"JIMMIE" wrote in message
...
On Aug 14, 2:51 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm here to say that the conventional wisdom that one gets here--that
"backstabbed" wiring is bad, evil, and always leads to failure--may not
be correct.

[To the perplexed, "backstabbed" means that instead of using screw
terminals to connect wires to devices such as outlets and switches, the
stripped (solid) wire is pushed into a connector that grabs the wire
inside the device. Very commonly used "in the field".]

The opinion one reads here most often is that this is an inferior wiring
method that must always be suspected when there are electrical problems,
that it should be avoided and that it should be corrected if found.

I'm not sure that's correct.

First of all, it is an approved, UL/CSA tested, and, most importantly,
code-approved (US building code) wiring method. If it was as all-fired
bad as folks here claim, why would it still be allowed? After all, the
building codes tend to err on the side of caution.

My own experience, as limited as it might be, has not shown backstabbed
connections to be the source of any trouble. I recently worked on a
house built in the 1960s in which all devices were backstabbed. I was
called to add a circuit, not to correct any problems. There was no
current problem with any device that I could see, nor was there any
history of any such problems.

I'd like to see some more evidence for the badness of backstabbed
connections. Everything I read here is either based on anecdotal
evidence, or just speculation and personal preference.

I will say that I personally don't like backstabbed connections; as
tempting as they are (a lot faster than
stripping/bending/screwing/crimping using screw connections), I prefer
the "old-school" method. But I do think they've gotten an unfairly bad
rap. Furthermore, I refrain from automatically correcting them
(replacing backstabbed connections with screwed ones) when I see them,
on the theory of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", and I suggest this
to others. Especially newbies and DIYers; I think it's bad advice to
automatically suspect backstabbed connections as the source of a fault,
and to imply that they should all be ripped out and redone.

Let the brawling commence.

--
Found--the gene that causes belief in genetic determinism

Obviously you have never paid $300 for an electrician to find a bad
one or have the power in you livingroom go out when you have guest
coming over because of one. As far as I am concerned these things were
BROKE the day they were made. After my experience and expense with
them I made the decision to replace all the outlets and switches in my
home. When I started performing the replacements many of the wires
pulled out of the back of the switches and outlets when I was pulling
them out of the box. Most of the wires only required a firm tug to
pull them from the device and only a few actually required me to press
the release.


Out of curiosity, do you know who the manufacturer was?