DIYbanter - View Single Post - Tips for pigtailing / wirenutting outlets with 12AWG wire

wrote:
Howdy all.

Since I will be pigtailing in about 20 outlets and I know 12AWG can be
kind of stiff to work with, I thought I would ask if anyone here has
any tips to make the job easier ?

I have already pre-wired the pig-tails to the outlets since it's
something that could easily be done from the comfort of my couch while
watching the basketball game. The pigtails for the hots, neutrals and
grounds are all about 6 inches long and I just made them from some
existing 12AWG NM/B wire I had (si they're pretty straight right now).

I have the red wing-nut style wire-nuts and will have to joint (3)
12AWG wires into each nut.

Any tips to make the job easier or better would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Kevin

Even while adhering to box-fill requirements, I also find getting
all the wires to fit nicely in the box can be a struggle, especially
with 12 AWG. I would attach the pigtails to the wires in the
box *first*, before attaching the outlet. I then fold each bundle of
wires accordion style back into the box, with the pigtails
left as the only thing sticking out of the box. I put a
bend in the pigtails as well, so that after I attach the outlet,
and start pushing the outlet into the box, the pigtails have
their folds going in the right direction. I also find that
a bit of creative use of language (inquiring into the parentage
of a particular bundle of neutrals, for example) can also be helpful.
I would use shorter pigtails; my understanding has always been
that the 6 in. requirement pertained to wires entering or
exiting the box.

Regards,
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=
Mike Lacy, Ft Collins CO 80523
Clean out the 'junk' to email me.