Home Tweakers' Asylum

Tweaks for systems, rooms and Do It Yourself (DIY) help. FAQ.

Re: changing electrical outlet---questions

68.0.154.81

The wire attached to the lug on the bottom of the outlet is for the Safety Ground wire that connects to the 3rd prong of many plugs and grounds the chassis of appliances, etc. Convention is that the plug 'slots' on the right side of the outlet are "hot" i.e. they carry the voltage, while the 'plug slots' on the left side of the outlet are the 'neutral' connections which are connected to ground in your service panel. You may encounter outlets that have been wired with the "Hot" wires connected on the left side of the outlet, this is WRONG and should be corrected. In any case, Code requires that "Hot" wires must be colored and neutral wires white. The favored color for "hot" wires is BLACK but other colors such as red, blue, yellow etc. may be used except for Green, which is reserved for the safety ground, which is often bare. Using the slots on the rear of the outlet is the lazy man's way of wiring. The wires are stripped of the insulation for anout 1/8 inch and the wire is then inerted in one of the slots and is held in place by a spring loaded clip that makes very little contact with the wire. There are other slots next to the ones with the wires. The wire can be removed by using the tip of a small screw driver in the slot near the one with the wire installed, which releases the spring loaded clip. The best way to connect wires to the outlet is to use the screws on the sides of the outlet : back the screws out and strip the insulation about a 1/2 inch and bend the bare wire into a semi loop. Attach the bare loop to the loosened screw with the open part of the loop facing clockwise and close the loop around the screw with a pair of long nose pliers, This prevents the screw from opening the loop as you tighten the screw. prior to attaching the wire coat the brass area on the screw area and the bare wire with SilClear,(available from Mapleshade; 888/236-2753 for $35, and WELL worth it.) an excellent contact enhancer. Finally, screw the screw as tightly to the outlet as you can.

As to a good a quality outlet, the Oyaide outlets, while a bit salty, are very popular with the inmates. Canvass previous posts in the TWEAKS forum and you will find a great deal of information about the Oyaide outlets.

Happy Wiring !


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