just wrap a turn of electrical tape around the recep in a tight box

nate

Andrew M. Saucci, Jr. wrote:
One advantage of a backstabbed connection is that if the end of the
conductor is carefully trimmed, none of the conductor is actually exposed
inside the box. That can reduce the chance of a short, especially in a metal
box or where a bare grounding conductor is present. This would be a
particular advantage if screw terminals were not present at all (uncommon
these days).

Screw terminals can be dangerous too if they are over tightened or
under tightened, or if the conductor is poorly trimmed.

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
.com...
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





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