Hello,
I rewired my house from aluminum to copper after a fire. The insurance company didn't pay for a full rewire as the fire was isolated to one bedroom. I can't live in the house with the aluminum wiring. I am quickly approaching an inspection (hopefully this Monday) so that the power can be turned back on to my house. Does this box look messy? To me, it looks messy compared to some of the pictures I see. Will the inspector disprove the reconnect based on the messiness. I had come stranded 6 gauge wire that I used mechanical connections to splice to a solid 6 gauge so that the wire would fit into the ground and neutral bars. on the splices, I used rubber insulation taped followed by 3M 33 white tape for the neutrals and black tape for the powers and grounds. I doubled tapped some of the grounds and none of the neutrals. The ground and neutral bus are bonded together so the neutral and grounds are on both sides. Florida is under NEC 2008. I went with the 2014 NEC for AFCI requirements in all living spaces. I am just so nervous. Any critique is appreciated. I am just nervous that the box is messy.

 

Messy is as messy does, but it doesn't affect operation unless you cram too much together. Why is the double breaker hanging out? All the coiled AFCI white wires could have been straightened out, but no harm done. You do have the neutrals to the AFCI breakers connected to the breaker and not to the bus, right? You don't adapt wires to go into the neutral bus, you add bus adapters to accept larger wire. He may put a frowny note on that one.

 

The requirements for neat and workman like are entirely subjective and vary between people. I don't see anything terrible, but I would have cut the curly pigtails shorter and straightened them out more.

BTW, normal holes accept up to a #4.

 

Thank you so much. It is a GE panel. The bus bar holes are super tiny for some reason. I tried tightening the stranded number 6 and each time I pushed it in the hole, the wires could fray a bit. I tried mechanical terminal to be mounted on the top of the bus but the screws for the bus were too big for the terminal connectors that I was using. I tried several types and nothing worked. so I resorted to splicing within the box. This forum has been very helpful with problem solving.

 

I had one more ground wire to install and removed the breaker so that I can "neatly" place the wire behind the conductors. I tried to place all the grounds and neutrals behind the conductors like i have seen in many pictures but with the larger guage wires and curly pigtails it just became a messy night mare. It never dawned on me to straighten and trim the AFCI pigtails. Yes,the neutrals and conductors are connected to the AFCi and the AFCI pigtail to the bus.... I really appreciate the help. Maybe I can remove it all rearrange. This is my second rearrangement.

 

The problem of keeping the pigtails from the AFCI breakers neat is precisely why Cutler-Hammer introduced the plug-on neutral panels to eliminate the pigtails from AFCI breakers. Square D has now come out with them too.

 

You do know that many panels allow the grounds to be doubled in the same hole? Check the label inside.

 

They never tell you that you can cut the curly white wire.

I've seen more curlies in more panels.

 

I agree, Pete. They are curled up for packaging purposes, but people thing they are induction coils or something and refuse to straighten them out They even shuffle breakers so the AFCI/GFCI will be closer to the grounding bus so as not to uncoil too much!