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snowburnt March 2nd 08 08:35 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
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

Joe March 2nd 08 08:49 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
On Mar 2, 1:35*pm, snowburnt wrote:
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


You need to learn modern good wiring practice. Today the pros will
pigtail the receptacles to the properly wire nutted input/output
wiring. Go to your library, box store, whatever, and get an up to date
book on wiring practices and read it. You will find that doing it
right is much easier than struggling with the mistakes of the past.
Good luck,

Joe

RicodJour March 2nd 08 08:50 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
On Mar 2, 2:35 pm, snowburnt wrote:
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?


It sounds like you have more than one receptacle with this condition.
They may have broken off the side connector tabs and put each
individual receptacle onto its own circuit. The stab connections can
be problematic. The spring connections have a tendency to loosen due
to heat from a higher load - like a load that would require 12 ga
wire. The standard solution is to wire nut the wires together and run
a pigtail to the receptacle. You may have an issue with exceeding the
maximum box fill depending on what sort of box is there now - wire
nuts and pigtails will only make it worse, as do GFIs' greater volume.

R

RBM[_2_] March 2nd 08 08:50 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 

"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



Phisherman March 2nd 08 09:49 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:35:57 -0800 (PST), snowburnt
wrote:

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



Use a pigtail (a short wire to a screw, then fasten 3-4 wires to a
connector). One wire per screw. Double check for loose wires. Only
ONE ground wire?

S. Barker March 2nd 08 11:11 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
You should connect all three with a red wirenut along with a fourth wire
(pigtail) to your outlet. This is the way it should have been done to begin
with.

s



"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




Terry March 2nd 08 11:47 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:35:57 -0800 (PST), snowburnt
wrote:

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


That doesn't help you any, but any kitchen that has more than 2 cables
per receptacle sounds wrong.

IMO, each kitchen outlet should be on a separate circuit by itself.




Kevin Ricks March 3rd 08 12:35 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
snowburnt wrote:
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


As has been said you can 'pigtail' all the wires but if you find that
there is not enough room or you just want to duplicate what you have
then one option would be to get the 'back feed' type outlets. These have
holes on the back (8 total) where you put the wires in the holes and
then tighten the screws on the side. These type are more expensive about
$3.00 each. They work with 12ga or 14ga wires.
Kevin

Nate Nagel March 3rd 08 01:11 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
snowburnt wrote:
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


Get some "spec grade" receptacles with the clamps behind the screws,
they will accept two wires per screw. Make sure that they have the
clamps; not all spec grade receptacles do. Don't even try to make the
back stab connections work; they suck.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Nate Nagel March 3rd 08 01:12 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
Joe wrote:
On Mar 2, 1:35 pm, snowburnt wrote:

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



You need to learn modern good wiring practice. Today the pros will
pigtail the receptacles to the properly wire nutted input/output
wiring. Go to your library, box store, whatever, and get an up to date
book on wiring practices and read it. You will find that doing it
right is much easier than struggling with the mistakes of the past.
Good luck,

Joe


I agree but if the old receps are in a single gang box there may not be
room for two red wire nuts behind there. That would be the ideal
solution if there is room, e.g. a 1900 box with a plaster ring.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Nate Nagel March 3rd 08 01:14 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:35:57 -0800 (PST), snowburnt
wrote:


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




Use a pigtail (a short wire to a screw, then fasten 3-4 wires to a
connector). One wire per screw. Double check for loose wires. Only
ONE ground wire?


I'm betting the ground is pigtailed, seeing as there's only one ground
screw on a normal receptacle.

Speaking of which, do you guys wire nut your grounds? I do, but it
doesn't seem to be common practice.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

aemeijers March 3rd 08 02:34 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 
Terry wrote:
On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:35:57 -0800 (PST), snowburnt
wrote:

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


That doesn't help you any, but any kitchen that has more than 2 cables
per receptacle sounds wrong.

IMO, each kitchen outlet should be on a separate circuit by itself.



Most recent houses, that would tie up half the breaker positions in the
panel all by itself. IIRC, current 'best practice' is 2 GFCI-protected
20-amp strings for the convenience outlets (alternating the circuits as
you progress down the counter), and dedicated circuits for fridge and
lighting and maybe the dishwasher/disposal and other high-draw items.
(Not counting the 240 circuit for the stove, of course.) That adds up to
5 strings or so, unless it is a show-off kitchen.

As for OP- the other posters have it right- pigtail the outlets, but try
to reverse-engineer what is connected to what, to make sure the string
is not overloaded. 3 hots and 3 neutrals in a box sounds like cheap
electrician used it as a junction box, not a great practice. If there is
attic above, or open basement ceiling below, restructuring how the
wiring is laid out and adding some remote (but accessible) J-boxes may
be a good idea. If all this sounds confusing to OP, he should seek out
an electrician experienced in rationalizing old-work situations. (Most
prefer to rip'n'replace if the old wiring is questionable, but there is
no reason not to reuse old runs if they are in good shape, code
compliant, and go between the point a and point b that you need.)

aem sends....


RBM[_2_] March 3rd 08 04:07 AM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Terry wrote:
On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:35:57 -0800 (PST), snowburnt
wrote:

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


That doesn't help you any, but any kitchen that has more than 2 cables
per receptacle sounds wrong.

IMO, each kitchen outlet should be on a separate circuit by itself.



Most recent houses, that would tie up half the breaker positions in the
panel all by itself. IIRC, current 'best practice' is 2 GFCI-protected
20-amp strings for the convenience outlets (alternating the circuits as
you progress down the counter), and dedicated circuits for fridge and
lighting and maybe the dishwasher/disposal and other high-draw items. (Not
counting the 240 circuit for the stove, of course.) That adds up to 5
strings or so, unless it is a show-off kitchen.

As for OP- the other posters have it right- pigtail the outlets, but try
to reverse-engineer what is connected to what, to make sure the string is
not overloaded. 3 hots and 3 neutrals in a box sounds like cheap
electrician used it as a junction box, not a great practice. If there is
attic above, or open basement ceiling below, restructuring how the wiring
is laid out and adding some remote (but accessible) J-boxes may be a good
idea. If all this sounds confusing to OP, he should seek out an
electrician experienced in rationalizing old-work situations. (Most prefer
to rip'n'replace if the old wiring is questionable, but there is no reason
not to reuse old runs if they are in good shape, code compliant, and go
between the point a and point b that you need.)

aem sends....


I don't know what you're basing this on. There's nothing wrong or cheap or
unusual about having three 12 gauge cables in one box, and yes any box that
has a junction in it, is a junction box, even if there's an outlet in it.
The NEC requires a minimum of two 20 amp circuits for counter outlets and
it's perfectly acceptable to have three cables in an outlet / junction box
as long as it's big enough for the number of conductors and devices




zxcvbob March 3rd 08 08:11 PM

Back and side wired receptacles?
 

"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




You need a "spec grade" or "pro grade" backwired outlet. They will take
12 ga wires, and some will even take 10's. The back terminals you want
are screw clamps, not little spring clips like in the cheap outlets.


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