How to wire a house receptacle

No tape, ground up and vertical screw slot in all covers, the way I was taught 45 or so years ago. Passed many pre and post electrical inspections in both residential and industrial settings. Did hear of inspectors that would fail your work if you used tape.
 
Ground up, required by code in some countries. If something metal falls on the plug and dislodges it you want it hitting ground, not hot.

I know, how likely is that? Not very, but that's the reasoning.
 
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Zorba said:
Bullshit. There's nothing more annoying than having to deal with the tape that some idiot put on a device. COMPLETELY un-necessary - unless you're letting the device hang out of the wall on a pigtail. Otherwise, it certainly is NOT a "better product", its amateurism at its worst. If it was necessary/needed it would be in the NEC. It is not. Same goes for the morons who tape up wire nuts or ScotchLoks
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You just cant seem to get around that the fact its not amateurism cant you? 😐
 
Wheeler said:
I’ve been an electrican for 25 years and licensed since 2007. Wrapping receptacles in cut in boxes is hardly a sign of amateur work. That’s a sign of someone who understands the trade enough to put a little extra time and effort to install a better product.
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Exactly. Its not amateur work! Plenty upon plenty of people do it. Is it neccessary? Absolutely not, but it makes it way safer to pull them out of the walls if they are powered 😀
 
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I always treat all electrical work as if it were live, usually have one hand behind my back if possible. Just the way I was taught and have had very few instances where I was shocked over the years, 277 VAC will light you up!!!!
 
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TNHEADDUCK said:
No tape, ground up and vertical screw slot in all covers, the way I was taught 45 or so years ago. Passed many pre and post electrical inspections in both residential and industrial settings. Did hear of inspectors that would fail your work if you used tape.
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Do you still use crimp sleeves and wrap caps? I heard that was all the rage 45 year ago. :) That was about the same time that Al wire was being used for branch circuits in houses too. ;) Did y’all even have cut-in boxes back then?

I’m yanking your chain a bit. The trade is constantly evolving as are the methods and materials. There’s a legitimate reason that exposed live parts on devices are insulated when installed in cut-in boxes, especially on 277V lighting circuits. I’ve seen an entire high rise shut down because a 277V switch was shorted to ground.
 
Wheeler said:
Do you still use crimp sleeves and wrap caps? I heard that was all the rage 45 year ago. :) That was about the same time that Al wire was being used for branch circuits in houses too. ;) Did y’all even have cut-in boxes back then?

I’m yanking your chain a bit. The trade is constantly evolving as are the methods and materials. There’s a legitimate reason that exposed live parts on devices are insulated when installed in cut-in boxes, especially on 277V lighting circuits. I’ve seen an entire high rise shut down because a 277V switch was shorted to ground.
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You got way over some of these guys heads with those comments, I have replaced cloth covered wire with aluminum before back when I was a young gun. :cool:
 
Wheeler said:
I’ll bet you’ve seen a fair bit of knob and tube as well. :D
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Knob and tube actually was a good safe system. What screw them up is when folks started adding circuits to the original wires by adding running splices in the middle of runs. I've seen aluminum " romex " wrapped around original copper wires and hanging without any support. But to handle any additional load to the circuit they added a real copper penny coin behind the screw in fuse.
1950's homeowner mods for the win, (or house fire ). :oops:
 
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ColoJeep said:
Knob and tube actually was a good safe system. What screw them up is when folks started adding circuits to the original wires by adding running splices in the middle of runs. I've seen aluminum " romex " wrapped around original copper wires and hanging without any support. But to handle any additional load to the circuit they added a real copper penny coin behind the screw in fuse.
1950's homeowner mods for the win, (or house fire ). :oops:
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My parents house still has screw type fuses in the original panel, I'm sure we used a penny to get us by till we got a fuse on occasion. ;)
 
TNHEADDUCK said:
My parents house still has screw type fuses in the original panel, I'm sure we used a penny to get us by till we got a fuse on occasion. ;)
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How you ever seen someone use a paperclip or the gum wrapper as a ‘fuse’?
 
ColoJeep said:
Knob and tube actually was a good safe system. What screw them up is when folks started adding circuits to the original wires by adding running splices in the middle of runs. I've seen aluminum " romex " wrapped around original copper wires and hanging without any support. But to handle any additional load to the circuit they added a real copper penny coin behind the screw in fuse.
1950's homeowner mods for the win, (or house fire ). :oops:
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I agree that’s nob and tube was excellent for the original design intent. I also agree that homeowners that thought they knew what they were doing made the system unsafe. That’s why we’ve had so many code revisions and certain materials are no longer acceptable to use.

One of the biggest cause of house fires is some wanker who thinks he knows what’s up does some questionable wiring. When I did residential work I saw all sorts of fire hazards done by the homeowners who would be willing to fight if you called it out, much like some folks in this thread. ;)

I’ve been in buildings that had active electrical systems that dated back to the 1930s. Obviously they were being used within their design parameters to have lasted that long.
 
One of the old electricians I came up with always told us green horns, ( Son you either know or you don't and if you don't know don't do it ) . I have applied that saying to several things in life since then. ;)
 
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