Back stab receptacles

Rick 0920 said:
I haven't taken the time to research them as you have. But I still don't trust them simply based on what I have had to replace out in the field. I think it has to do with heat that is generated with higher currents. I'm sticking with my Ideal Twisters and I'll use the WAGO connectors on ballast changes.
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I've seen melted down Twisters, Name brands not TEMU or Amazon. Haven't seen melted down WAGO, can't say it hasn't but never seen, but you got to be careful of the unbranded knock-offs, the WAGO that I use is UL listed to 600V, the knock-offs only rated to 300V and not listed. WAGO while sort of new here has been used since early 1950's in the EU, and has a history of reliability. Great for solid to stranded connections and to allow for testing setup. You can get WAGO din rail and screw down holders to add to an enclosure to neaten an installation. Can't do that with a twister.

Have had issues with the push-in connectors but that is no different than the back-stab receptacle or switch IMO. Seen testing of all three and the WAGO held up way better than the push-in and just as good as the twister.
WAGO also makes a good straight thru splice connector for when you go in and have short conductors in a box, not going to get a twister splice in a 2x4x3 box with the conductor that does not extend beyond the box, at least not with my hands.
 
I’ve noticed that the Ideal red wingnuts are lower quality lately. A lot of people like the Buchanan wire nuts because of the space saving, but I’ve never had one that actually worked well. If I come across them, I take them off and throw them away.
 
hillbilly1 said:
I’ve noticed that the Ideal red wingnuts are lower quality lately. A lot of people like the Buchanan wire nuts because of the space saving, but I’ve never had one that actually worked well. If I come across them, I take them off and throw them away.
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I don't know who made them, there were some primarily round but with slight bit of a wing that seemed to be common in like 70's and into 80's that when you encounter existing ones they simply won't back off if you want to open that connection. I think the spring lets go inside the cap and all you are really doing is spinning the cap when you try to take it apart. Sometimes squeezing with a pliers and twisting will take it off, sometimes you just cut it off. I don't necessarily mind cutting off but seems most the time there is little length to work with in the first place when you encounter them so you would rather not make them shorter.
 
kwired said:
I don't know who made them, there were some primarily round but with slight bit of a wing that seemed to be common in like 70's and into 80's that when you encounter existing ones they simply won't back off if you want to open that connection. I think the spring lets go inside the cap and all you are really doing is spinning the cap when you try to take it apart. Sometimes squeezing with a pliers and twisting will take it off, sometimes you just cut it off. I don't necessarily mind cutting off but seems most the time there is little length to work with in the first place when you encounter them so you would rather not make them shorter.
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Soft? Probably Buchanans.
 
The house I just bought has everything backstabbed. In my office here I have a little 1500W butt heater. If I run it for a few hours the receptacle it's plugged into gets noticeably warm. What's surprising is that the receptacle before it in the daisy chain also gets just as warm- with nothing plugged into it. I remove them and see absolutely no evidence of poor connection. These are Leviton backstab only receptacles from the 90's. So, I don't want to hear how backstabs are just as good as screws or clamp plates.

I have been going around replacing them all with commercial grade receptacles and pig tailing every one. Because I can. :)

-Hal
 
I figure that when used by a "professional" it should be ok. Who else would watch for and know where to check for overheating?

ptonsparky said:
Can you do a VD from device to device? I never had the occasion.
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I'll see what I can do. Not much of the old stuff left and I would have to figure out how it was run. It looks like they liked to home-run to the ceiling boxes they hung fans off of in each room.

-Hal
 
kwired said:
I don't know who made them, there were some primarily round but with slight bit of a wing that seemed to be common in like 70's and into 80's that when you encounter existing ones they simply won't back off if you want to open that connection. I think the spring lets go inside the cap and all you are really doing is spinning the cap when you try to take it apart. Sometimes squeezing with a pliers and twisting will take it off, sometimes you just cut it off. I don't necessarily mind cutting off but seems most the time there is little length to work with in the first place when you encounter them so you would rather not make them shorter.
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3M Scotchlok. Preferred removal tool for them was a pair of dikes, but you're right usually the guys that used them managed to splice the wires with about one tenth of an inch of free conductor past the box.
 
hbiss said:
The house I just bought has everything backstabbed. In my office here I have a little 1500W butt heater. If I run it for a few hours the receptacle it's plugged into gets noticeably warm. What's surprising is that the receptacle before it in the daisy chain also gets just as warm- with nothing plugged into it. I remove them and see absolutely no evidence of poor connection. These are Leviton backstab only receptacles from the 90's. So, I don't want to hear how backstabs are just as good as screws or clamp plates.

I have been going around replacing them all with commercial grade receptacles and pig tailing every one. Because I can. :)

-Hal
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Yes, but, did you get a permit for that!?
 
retirede said:
What’s different about the grounded conductor on a MWBC?🤷🏼‍♂️
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See #60. The NEC actually mentions that a pigtail is required for the grounded conductor of a MWBC. Not in those exact words, but I think it says you can't depend on a device for continuity of the grounded conductor. Without a good twist of the grounded conductor and you have an open neutral, you now have a 240v series circuit. That will result in potentially smoking some expensive electronics.
 
retirede said:
But that makes the grounded conductor carry zero current. The comment I replied to inferred that the grounded conductor would be more likely to be a problem.

Edit - I see what you mean. If there is a failure of the grounded conductor connection, it wreaks havoc. I was thinking he meant that it was more likely to fail, which isn’t the case.
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I personally think it is more likely to fail. It may be because of installer error, but whatever the reason, IMO it's more likely for untwisted conductors to fail than if you twisted them all together.
 
kwired said:
I don't know who made them, there were some primarily round but with slight bit of a wing that seemed to be common in like 70's and into 80's that when you encounter existing ones they simply won't back off if you want to open that connection. I think the spring lets go inside the cap and all you are really doing is spinning the cap when you try to take it apart. Sometimes squeezing with a pliers and twisting will take it off, sometimes you just cut it off. I don't necessarily mind cutting off but seems most the time there is little length to work with in the first place when you encounter them so you would rather not make them shorter.
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I saw those often with the 3M Scotchloks. They didn't have the hard plastic "wings" but were a softer pliable plastic.
 
Rick 0920 said:
I saw those often with the 3M Scotchloks. They didn't have the hard plastic "wings" but were a softer pliable plastic.
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That's probably what they were. I cringe every time I see them and know I will likely need to take the connection apart. Like I said before most the time the conductors are already short enough you really don't want to have to cut it off.
 
kwired said:
That's probably what they were. I cringe every time I see them and know I will likely need to take the connection apart. Like I said before most the time the conductors are already short enough you really don't want to have to cut it off.
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Probably more likely the Buchanan B2-1 wire nuts. The description fits them. They are impossible to remove.
 
I don't do resi service calls but twice this year I have done some troubleshooting for friends where a backstabbed receptacle arced enough to open the circuit. houses were 20-ish year sold so maybe that is an expected lifespan for backstabbed.
 
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