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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
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If so, is it legal to wire a 15 amp receptacle into a #12 awg 20 amp circuit in the "backstabbing" manner noted above? WFO, Receptacles with backstabs are no longer made with holes that will accept wire larger than #14. It's been about 10 years since the ones with #12 holes were discontinued. Also, the receptacles state "#14 Solid Copper Wire Only" right on the back.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 101
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I always pigtail the neutral when installing a receptacle. It has nothing to do with series or parallel. (whether or not you pigtail it, it's still wired in parallel) I do it so that the next electrician to come down the pike won't have to deal with breaking the neutral to the rest of the circuit if he has to replace the recept. If the recepts are part of a multi-wire branch circuit, 300.13 prohibits using the device as a splice anyway.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 821
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Art. 300.13 is very important - especially if you value your paycheck and don't want to pay for the customers expensive television set that you accidentally sent 160 volts to instead of the required 120. Oh, and the the other half of the branch circuit won't have enough voltage to operate whatever load it has. Bottom line, splice your neutrals at the receptacle box where the 3-wire homerun is run to, to avoid damaging equipment. There is no worse a feeling than destroying some guys new plasma television set because you failed to give the other outlets upstream a return path to ground.
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 202
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Quote: "WFO, Receptacles with backstabs are no longer made with holes that will accept wire larger than #14. It's been about 10 years since the ones with #12 holes were discontinued. Also, the receptacles state "#14 Solid Copper Wire Only" right on the back."
Shows my ignorance. I never used the backstabs anyway and haven't paid any attention to them. Thanks.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 821
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WFO, even if you wanted to stab-lock wih #12cu, you couldn't, because the stab-lock terminal is only big enough to (1) #14cu. I agree with you and don't use them either even it is ok to use them since they are UL rated.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1
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i use the back wiring but you still screw the wire down. I don't pigtail outlets. If you do get a bad outlet or loose wire and that outlet hardly gets used you would never know it is faulting.by killing everything down stream it would become noticable and fixed quicker.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 219
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If you pig tail your outlets...the one that is faulty will be the one that is NOT working. The rest of the circuit will not be effected by the faulty device.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 101
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Larry, If the recept is part of a multiwire branch circuit, the code requires you to pigtail the neutral. Not doing so can cause 220v. through everything down line.
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Posts: 806
Joined: October 2004
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