"snowburnt" wrote in message
...
I was replacing some receptacles in my kitchen (20 Amp circuit). I
pulled out the existing receptacles and found that they had 7 wires
going into them, 3 white 3 black and 1 ground. the receptacle had 2
screw terminals per side, and the extra 2 wires were in the back,
pushed in.

I was going to try to duplicate this but the new receptacles only
accept 14 gauge in the back and the old ones accept 12 or 14...the
wires seem to be 12. so I can't duplicate with these decor plugs.

should I try to find receptacles with the 12 cu wires or could I put
two wires per screw, or connect two of them with a connector?

thanks

The best thing to do is splice together, under a wire nut, all the blacks,
with an additional pigtail to attach to the receptacle, then do the same
with the whites. It's a more durable connection. Receptacles are no longer
made with #12 back stabs