On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 16:34:34 -0800, "Mamba" wrote:

wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 7 Nov 2007 14:37:33 -0800, "Mamba" wrote:

Jeff was on it. GFCIs use a hole in the back but you still have to
tighten the screw. It is a clamp plate. The good side is you can use
both holes so you can have 2 wires in each terminal.

OK, thanks all. I was under the mistaken impression that the push-holes
were the desired usage when available. Guess I have a few other outlets I
should re-do.

Call me curious, but just why is using the holes such a bad idea? Seems
pretty straightforward and idiot-proof, assuming the wire fits ;-)


Because you only have this small piece of spring steel that makes a
connection in less than 1/32 of an inch. It's a poor connection and
all the power has to flow thru that tiny piece of steel. When using
screws, you have a half inch or more of the wire clamped under the
screw. If you plug a large amperage device into a back stab outlet
(like an electric space heater), that small steel clamp can overheat.
It then loses it's springyness from the heat. Once that happens, the
wire is loose and then the heat builds up more. This can cause a fire
or at least cause the outlet to fail. In my opinion, these backstab
holes should have been banned long ago.