# Extension Rings



## wildleg

no, but there's a code as to how much conductor must be hanging out of the box (or the last extension ring)


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## erics37

480sparky can do better than a code reference, he has a picture of this exact scenario.


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## 480sparky

You can stack as many as you like, as long as you meet 300.14.

This, however, ain't exactly legal:


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## shannonm1

The pic didn't post the first time. Here's what I seen last week, lol


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## shannonm1

I'd die laughing if I seen one like sparky posted!


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## electric mike

see it a lot on remodels when the wall is furred out and they want the existing electrical to stay. sucks to try to get your fat hand in there to grab a fish tape


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## Chris Kennedy

shannonm1 said:


> Is there a code as to how many extension rings can be stacked??


How many you got?



480sparky said:


> This, however, ain't exactly legal:


But this is.


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## Hippie

One company I worked for did a lot of schools, emt in block walls. Instead of stubbing a 90 out at the top we put a 4" box and extension ring so it ended up flush above the ceiling, then we'd come back, add another ring and pipe them together or whatever. Sometimes you would end up with 4 or 5 rings stacked depending on how many wires and pipes there were. It always worked out pretty good and it was never that bad to pull wire in them


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## 480sparky

Chris Kennedy said:


> ............But this is......


I gotta ask.............. _why_? :001_huh:


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## s.kelly

This came up on the job recently. Seems like there was a rule that an extension box had to have a conduit or cable to it at one time, or was that urban legend?

Or is it a misinterpretation of some other rule?


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## MechanicalDVR

shannonm1 said:


> The pic didn't post the first time. Here's what I seen last week, lol


 
The screws are not approved for that use. Been there seen that.


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## Chris Kennedy

480sparky said:


> I gotta ask.............. _why_? :001_huh:


All I can tell you is the next time the alarm contractor asks me for a ½ dozen X-rings, I'll know why.



MechanicalDVR said:


> The screws are not approved for that use. Been there seen that.


Now quote an article saying those screws aren't compliant.


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## joedreamliner787

480sparky said:


> You can stack as many as you like, as long as you meet 300.14.
> 
> This, however, ain't exactly legal:


Now that's what we call a box offset :thumbup:


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## niteshift

Originally Posted by *MechanicalDVR*  
_The screws are not approved for that use. Been there seen that._
Now quote an article saying those screws aren't compliant

Not listed/approved for the use. Like having to use a machine screw for boxes, covers, fittings. 
Looks like self tapping screws, that is something you shouldn't do in that instance.


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## Cl906um

nothing sucks worse when a pipe cemes out the last extension ring but other circuits you have to get to are too short to work on. worked on a boiler cct. that had hot boiler pipe within 2 " of the damned thing and box was in between two boilers where i couldnt even open my ladder to work on. thats saying hurray for me and fu87 everyone else.


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## LARMGUY

Chris Kennedy said:


> All I can tell you is the next time the alarm contractor asks me for a ½ dozen X-rings, I'll know why.
> 
> 
> 
> Now quote an article saying those screws aren't compliant.


That's it, blame it on the alarmguy. :whistling2::no::laughing:


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## MarkyMark

There's a code stating how much conductor must be hanging out of the box.

There's also a code stating conductors more than a certain length have to be counted as two conductors for conductor fill purposes.

At some point, you get increasingly diminishing returns if you are adding extension rings *for conductor fill purposes*. The increase in area is off-set by the increase in conductor fill, from your ever longer wires. IIRC after about three extension rings, it doesn't really help your case anymore.


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## Chris Kennedy

MarkyMark said:


> There's also a code stating conductors more than a certain length have to be counted as two conductors for conductor fill purposes.


Thats only for unbroken conductors. 314.16(B)(1)


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