On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 6:37 PM, Jim Franklin <jamesf@groupwbench.org> wrote:
> So, when you fixed the bad ground, the outlet was working, but once you
> covered up the box, it wasn't working?
>
> Do the wires for that first outlet attach via the "push-in" holes in the back
> of the outlet, or via the screw terminals on the side? If the former, the
> springs inside loosen up over time and cause intermittent connectivity (and
> arcing, which starts fires).
>
It's worth pointing out that there are two different ways that wires
can go into the back of a switch or receptacle. The first is commonly
called "back stab", which is what Jim is describing: the wires are
held in place by spring tension, and are just pushed in. (Leviton's
trade name for this is 'QuickWire'). There's a tab that can, in
theory, be used to remove the device, without cutting the wire. These
are cheap, nasty, and prone to failure, they're only on the cheapest
outlets. The second style are called 'back wire', and use a screw
to hold the wire in place. Usually that's the same screw and clamp
that the side wire would use (And you can use both, if you need an
extra way to take a wire off). These are good, and are found on good
quality industrial and commercial grade outlets.
If you have back stab devices, replace, or wire them on the side. Get
some spares, so the next one you find, you can just replace without a
trip to store.
I expect Tim's problem is at, or very near, whatever box he's been
working on. Knob and tube is evil stuff, and when it gets modified,
people do weird and stupid stuff.
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