Don’t Back-stab!

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480sparky said:
So you made $150 today. What's to complain about?

I wish more people would back-stab. More money in my pocket!
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Same here. You can usually wrap your palm on the switch box or close a door with some Force, which jiggle the connections enough to show where the problem is. also use a non-contact tester to see if the switch is passing power. either way a lot of time you can find a problem without even pulling the cover plate. and of course when you pull the switch out of the box, a failed backstab will show itself, that's if it didn't burn up the switch or receptacle before it failed
 
DrSparks said:
Yet another example of a failed back-stab termination.

https://youtu.be/LWQMdnZLCX0




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Anyone worth there salt already knows that. Last one I saw was at my neighbors where a loose back-stab was carrying the load for a refrigerated water cooler two rooms away. The circuit opened before it started a fire.


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It's strange behavior if you think about it: complain about the poor quality work other electricians do when it actually benefits you with more work. I do it myself. Odd. Guess it just make me feel better to say I'm a better electrician than those guys/gals. :)
 
Christ. I think the odder behavior is thinking along the lines of purely financial gain. I guess I take pride in my trade and expect the same from my peers. Would be akin to an oncologist saying “I’m sure glad his doctor missed that tumor—more money for me!”

Now I suppose a back-stabbed switch is only slightly less severe than a malignant tumor, but it could have started a fire! Anyway shoddy electrical work by supposed professionals angers me, regardless if I gain from it or not. Call it a personality flaw if you like.


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JFletcher said:
Same here. You can usually wrap your palm on the switch box or close a door with some Force, which jiggle the connections enough to show where the problem is. also use a non-contact tester to see if the switch is passing power. either way a lot of time you can find a problem without even pulling the cover plate. and of course when you pull the switch out of the box, a failed backstab will show itself, that's if it didn't burn up the switch or receptacle before it failed
Click to expand...

Actually it did burn it up. I ended up replacing it.


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