DIYbanter - View Single Post - Can improper wiring actually cause a fire?

Doug Miller

In article .com, wrote:

Doug Miller wrote:
In article om,
wrote:
....

I assume you mean a GFCI *outlet*... Deeper boxes do exist, and they're
frequently used in new construction, particularly where GFCIs are required.

....
wire it was better to terminate it on the screw, rather
than using the clamp.

True. It's *much* more secure.

Note that for aluminum wire, the clamp isn't even an option: you *must* use
the screw.

But (and I am asking this mostly for the lurkers) surely only with
a proper (rated for aluminum) terminator on the wire. You are NOT
allowed to use bare aluminum wire under a brass screw, that is
a sure fire (no pun intended) recipe for disaster, right?

Bare aluminum wire can be attached to any screw terminal that is rated for
aluminum wire. What that consists of specifically, I don't know. I don't seem
to have any CO/ALR-rated devices around; all my spares look to be Cu-only.

... Grab
it with the tip of a needlenose pliers and twist. Or use an electrician's
stripper-crimper tool (e.g. Gardner-Bender GS-70) -- most have a hole about
1/8" in diameter in one of the jaws, specifically for making such hooks. Stick
the wire through the hole, twist the tool 180 degrees, and voila! a perfect
hook.

OK that'd work but then the heads of the screws would stand
proud

Well, yes -- by the thickness of the wire. Big deal.

and the fixture would not fit back in the box.

Of course it will; what are you talking about? Electricians do this all the
time. A standard receptacle box is 2" wide, and a 120V receptacle with wires
attached to screw terminals on each side is only about 1 3/8" outside
dimension from screw head to screw head.

The GFCI
(thank you) protects two 'downstream' circuits.

No, it doesn't.

Quite possibly it does protect two downstream *outlets*. g

Looks like
one of those larger boxes is called for. And for a fumble
fingers like myself, lugs.

Just attach the wires to the screw terminals. It's easier and neater.
[...]

When I rewire my home, which is currently a *******
mix of romex and knob and tube, I intend, wherever possible,
to avoid both 'pass through' and splices behind the outlets,
feeding them from separate junction boxes in the attic or
crawlspace.

Do yourself a favor and get a book or two on residential wiring from the
library or from the Borg before you start.

It is downright scary to discover that turning the lights on in
my dining room causes an (unused) upstairs bedroom outlet
to become hot to the touch.

I think I'd replace that outlet today -- and install the new one with
pigtails.

But, as Mr Hodgett so diplomatically suggests, I've a lot
to learn first.

It appears he may be right -- but it's not rocket science, either. You can
learn nearly everything you need to know by reading, and by asking questions
of those who know what they're doing. If you've ever followed other threads on
the Wreck dealing with electrical wiring, you probably have a sense of whose
advice you can trust[*], whose you should take with a grain of salt, and
whose you should disregard altogether.
[*] I'd place LRod in that category, and, if I might be so immodest, myself.
(I'm sure there are others here, too, and I don't mean to offend anyone
whom I have inadvertently failed to mention.) People that LRod and I have
disagreed with (or made sport of!) over electrical issues probably belong in
one of the latter two categories.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.