pass inspection the way it is.
 
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Old 10-18-07, 12:00 PM
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Thanks for the speedy replies, I feel better now. The only thing left to do is change the service entrance panel and add a 60A breaker for the subpanel feeds.
I will leave this job to a pro.
 
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Old 10-18-07, 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by upflying
When I attached the wires to the neutral bar/groundbar and circuit breakers, I only left enough slack in the wiring for a neat connection to the various devices.
Note related to your original question, but do you have a separate neutral and ground bar, or a single bar serving for both?

-Jon
 
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Old 10-19-07, 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by winnie
Note related to your original question, but do you have a separate neutral and ground bar, or a single bar serving for both?

-Jon
Winnie, I have separate neutral and ground bars in the subpanel. The ground and neutral are not connected to each other. There was a lug in the panel that would allow me to connect the two but I left it disconnected. I think that is correct. The ground is attached to both the main entrance panel and a 6ga bare copper conductor attached to rebar in the slab floor of the detached garage.
 
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Old 10-22-07, 02:32 PM
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That sounds as it should be. The way you said 'neutral bar/groundbar' had me concerned.

-Jon
 
 

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