Making Pigtails for Ground Wire Connections

How to Splice Ground Wires for Making Connections: Splicing Electrical Wires – This page shows a series of photos that demonstrate how to use a crimp sleeve for making pigtails to be used for grounding. By: Dave Rongey

How To Splice All Those Ground Wires
Electrical Question: I have a 4 gang plastic box all with either 3-way or 4- way switches.

• I have 8 wires (14 gauge) coming into the box so I have 8 ground wires and I need 4 pigtails for ground the four switches.
• How to I connect all 12 ground wires?
• The biggest wire nut or compressing sleeve is for 6 wires.

This electrical wiring question came from: Frank, a Homeowner from Shelby Township, Michigan.
See more about Home Wiring for Michigan

Additional Comments: Great website.

Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical wiring question Frank.

The Process of Splicing a lot of Electrical Wires

Frank, excellent question! .There are methods that can resolve this problem.

How to Splice Ground Wires for Making Connections

1. Use a large Gray or Blue wire connector.
2. Use 2 or 3 inline crimp sleeves that will allow a full length of 4 ground wires to extend far enough to allow attaching to the switch frame ground screws.

The Following will assist you with your Electrical Wiring Project

• Splicing Electrical Wires
• This page shows a series of photos that demonstrate how to use a crimp sleeve for making pigtails to be used for grounding.

• Electrical Junction Boxes
• Electrical Wire and Wire Connectors

• Electrical Wire for the Home
• Complete listing of electrical wire types and parts used for home projects with electrical code information serves as selection guidelines.

junction boxes

• Electrical Junction Boxes for Home Wiring
• Understanding electrical junction boxes and what they are used for. Home electrical wiring is the process of installing electrical wire to a location that will serve electrical devices or an appliance. One very important component is the box where the wire will be installed. The type and size of the home wiring electrical boxes will depend upon the circuit size, application and its location.

For more information about Electrical Code
Electrical Code

• Home Electrical Code
• Electrical Code Directory covering AFCI circuit, electrical-boxes, electrical-circuit, electrical-code-outlets, electrical GFCI, electrical-grounding, electrical-project, electrical-services, electrical-underground, electrical-wiring, electrical-wiring-code, lighting-codes and smoke-detectors.

The following may also be helpful for you:

Dave's Guide to Home Electrical Wiring: » You Can Avoid Costly Mistakes! « Here's How to Do It: Wire It Right with the help of my Illustrated Wiring Book Great for any Home Wiring Project. Complete Guide to Home Electrical Wiring Perfect for Homeowners, Students, Handyman, Handy Women, and Electricians Includes: Wiring GFCI Outlets Wiring Home Electric Circuits 120 Volt and 240 Volt Outlet Circuits Wiring Light Switches Wiring 3-Wire and 4-Wire Electric Range Wiring 3-Wire and 4-Wire Dryer Cord and Dryer Outlet How to Troubleshoot and Repair Electrical Wiring Wiring Methods for Upgrading Electrical Wiring NEC Codes for Home Electrical Wiring ....and much more. Learn more about Home Electrical Wiring with my Online Video Course: Basic Home Electrical Wiring by Example

Be Careful and Be Safe - Never Work on Energized Circuits!
Consult your Local Building Department about Permits and Inspections for all Electric Wiring Projects.

Electrical Tips to Help You Wire it Right The Safest Way to Test Electrical Devices and Identify Electric Wires! The Non-Contact Electrical Tester This is a testing tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and is the first test tool I grab to help identify electrical wiring. It is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use. The Quickest Way to Check for Faulty Electrical Wiring! The Plug-In Outlet Tester This is the first tool I grab to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring. This popular tester is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring. It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect Very handy and easy to use. Strip Off Wire Insulation without Nicking and Damaging the Electric Wire! The Wire Stripper and Wire Cutter My absolute favorite wire stripping tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and this is the tool I use to safely strip electrical wires. This handy tool has multiple uses: The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation. The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.. The wire stripper will work on both solid and stranded wire. This tool is Very Handy and Easy to Use.

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