[arctic4161]

Hey guys, I am new here. I was wiring in a new dimmer switch that needs a ground and my house apparently has all the ground wires in the switch boxes capped together with one wire running out of the top of the cap. The individual wires are not long enough to run to the switches, but the one wire running out of the top of the cap is. I was wondering if it is okay to run that one wire to each switch for a ground? Where I am at the code is nfpa70, but I don't have access to look it up or know what I am looking for. I would appreciate any help. I don't want to start a fire or be out of code or anything.

 

[pumpkin11]

you can run any of the grounds to the switch,

they are all connected together....or should be anyway,

alternatively, if you have metal boxes, you can run the ground from the switch to the box

 

[flyingron]

Yep, about the only thing you can't do is use the ground screw on the switch to join two of the other grounds together.

 

[seharper]

All the grounds coming from all the cables coming into the box MUST go together. They are not spares; you don't use one of them. They must connect to each other. They must also go ONE of the following:

- (if the box is metal) to the metal box. From the metal box, ground will be carried to the switch via its mounting screws and its metal yoke. You don't need an additional ground wire; that will suffice. Do Not disconnect the ground off the metal box and put it to the switch instead; common newbie error and code violation.
OR
- (if the box is plastic) to the switch. Use the pigtail coming out of the top of the green nut for that. If you're connecting two switches, feel free to pigtail 2 wires off that using a regular wire nut.

If the yoke is not metal, check it for a safety listing from UL, CSA or ETL. None of those? Only "CE" (a garbage mark on a USA-marketed device)? Back to Amazon it goes. (or really back to the 3rd party seller via Amazon).

 

[quatsch]

Since all your eggs are in one basket, so to speak, run a 100w bulb from the hot side of a non-gfci outlet to this ground connection and make sure the bulb lights full brightness.

 

[arctic4161]

Thanks for all the replies! The box is plastic. So I can use this ground, do I need to pigtail off this wire or can I just run this wire to each switch because this wire is really long.

 

[Wiredindallas]

1 wire to all is fine.