Bob and all,
Yes, those "backstab" receptacles that electricians love to use because
they are quick and easy do not have adequate contact stength and can
overheat and cause voltage drops and a fire hazard.
If I were to discover them in any house I occupied, I would pull the
wires out of the 'backstab' and put the wires under the screws. There
is nothing wrong with the receptacles, except for that marginal wire
contact in the 'backstab' contacts - change those to "under the screw"
connections and all will be well.
There are good 'strip and insert' receptacles use a clamping mechanism
tightened with a screw, and those do not have the problem.
My house is wired with #12 wire for ALL the receptacles, (lighting is
#14) but I do use the 15 amp receptacles with no problem (except in the
kitchen where they are 20 amp) - the 15 amp receptacles will not accept
#12 wire in the 'backstab' holes, so the only choice was to use the
screw terminals. I have 20 amp breakers on the receptacle circuits, but
15 amp on the lighting.
Yes, I did it myself and the inspector had no problem with my wiring.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 6/14/2018 9:07 AM, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote:
And in replacing receptacles, I found the original 1980 wiring in our
house was done by the "strip and push-in" connections. Many I found
were loose, some showed signs of heating. I took on the project to
replace all of the receptacles and switches in the house. In doing so,
I did NOT use the push-in method, but turned a hook on the end of every
wire and put it around the screw in the correct direction.
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