On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:48:14 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

RBM wrote:
"Josh" wrote in message
...
I'm adding a couple of outlets in my kitchen, and using metal boxes.
Does the short insulated green wire which grounds the outlet to the
box HAVE to be solid to comply with the electrical code? I don't have
any solid green wire on hand but I've got a whole spool of 12 Gauge
green insulated stranded copper wire.

I know a foot or two of solid green wire is not a major expense. I
just hate to drive to Lowes' if the stranded wire I already have is
acceptable.

Stranded is fine



Dumb question- why does code now require that little jumper wire? From
the time grounded residential wiring became normal (late 50s to early
60s?), to the time I quit hanging around on active construction
sites(late 70s), SOP was metal boxes, with the bond wire wrapped around
the romex jacket and captured under the metal strain reliefs. Outlet was
grounded by virtue of the metal device ears being screwed directly to
the metal box ears. When and why did that stop being good enough any more?
Long ago they started putting "bonding screws" on the boxes -
pinching the ground under the clamp is a very poor quality ground
connection. As for the ground, by code it does not need to be
insulated, and if uninsulated does not need to be green.
If bare wire is used, make sure it stys on the neutral (white wire)
side of the outlet.