By Dave Rongey Summary:
Electrical Outlets Question:
I have replaced a good amount of receptacles in my home, and I'm the type of person that worries about every last thing possible and mainly about burning my house down.
Electrical Outlets Question:
I have replaced a good amount of receptacles in my home, and I'm the type of person that worries about every last thing possible and mainly about burning my house down.
I know that loose connections are bad and very dangerous.
Whenever I loop a wire around a receptacle screw terminal I make the screw very tight to ensure and snug connection (as tight as I can with my screwdriver).
What I want to know is if this will be okay. I have read somewhere that you can flatten the wire from over tightening the screw and create extreme heat.
I just want to know if this will burn my house down, or if it is okay left alone. We have not had any problems with any receptacles, and they are all cool to the touch.
If you could get back to me with that answer, that would be great.
Thanks a lot.
Matt
Hi Matt - Great Electrical Repair Question! First of all - would you PLEASE tell me where you found the information about tight screws. You are the second person to share this concern and it is false, especially when it comes to solid wire on an outlet screw terminal. There may be a slim possibility of flattening a #14 wire down to the point of breaking the wire off, but I have never seen such a problem on an outlet.
I have personally stripped out the screw a few times, and even broke the screws off when tightening down #12 solid wire on outlets. The only place I would advise caution would be inside the panel when tightening the mounting screws down on #14 solid wire where it attaches to circuit breakers and especially neutral and ground busses. The mention of an overheating Tight Connection where the wire is flat is in my mind incorrect.
Electrical Connections
Tight connections do not cause fires, loose connections do. Loose connections arc when the wire or circuit is under a load. I should point out that wiring outlets are typically done using two methods - Series and Parallel. The Series method can create problems because the load of the whole circuit travels through each device, whereas using the parallel method this is not the case - only the load for each individual device is fed through that device or outlet.
Here is a brief explanation of these methods where two sets of romex type-nm cable wires are in each outlet box:
Series Wiring
Series is where the two wires of each color are attached to the outlet terminal screws, blacks on the brass colored screws, white on the silver colored screws, OR the wires are stripped and pressed into the rear push-a-matic connections for some brands of outlets.
This method can cause problems, especially when space heaters or large load devices are plugged into the circuit, the load is placed through each outlet wired with this method.
Parallel Wiring
The Parallel method is where the two wires of each color are pigtailed or spliced using wire connectors to a third wired which is then connected to the outlet. With this method the load travel trough the splices, not the outlets.
Splicing Wires
As long as the splice is done properly by twisting the right length of wire and firmly screwing on the wire connector there should never be a problem. Now I know that there are situations with older homes where there are the smaller metal outlet boxes that do not have enough room for the pigtail splices, so in this case you will need to use the screw terminals. The ground wires for each method are typically twisted and spliced using a ground crimp. If a high consuming device is used such as a space heater then I would install a dedicated circuit and outlet for it.
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for your quick answer to my question, I feel better about it now.
I saw that you mentioned pig tailing the wires together by twisting them and then using a wire nut. I have always used the Ideal brand push in wire connectors in receptacles. Will these be okay left alone? If a wire should pop out in the future due to heating from a heavy load, is there a good chance that this could burn my house down, or will something simply stop working?
Thanks a lot.
»You Can Avoid Costly Mistakes!«
Here is How to Do It:
Wire It Right with the help of my Illustrated Wiring Book Great for any Home Wiring Project.
Perfect for Homeowners, Students, Handyman, Handywomen, and Electricians Includes: Wiring GFCI Outlets Wiring Home Electric Circuits 120 Volt and 240 Volt Outlet Circuits Wiring Light Switches Wiring 3-Wire and 4-Wire Electric Range Wiring 3-Wire and 4-Wire Dryer Cord and Dryer Outlet How to Troubleshoot and Repair Electrical Wiring Wiring Methods for Upgrading Electrical Wiring NEC Codes for Home Electrical Wiring ....and much more.
Sitemap Ceiling Fans Airplane Ceiling Fan Airplane Ceiling Fan Ceiling Fan Direction Summer Ceiling Fan Direction Winter Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagram 1 Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagram 2 Ceiling Fan Wiring Questions and Answers Ceiling Fans Wiring – Part 1 Ceiling Fans Wiring – Part 2 Introduction to Ceiling Fan Remote Controls Outdoor Ceiling Fan 1 Outdoor […]
Skill Level:
Intermediate to Advanced - Electrical Repairs and Circuit Wiring is Best Performed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Tools Required:
Basic Electricians Pouch of Hand Tools, a Voltage Tester and a Multi Meter.
Estimated Time:
Depends on personal level experience, ability to work with tools, work with electrical wiring, and the available access to the project area. Precaution:
Identify the project circuit, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring.
Important:
Modifying existing electrical circuits or installing additional electrical wiring should be done according to local and national electrical codes with a permit and be inspected.
This is a testing tool that is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.
This is great to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring, is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring.
It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets
Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency
Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included
Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect, Very handy and easy to use.
A wire stripping tool used to safely strip electrical wires.
This handy tool has multiple uses:
The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation.
The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.
I think your site offers the the clearest and best electrical information for homeowners I have ever seen on the net.You have given me confidence to do my own projects which I never had before. THANK YOU! Paul, from Foxboro, Massachusetts
I wish I found this site earlier, it is by far the best electrical related resource I have found on the web. George, from Scranton, Pennsylvania
I love this site for an office worker that does not know anything about electric wiring. Bill, from New York City, New York
This site is so much better than the 3 books I just bought, I wish I came here first. Collin, from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thank you for answering my question.
I was able to get this done. This site is perfect. I am glad I found it. Please keep it going. Mike, from Chicago, Illinois