What wire should be used to ground a burglar alarm panel?

• A. 18/1
• B. 14/1
• C. 22/2
• D. 12/1

Answer: (A)

Grounding and bonding the burglar alarm panel means creating a single, reliable path from the panel’s metal enclosure to the building’s grounding system. For low‑voltage alarm circuits, the bonding conductor doesn’t carry large fault currents, so a smaller, unobtrusive wire is appropriate. An 18 AWG copper single conductor is the common minimum used for this purpose: it’s easy to run, durable enough to maintain a solid bond, and meets practical code expectations for a panel ground. Using a larger wire, like 14 or 12 AWG, would work but isn’t necessary, while a very small wire such as 22 AWG is generally too small to trust for a bonding connection. A two-conductor cable isn’t needed for a single grounding path, since only one continuous grounding conductor is required.