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[Jeff Wheeler]

Todd Black wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:41

I do agree that best practice would be to have tails then male to female cables.

If it was me I would get a spider box to hook the tails up to the panel.  I would feel safer with a heavy thing at the base of the panel where the bare taps go onto a bus, than with a 40 foot cable.

Is this for an install or portable use?  40 feet seems like it might be the former, in which case, I don't understand why the OP doesn't just hire a sparky to put a sub-panel or outlets where they are needed.  The materials cost may end up being similar by the time you consider W or SO cable as compared to THHN or similar installed in conduit.

Also, bare tails will mean the sparky you bring in to do the tie-in may de-energize the supply bus or charge a bunch for doing hot work.  If that supply bus is a panel that has a bunch of other common bar/club loads on it, that could be a major inconvenience.

[Todd Black]

Tim McCulloch wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:52

Todd Black wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:41 Brian Adams wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:11 Joe Montes wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 12:39 I do need the four single feeds (red,black,white,green) bare wire at one end and female cam-lok at the other end approx 40' feet of it. I'm under the impression that bare wire tails aren't supposed to be more than 10' long, in which case you'd need 10' bare wire to female cams, and 30-40' with cams on both ends. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I just looked through code and cant seem to find it, hopefully someone else can if it exists. I do agree that best practice would be to have tails then male to female cables. Maybe the 10 foot rule you are thinking of is for tap conductors (being permitted to have 10 feet of 100 amp cable between a 400 amp buss and a 100 amp disconnect with overcurrent protection for example)? As per Article 520.53 (H)(3) and (4). For those playing along at home, 520.53 is where the real action is!  Tons and fun and excitement!!  Really! Have fun, good luck. Tim Mc

right, those are the tap conductor rules I was referring to. I dont see an overall distance limitation.

[Tim McCulloch]

Todd Black wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 19:52

Tim McCulloch wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:52 Todd Black wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:41 Brian Adams wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 18:11 Joe Montes wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 12:39 I do need the four single feeds (red,black,white,green) bare wire at one end and female cam-lok at the other end approx 40' feet of it. I'm under the impression that bare wire tails aren't supposed to be more than 10' long, in which case you'd need 10' bare wire to female cams, and 30-40' with cams on both ends. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I just looked through code and cant seem to find it, hopefully someone else can if it exists. I do agree that best practice would be to have tails then male to female cables. Maybe the 10 foot rule you are thinking of is for tap conductors (being permitted to have 10 feet of 100 amp cable between a 400 amp buss and a 100 amp disconnect with overcurrent protection for example)? As per Article 520.53 (H)(3) and (4). For those playing along at home, 520.53 is where the real action is!  Tons and fun and excitement!!  Really! Have fun, good luck. Tim Mc right, those are the tap conductor rules I was referring to. I dont see an overall distance limitation.

Todd, if we keep this up, we'll put the NEC on the "PSW Most-Read List."  Hey, we could hope!

The only thing about feeder distance/length in 520 is further down in

520.53(J)Number of Supply Interconnections

Where connectors are used in a supply conductor, there shall be a maximum number of three interconnections (mated connector pairs) where the total length from supply to switchboard does not exceed 30 m (100 ft). In cases where the total length from supply to switchboard exceeds 30 m (100 ft), one additional interconnection shall be permitted for each additional 30 m (100 ft) of supply conductor.

Maybe Lee P. knows about something we overlooked?

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc

[trace knight]

There was a time where alot of people were using the opposite sex connectors for neutral and ground, but now days seems like everyone is doing it normally. Since single pole connectors may only be connected by a qualified individual, the issue of misconnecting shouldnt exist.


It's been a good 30 min since I read this, and am still laughing hard about it, I always double and triple check others work, and yes, they do make mistakes! Just ask my friend Bill s. He damm near lost everthing in his rig at a county fair, after the "qualified electrician" did his hookup and threw the switch.
NEVER assume it's correct. ALWAYS check and check again.

tk

[Todd Black]

trace knight wrote on Thu, 28 January 2010 13:39

There was a time where alot of people were using the opposite sex connectors for neutral and ground, but now days seems like everyone is doing it normally. Since single pole connectors may only be connected by a qualified individual, the issue of misconnecting shouldnt exist. It's been a good 30 min since I read this, and am still laughing hard about it, I always double and triple check others work, and yes, they do make mistakes! Just ask my friend Bill s. He damm near lost everthing in his rig at a county fair, after the "qualified electrician" did his hookup and threw the switch. NEVER assume it's correct. ALWAYS check and check again. tk

did the guy plug a green into a black or red? or did he get them mixed up at the tie in or switch, which reverse polarity on neutral and ground woudlnt have prevented?

[trace knight]

Even worse, he tied a single phase into a three phase, red/black/white on the hots gr-ground
whooooooooooooooooooooooooosh poooooooooof!

Never assume anything in sparky world!

tk

[Todd Black]

trace knight wrote on Thu, 28 January 2010 20:27

Even worse, he tied a single phase into a three phase, red/black/white on the hots gr-ground whooooooooooooooooooooooooosh poooooooooof! Never assume anything in sparky world! tk

wow.

and youre right, have to triple check everything yourself. A cam in/ cam out disconnect is nice to have to act as a demarcation point between power others have had their hands on and your own gear.

man this got a little off topic.

[Tim Padrick]

Todd Black wrote on Tue, 26 January 2010 17:00

Since single pole connectors may only be connected by a qualified individual, the issue of misconnecting shouldnt exist.

Provided that:

He's not color blind.

He's working under white light (yellow is the worst, red ain't much better, ......).

He does not have a brain fart.