Old timer told me to never trust a backstabbed connection on a outlet, and sure enough I had to go back to a job in Phoenix last week after one failed in 6 months.

Said they always fail eventually compared to the screw terminals, and it held up until a load kicked on and the wire just pulled loose has anyone else seen this happen often or is this guy just set in his ways?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_wilson6d ago

Oh man, I had the exact same thing happen on a job in Tucson a couple years back. Some contractor used those backstab connections everywhere because it's faster, and I came back to find three outlets where the wires had just fallen out (like, completely loose) after a space heater kicked on. The old timer's right - screw terminals may take an extra 30 seconds per outlet, but they actually hold the wire in place under load. I've seen backstabbed connections fail so many times I just automatically replace any outlet I find with them now.

the_thomas6d ago

Yeah I've seen this a bunch, especially on 20 amp circuits or places where people plug in space heaters and window units. That spring clip in the back just loosens up over time from heat cycles, and once it grabs a little corrosion it's basically a loose handshake waiting to fall off. @tyler_wilson hit the nail on the head about screw terminals taking an extra few seconds but actually staying put. I've started wrapping the screw terminals in the direction of tightening too, that little trick keeps the wire from creeping out even if the screw backs off a hair.