Question

A circuit is installed in EMT and compression fittings are used. A separate EGC is NOT installed in the conduit. If a ground fault occurs and one or more couplings were never tightened properly, compared to normal operation, the fault current will be ____ and the OCPD will take ____ time to open. Select one a. lower less b. higher more c. higher less d. lower the same e. lower more

Answer 1

A circuit is installed in EMT and compression fittings are used. A separate EGC is NOT installed in the conduit. If a ground fault occurs and one or more couplings were never tightened properly, compared to normal operation, the fault current will be higher and the OCPD will take more time to open. Hence option b is correct.

If couplings are not tightened properly, it introduces additional impedance in the grounding path. This increased impedance would result in a higher resistance, leading to a higher overall circuit impedance.

So, According to Ohm's Law (V = I * R), if impedance increases and the voltage remains constant, the current (I) would decrease. The fault current will be higher, and the overcurrent protective device (OCPD) will take more time to open due to the increased impedance in the fault path.