Brian Mahaney wrote:

I'm upgrading my service entrance and panel to 200 amps. I currently have
an old Push-a-matic service panel. Inside this panel, all the ground wires
(bare coppers) and neutrals are attached to the neutral bus which is located
at the very top of the panel only four or five inches from the point where
all the circuits enter the panel. So the obvious problem is that the wires
will all be too short for the new panel.

I have done a short search of this group and found at least one post stating
that it is ok to splice the wires inside the panel. The question is: what
is the standard way to do this? Can I simply use bare, crimped butt splice
connectors on the ground wires and insulated ones on the neutrals? Is there
a more acceptable way to accomplish this? Is it, in fact, acceptable to
splice the wires inside the panel? Should I bother my very busy inspector
with this question just to be sure of his opinion, or is there standard
procedure that is acceptable across all jurisdictions?

Thanks,
Brian

You better ask him beforehand. All those splices will take up
a lot of room.

Another possibility: Is there space to put a new panel *beside*
the old one? If so, fab a blank cover for the old panel and
use it as a giant splice chamber. The new panel will be neat
as a pin inside.

Jim

Is there
a more acceptable way to accomplish this? Is it, in fact, acceptable to
splice the wires inside the panel? Should I bother my very busy inspector
with this question just to be sure of his opinion, or is there standard
procedure that is acceptable across all jurisdictions?

Thanks,
Brian

You could probably add an aux. bus bar, if there's room in the new panel.
They're fairly inexpensive.

Is there
a more acceptable way to accomplish this? Is it, in fact, acceptable to
splice the wires inside the panel? Should I bother my very busy inspector
with this question just to be sure of his opinion, or is there standard
procedure that is acceptable across all jurisdictions?

Thanks,
Brian

You could probably add an aux. bus bar, if there's room in the new panel.
They're fairly inexpensive.

I have done a short search of this group and found at least one post stating
that it is ok to splice the wires inside the panel. The question is: what
is the standard way to do this? Can I simply use bare, crimped butt splice
connectors on the ground wires and insulated ones on the neutrals? Is there

I would not like having too much splices in a main panel, wheter legal
or not, as all the Marr connectors will be in your way when doing
future work (especially if you need to splice 10g or 8g wires). And
even the connectors are known as safe, I wouldn't want to see one
falling off in the breaker box over time.

So I liked Speedy Jim's suggestion of using the old panel a lot, if
that is possible.

I'm no electrician, so take this as a potential idea more than as an
advice: A solution if you're really out of space might be to install a
lot of small covered rectangular metal boxes in your work area (those
used for outlets) and use them to make your splices. I think you can
legally cram the wires from two circuits in the deeper ones, but check
the specs of the boxes first to be sure you can. You then just have to
bring a clean wire inside the new breaker box. It will not be nice
when looking outside the breaker box, but it will make any future work
in it easier.

Max.

I have done a short search of this group and found at least one post stating
that it is ok to splice the wires inside the panel. The question is: what
is the standard way to do this? Can I simply use bare, crimped butt splice
connectors on the ground wires and insulated ones on the neutrals? Is there

I would not like having too much splices in a main panel, wheter legal
or not, as all the Marr connectors will be in your way when doing
future work (especially if you need to splice 10g or 8g wires). And
even the connectors are known as safe, I wouldn't want to see one
falling off in the breaker box over time.

So I liked Speedy Jim's suggestion of using the old panel a lot, if
that is possible.

I'm no electrician, so take this as a potential idea more than as an
advice: A solution if you're really out of space might be to install a
lot of small covered rectangular metal boxes in your work area (those
used for outlets) and use them to make your splices. I think you can
legally cram the wires from two circuits in the deeper ones, but check
the specs of the boxes first to be sure you can. You then just have to
bring a clean wire inside the new breaker box. It will not be nice
when looking outside the breaker box, but it will make any future work
in it easier.

Max.

You could always add the new panel next to the old one and put a breaker
in the new panel run wire to the existing panel. Beats having a bunch
of splices and and a giant splice chamber.

Max Voltaire wrote:
I have done a short search of this group and found at least one post stating
that it is ok to splice the wires inside the panel. The question is: what
is the standard way to do this? Can I simply use bare, crimped butt splice
connectors on the ground wires and insulated ones on the neutrals? Is there


I would not like having too much splices in a main panel, wheter legal
or not, as all the Marr connectors will be in your way when doing
future work (especially if you need to splice 10g or 8g wires). And
even the connectors are known as safe, I wouldn't want to see one
falling off in the breaker box over time.

So I liked Speedy Jim's suggestion of using the old panel a lot, if
that is possible.

I'm no electrician, so take this as a potential idea more than as an
advice: A solution if you're really out of space might be to install a
lot of small covered rectangular metal boxes in your work area (those
used for outlets) and use them to make your splices. I think you can
legally cram the wires from two circuits in the deeper ones, but check
the specs of the boxes first to be sure you can. You then just have to
bring a clean wire inside the new breaker box. It will not be nice
when looking outside the breaker box, but it will make any future work
in it easier.

Max.