Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Find the violations based on the NEC and/or CEC.
I count three.
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Find the violations based on the NEC and/or CEC.
I count three.
Originally Posted By: bbadger
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No plate
A conductor wrapped the wrong way
Paint would be a stretch of the NEC for this outlet.
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Bob Badger
Electrical Construction & Maintenance
Moderator at ECN
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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Well the wires are clockwise, but they are poorly attached to the screws. That’s #1.
Hints for the rest:
- I took the plate off
- This is a MWBC
- What color are the hot screw terminals? What color is the wire? What color should the hot screw terminals be on an outlet designed for this type of wire?
Any others i'm missing?
Originally Posted By: bbadger
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| Joey D'Adamo wrote: |
| - This is a MWBC
- What color are the hot screw terminals? What color is the wire? What color should the hot screw terminals be on an outlet designed for this type of wire? |
I have no idea what MWBC means
"Hot" terminals are generally brass in color and there is no requirement in the NEC for them to be a certain color for a certain wire type.
If this is aluminum wire the receptacle will need to be marked CO/ALR.
--
Bob Badger
Electrical Construction & Maintenance
Moderator at ECN
Originally Posted By: jpeck
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Bob,
I'm also at a loss as to what MWBC indicates.
I see:
brass color on the hot side (good)
silver color on the neutral side (good)
white color insulation on the silver terminals on the neutral side (good)
a nicked wire under a brass screw - could be wrapped the wrong way, or just could be the end - in which case the nick doesn't mater either (the nick is not good if wrapped the wrong way - which would also be not good - - however, being as the wires are clockwise, neither is a problem - that's good)
does look like aluminum wire though
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Jerry Peck
South Florida
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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The wire is aluminum and so the outlet should be CO/ALR. CO/ALR devices have light grey colored screws on all sides. So, this isn’t a CO/ALR device. Brass and aluminum don’t play well.
MWBC - Multiwire branch circuit. This outlet is the end of the line for one leg of a multiwire circuit. This is why there is only one hot wire attached to the outlet. However, the neutrals should be pigtailed instead of both being attached to the outlet.
Originally Posted By: jpeck
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| Joey D'Adamo wrote: |
| The wire is aluminum and so the outlet should be CO/ALR. CO/ALR devices have light grey colored screws on all sides. So, this isn't a CO/ALR device. |
Gee, if that is true, I never knew that and I've never seen that, guess I've never seen a CO/ALR device? 
Did I just learn something?
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Jerry Peck
South Florida
Originally Posted By: tallen
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| jpeck wrote: | ||
Gee, if that is true, I never knew that and I've never seen that, guess I've never seen a CO/ALR device?  Did I just learn something? |
Ok, now you guys are freaking me out.
Originally Posted By: jpeck
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Anyone have one in their hot little hands who can clear that color issue up?
If not, I guess I'll need to stop by the Big Orange Box tomorrow and check on it.
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Jerry Peck
South Florida
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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Well I know that the CO/ALR spec calls for Indium plated screw terminals and indium is grey in color.
Let me get a couple pictures to show ya.
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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Here ya go…
By the way I didn't install any of these, because I know there's something wrong in each picture. Too bad these are real in-use devices.
CO/ALR Recepticle on the hot side. Sorry for the fuzzyness.
CO/ALR switch.
These are both leviton products.
| Leviton document wrote: |
|
Leviton offers a selection of CO/ALR devices for use with aluminum wire. In CO/ALR devices, the terminal screws are plating with the element Indium. Indium is an extremely soft metal that forms a gas-sealed connection with the aluminum wire, eliminating problems caused by oxidation. |
Available http://www.leviton.com/pdfs/d-503/d-503T.pdf page 16.
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
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Just for giggles I wanna show you guys one product that had the old AL-CU rating that pre-dated CO/ALR.
Made by Smith & Stone and is back-stab only. There is a set of back stab holes for #14 and a set for #12. I've never seen one of these that actually held the wire in place over time.
Picture is here
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell
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Actually when you understand the mechanism of failure in an aluminum connection (expansion rate and oxidation) a spring loaded contact might be better than a screw.
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
| Greg Fretwell wrote: |
| Actually when you understand the mechanism of failure in an aluminum connection (expansion rate and oxidation) a spring loaded contact might be better than a screw. |
Good point, but these particular outlets definately don't hold the wires too well. That one in the picture has 3/4" of uninsulated wire sticking out of the hole of the bottom red wire. I can't imagine there is much left inside of it since usually a wire would be stripped no more than an inch if that.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell
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I think the bad rep “back stabbers” got was just because they were made as cheaply as possible. The idea isn’t bad, just the implimentation.