BACKSTABBED RECEPTACLE

Bob talks about backstabbed receptacles and the importance of proper contact.

Understanding Backstab Receptacles

Okay folks, listen, I wanted to talk to you about backstab receptacles.

We come across those quite frequently, and of course, we see the burnt receptacles that are all burnt up because of that.

One of the things we need to do with our customers is explain to them what’s going on, and there's really no better way to do it than with a visual aid. As a matter of fact, if you have a receptacle, it would be great to show them this.

How Backstab Connections Work

This is, of course, the contact inside a backstab receptacle. You will see that right in here is the only place that the electricity has contact with, not a very large surface area. We see loose connections a lot in switches, but with backstab receptacles, we see burnt ones quite frequently.

Why They Fail

One of the reasons, and this is what you need to explain to them, is that the current has to come through this wire, then through your contacts, up and back out this wire. So anything on the load side of that receptacle has to go through this receptacle, and more importantly, this little tiny area right here.

Don’t forget, this wire is rounded, so you’re putting a flat surface against a rounded surface, against another flat surface. There’s very little surface area in contact for the electricity, for the current to flow through.

The Role of Heat and Expansion

When it heats up, of course, it causes an electrical load, which causes heat. Heat causes metal to expand, which could loosen this up. That’s why you see a lot of these burnt.

Other times, it's when the electrician doesn’t skin the wire back far enough, pushes it in, and that wire can hold this contact apart even further, giving less surface area on that wire.

The Recommended Installation Method

Of course, we recommend going around the screw, and doing it in a clockwise position, so that when you tighten the screw, it tightens down on the wire. That’s one of the ways, it's the best way of doing it.

What’s even better is when you have an in-and-out wire: You should pigtail it, so you only have one wire on that receptacle. That way, if the receptacle fails, it does not affect anything downstream.

Explain this to a customer. Show them what’s going on. Then of course, you recommend redoing all the receptacles, not the entire house right off the bat, but at least in the future. Maybe do it a room at a time or at least a circuit at a time.

Final Tip

So the next time you come across a backstab receptacle that’s failed, show the client why it failed, and give them recommendations on what to do next.

All right - it’s my tip for today.

Take it to heart. Save this. Show it to them.

As a matter of fact, once you take apart a receptacle, you can explain it to the client.

If you don’t want to, just show them this video.