Pig tailing receptacles

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nizak

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Looking for some feedback on pig tailing conducters before attaching to receptacles.

I'm not talking about MWBC installs.

This is just residential wiring with 14/2 and 12/2 NM cable.

My current way is attaching to receptacle side screws, not back stabbing.

Is it a better quality install by tailing and not feeding thru the device?

I have never knowingly had any issues from the way I do it, but have had inspectors tell me on occasion they would prefer to see the wires tailed.

Thanks
 
nizak said:
Looking for some feedback on pig tailing conducters before attaching to receptacles.

I'm not talking about MWBC installs.

This is just residential wiring with 14/2 and 12/2 NM cable.

My current way is attaching to receptacle side screws, not back stabbing.

Is it a better quality install by tailing and not feeding thru the device?

I have never knowingly had any issues from the way I do it, but have had inspectors tell me on occasion they would prefer to see the wires tailed.

Thanks
Click to expand...
As long as it is one conductor in and one conductor out I have little issue with it and have mostly done it that way for years myself.

I actually trust the set screw connection made here more than I do a twisted on connector to be secure more often than not.

A failed connection either way still results in downstream portions of the circuit not working.
 
How can one be certain that those damaged devices weren't the result of

- loose screws?
- O/C protection set at a much higher value than the device/wire is rated for?
- Branch circuit supplied by a Federal Pacific breaker
- etc.

and not a feed thru ?
 
Poor connection is a poor connection. One can just as easily have poor connection at a wirenut, breaker terminal, neutral bus terminal, etc.

A method that is more prone to failure is something else.

If one tightens the terminal screws to a recommended torque, they are pretty good connection for the most part. You also can visually see the contact is being made for the most part. A twist on wire connector, you can't see what is going on inside. Two and three conductor joints with twist on's maybe have better success rate than joints with more conductors though.

The "tab" between receptacle terminals can handle 20 amps just fine. Yes it is not very big but has plenty of heat sink on both sides of it. The fuse link in a 20 amp fuse is a weaker link, but it is intended to give up at certain load levels.
 
I've seen back-stabs fail.

I've seen feed-through screw terminals fail.

I've seen pigtailed screw terminals fail.

I've seen wirenutted splices fail.

I've seen solder-and-tape splices fail.

I've seen crimped splices fail.

I've seen set-screw wire nuts fail.

I've seen split-bolts fail.

I've seen Polaris connectors fail.






Now let's talk about something serious.
Like what kind of pizza for dinner tonight.
eating.gif
 
nizak said:
Is that two pieces I see missing??
Click to expand...

Well, someone must have been hungry enough. Members of the Donner party ate leather for a while, then they started eating the dead...........I have this funny memory: During college, for a time my brother was "care taking" the house. No one else was living there as my parents had gone back to school some distance away. I come home once and find by brother eating garbonzo beans right out of the can - it was about all that was left in the cupboard :lol:
 
electrofelon said:
Well, someone must have been hungry enough. Members of the Donner party ate leather for a while, then they started eating the dead...........I have this funny memory: During college, for a time my brother was "care taking" the house. No one else was living there as my parents had gone back to school some distance away. I come home once and find by brother eating garbonzo beans right out of the can - it was about all that was left in the cupboard :lol:
Click to expand...

Garbonzo beans out of the can actually are pretty good!
 
I was surprised to find so few pics on Google considering how many I've seen in real life but here's one:
 

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