Another quickie;

When connecting a duplex receptacle in the middle of a cable run, do you usually prefer:

1. Pigtail on the recept. & wirenut to join the three wires together in the box,

-or-

2. Incoming & outgoing wires one each onto the linked terminals on the recept?

always pigtail myself.

What I do is largely governed by consideration of the neutral connection if multi-wire and then the amount of space in the box. Pigtailing old work is usually either impossible because of a lack of volume or the only option since the conductors are too short. Now that I am usually backwiring, pigtailing would be a waste of time and materials.

the device will not feel the circuits ampacity when pigtailed, so i do so when possible.

Yep, same here, pigtail when I can, but there's those times you can't...

Just wondered.

British twin (duplex) sockets only have one set of terminals, but they will accept 2 or 3 wires of the sizes normally used. I usually twist the wires together before inserting them.

We always pigtail.
I once had an inspector tell me I was in violation of the Code!! He actually took a connection apart in order to "teach me the right way."
The same inspector would not accept 30ft lbs of torque for 360 inch lbs (a real wizard).
I opened up a hot 4000A 480/277 service for him to inspect and demanded he put down his trusty aluminum Maglite. He looked at the busbars, then the light, and then rather sheepishly at me. He asked me to close the service back up, and never again gave me any trouble.

We always pigtail. In the cities of Omaha and Lincoln it is required by local code.
It also allows you to replace a bad outlet without dirupting the rest of the circuit when necessary.

Do you have to replace a receptacle hot very often? I assume this would be in something like an office where they don't want any other power shut off during working hours.

Put me into the Pigtail Only club also! It's just my preference, along with being a much "cleaner" method of splicing [IMHO].

Pauluk,
I hate to work a Receptacle change hot! Have done it before when the circuit could not be opened [as you mentioned], and will probably need to do it again - it's just sooooo much easier, safer and quicker to not work a live circuit.

P.S. Glad to have you on the board!


Scott SET

Hi Scott:

Yes, I certainly agree that it's almost always easy to not work live if at all possible.

We don't normally have splices in a receptacle box. The wires are all connected in the socket's terminals, so a live replacement is not usually practical, unless it's the end of a cable run.

The wires MAY have been securely twisted together before being clamped in the terminals, but it's usually impossible to see until the screw is loosened.

Replacing recepticle when hot happens a lot.
Most businesses donot want to have a circuit down when the are open. Also i have had jerks remove a tag out and turn on a breaker when thier power was off. I usually just use hot work gloves and replace it hot. Sure do get funny looks but no interuptions when doing that.

Highly recomend pigtailing when possible and demand it on split feeds . example (residentual 14-3 feed to a 2 gang recepticle box grounded conductor shared between the 2 circuits). Does anyone still call the grounded conductor a neutral...drives me nuts!

The three wire-edison you just described, does indeed have a neutral, by definition, the neutral conductor has equal potential between IT and all of the ungrounded conductors. This would include 120/240,and a 14-3/wGr would fit the definition of a neutral. 120/208, however a 4-wire Delta with a high leg would not have a neutral, because all ungrounded measured to the' grounded conductor' are not equal.

A 4 wire delta with a high leg is a 120/240 volt system. A 120/208 is a 4 wire wye that does have a neutral.
Don(resqcapt19)

The IEE in Britain defines a neutral as an earthed (grounded) conductor which is intended to carry current during the normal functioning of equipment.

Dublin: What exactly don't you like about the term NEUTRAL?

I said the 4-wire 120/208 certainly does have a neutral you obviously , missed the comma, I used 120/240 and 120/208 as systems that have a neutral, he said a 14-3 wire is a grounded conductor, and not a neutral, I said a 3-Wire Edison cetainly has a neutral. Then I said a 4-wire DELTA does not have a neutral if you go by definition, because of the high-leg 208 to ground. The definition says all voltages measured from the grounded conductor to the ungrounded conducctor are equal Then its a NEUTRAL.

bordew,
Your sentence starts out with "120/208," and it really makes no sense as written. It appears to be implying that a 120/208 circuit is a delta. Sorry if I read it wrong.

Where did you find the definition of a "neutral"? It has been a subject of major debates on a number of forums and even the CMP could not aggree on a definition to be included in the NEC.
Don(resqcapt19)

Sorry if it was confusing,and after rereading it I was confused, too many fragmented sentences, Ha ha,
The definition came from Mike Holts book on Understanding the NEC. Oft hand I can only think of two balanced systems, in name only, the Edison 3-wire and 120/208 wye, non-linear loads notwithstanding, at receptacle voltages.

This definition closely resembles that of a multi-wire ckt.