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Merry backstab christmas

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  B4T 
#1 · (Edited)
Visited the in-laws in Colorado. Before getting on the plane, they called to say that the power was out in their remodeled den and ask that I please bring tools.

OK, this den was added by the previous owner by taking over some patio space near the garage wall. The power for the den shared the GFI breaker with the two bathrooms.

Looked at the panel and found an unrelated neutral that was hot because the neutral bar screw was loose.

I also saw some cool looking copper strips that were used to bond the neutral. Anybody using these?


Also saw a "floating ground"!!!


Finally, you can see the evil back stab in the second bathroom. Turns out that the patio, garage with two refrigerators, master bath, and second bath were all on this circuit. When the den was added, the brain surgeon who wired it just tapped into this circuit without a care for the actual total load. So we have a hair dryer, den space heater, some den floor lamps, a bird bath heater on the patio, fridgies, and a gutter heater all on this 20 amp breaker wired with #14. All of this stuff pulled 14A. Must have been a tough bid to win.

The circuit finally failed when the 11A vacuum was turned on for about 5 minutes.

I think the cheap POS receptical and the crappy backstabbing you see in the picture actually saved the rest of the house from burning down.

I replaced the burned receptical and trimmed off the burned wire. They are getting the den remodeled again and will run a couple of new circuits. It seems that the previous "contractor" who did the first remodel forgot to insulate most of the ceiling and was therefore a good skill match for the electrician.

I found some more funky stuff which I will present in another post.

Not so bad really, after fixing it I got to sit back and consume spirits.

Merry belated back-stabbed Christmas!!

EJPHI
 

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#4 ·
Colorado, wish I was there.

I am not endorsiing back stab receps, while legal to use, there not the best method. I use them when I can, when I do I recheck when done stabbing, by firmly pulling each wire. Still is faster then using the screws for me.

But, the recep in the pic wasn't so much the problem as the load you described gong thru it for extended periods. Receps of that grade/rating are not intended for that use nor are the conductors, you said,
So we have a hair dryer, den space heater, some den floor lamps, a bird bath heater on the patio, fridgies, and a gutter heater all on this 20 amp breaker wired with #14. All of this stuff pulled 14A
Was everything here running when you took your amp readings, 14a seems low for all that.

If the wires are terminated on the screws, 1 wire on each terminal, pig tailing if needed, if one or more screws were not tight it would have had the same effect, over time.

If the pig tails are not made up tight, same thing will happen as the recep, actually probably worse.

Even if properly laid into the box, with loose connections the pigtails would have had a longer time to go unnoticed.

Guys who have'nt seen this on the back of a recep, would be amazed to see what AL connections look like on the recep, when not correctly made up.

Al can make you alot of $ when it goes into meltdown, providing the place didn't burn down yet.:thumbup:
 
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