Insurance Survey And Custom Report: geni.us/bI8z0 Smart Electrical Box (Internal Screws): geni.us/ddcJ4nz WAGO 221 Kit (4 Types of Lever Nuts): geni.us/wKcBNC New Klein Tools 16-in-1 Screwdriver: geni.us/9j1bFVa My Favorite Non-Contact Voltage Tester: geni.us/EIcTOsV My Favorite Outlet Tester (With Voltage Display): geni.us/rS4mlwJ Klein Tools Self-Adjusting Wire Strippers: geni.us/LICises Knipex Hybrid Wire Strippers: geni.us/uVWn Leviton Edge Outlets: geni.us/Nrt7j6 Electrical Tools Used In The Video: geni.us/Pf2A DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
Dang, I cannot express how grateful I am for this video. Not only do you produce some amazing content, that is clear, concise, and too the point, but you cover all of those little things people could run into. As someone who only dabbles in this kind of home improvement, your channel is a godsend. Thank you!
extremely informative video! i've replaced quite a few of our outlets already...but i always learn something new from these videos. saved straight to my DIY Home playlist!
Thanks for the feedback! Aluminum wasn't too common in the few different areas I have lived over the years but good to get the feedback to make sure we are helping the most people.
I got a circuit finder from Klein Tools. It has the outlet tester you leave in the outlet and has a receiver tool you run over your breakers at the box and beeps with red light when you're over the breaker.
Using a soft piece of flat wood, such as a piece of yardstick or paint stick, is helpful when folding & pushing the wires to the rear of the box. Good job on the video.
Regarding number five.....2 wire with no ground. I went with installing the GFI breaker at the panel as the entire circuit is then covered. Most of the outlet boxes I have are all small, and putting in a GFI outlet is very tight. Also a big thumbs up on the Southwest boxes.....have installed many and they are great. (also used your idea and replaced the screws with torx heads). Good video.
Love to see a tear down of the new Leviton lever connections. Honestly, nothing I see there makes me think it's in any way better than backstabbing. Cracking them open would tell the story.
The design is substantially different and I like the retention design a lot more than what is on a standard cheap outlet with backstabbing. I will get the Dremel ready and cut a few open 👍
As someone else mentioned: The lever terminal outlets are bulkier so may be harder to fit in cramped boxes. Also, I didn't see options on them for jumpering to other outlets. The nice thing about a good quality outlet with back inserting terminals is you can connect 4 wires to each pole. Example: Romex in, 2 Romex cables out, plus a connection to a 2nd outlet in the same box.
Very informative video. The lever-connect feature of the new Leviton outlets looks to be very functional. However, they appear to be bulkier in the body than the regular screw type outlet.
they're bulkier, and the drywall ears are bigger. its made for an oversized cover plate. you can trim off a breakaway part of the ears, but really, they're made for fast and sloppy.
Not just for short wires - I recommend always stocking some Wago or Ideal push connect, and a few feet of 12ga wire. This will allow creating pigtails instead of using the outlet to connect multiple wires to feed downstream in parallel. (Just did this while replacing the outlet at the end of the island in mother-in-law's kitchen.)
Decora Edge is what got me to replace all my outlets in my house built in 92. Quick and easy for someone who knew nothing beforehand. A tad on the expensive side but I bought in bulk helping with the price
I was really interested in the Leviton edge but i was bummed that it didn’t have the robust blades like commercial outlets do. I hope that they improved that. Looking forward to the teardowns
Great info. The right driver is always what kills me since i never spend the time to find the right one so the Klein multitools is likely in my future. Have you looked into air sealing electric boxes? Between caulking and using wall plate gaskets I am planning on doing that to my house to hopefully improve my house leaking air
in an old house, the wallplate gaskets can reduce cold air leaks. in a newer house, the wall shouldn't be leaky enough to make a difference. if you can't feel a draft from your devices even on a cold windy day, it's probably not worth the bother.
Good pointers. I always use a torque screwdriver/small wrench when tightening the terminal screws. All manufacturers have a recommended torque specification for their receptacles. I find Eaton TR receptacles are more adult friendly than the Leviton. Whenever I try to plug something into a Leviton TR receptacle, I feel like I am breaking the TR tabs. Not so with Eaton. I don’t know if you have created a video regarding permitting, but that is something DIY’ers can get wrong. Some think they do not need a permit because they are the homeowner, which in my state is not correct for a lot of the work you show. Some think since they own the rental home, they can do the work as long as they have a permit, which in my state is never correct.
@@Lysander_Spooner Personally, I would not advise people to break the law. Even after you sell the property, you are responsible for the work you did on it. If somebody gets hurt from your work and they can prove you never got it permitted/inspected, their legal position against you is much stronger.
I used to live in an apartment that was attached to a seasonal business. Had a bedroom outlet burn one day. "No big deal", I thought. Went to the store and grabbed a new one. When I get back, I discover that none of the breakers actually control the bedroom. Tried every single one, plus the main. The bedroom remained powered. So at this point, I figured the bedroom must have been wired into a breaker inside the business (before you comment, the place was an absolute mess in the way it was wired; no idea how the guy got away with it). As previously stated, this was a seasonal business. It was already closed for winter, and the owner was in Florida. Slightly exciting swapping an outlet on live wires (keep one hand in your pocket! Lol), but got it done without incident. Not recommending it of course, just sharing a story.
Great summary. Just changed a receptacle this morning in an old house. The ground was screwed to the back of the metal box. Is that enough? Even if the box is surrounded by wood? Perhaps should change to GFCI. Thx
The theory was, if the box was grounded, the receptacle was grounded as well, through the screws. What you could do: Screw a grounding pigtail into the box, then do a pigtail with the existing ground and terminate it on the receptacle.
I use Wagos exclusively. I’ve looked for lever lock receptacles at my local ACE Hardware and they don’t carry them. I’m not sure Lowe’s or Home Depot carry them. I have to order them. I used the Leviton edge series in 2 bathroom remodels. I love them, with the “screwless” plates.
Lowes has Ideal lever connectors (same concept, but it looks a little different). Home Depot sells both, though their website says only the Wagos are actually in-store where I live.
The slim GFCI are great for older homes with smaller receptacles. My 1948 house has metal receptacles that are grounded to the house plumbing. That was the old way to ground. All receptacles grounded to the house - including the AM antenna in the attic. 😮
Back in the day, I'd plug an extension cord into the receptacle I'm trying to shut off, plug my outlet tester into the cord and drag it to the panel with me. That way I know when I turned off the correct breaker. Now I use the Klein ET310.
12:38 wouldn't you also recommend putting it on the other side of the screw so that as you tighten the screw it pulls the wire in (that's the way I was taught)
You mentioned links in description but they aren't there. Particularly interested in the non decora edge outlet - I couldn't find it on Amazon. Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder and I think Home Depot has them exclusively for the first 3-6 month and then the new models seem to roll out to more stores. www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-Lever-Edge-15-Amp-125-Volt-Duplex-Outlet-Receptacle-NEMA-5-15R-Commercial-Grade-White-10-Pack-M02-ECBR1-WMP/331467943
I don't know if you have covered switched outlets. I have a switched outlet I'd like to make constant hot, how would I go about doing that? Any help would be appreciated. By the way you have a great and informative channel thanks again for the help.
Great demo, what is that gray box called that screws to the stud? I recently purchased the skill cordless swivel head screwdrive($19) that’s worth every penny I’ve used similar ones 4X the price and I prefer the Skill. Always a learning lesson, thx for sharing 👍
They are the Southwire SmartBox. The screws that come with them are #6, 1 5/8”, fine thread, sharp point drywall screws. Fine thread drywall screws like to be driven perpendicular to the surface of the wood. Not at an angle. Therefore, like Scott, I remove the screws that come with it and use either Torx screws or #6, 1 5/8”, coarse thread, sharp point drywall screws
I tried the edge series, and went back. funny how you don't like standard grade devices, but Edge is more of a mobile home grade. personally, edge is perfectly adequate for residential devices - but the time savings of the wago type terminals gets burned because they are made to be paired with oversized plates, and you have to cut away part of the drywall ears to fit a standard plate.
the biggest pointer is, if the flex is damaged or broken, you've lost your ground connection. if a DIYer has replaced it with nonmetallic cable, then the ground wire has to be bonded to the boxes to maintain the integrity of the grounding system. as for replacing devices, with an effective ground path - commercial grade devices usually have a clip on one of the mounting screws that allows the device to be grounded through the screws, so you don't HAVE to retrofit ground pigtails, but ground pigtails are more sure to make good contact.
Do you ever place electrical tape over the wiring screws. This allows you to remove the device (switch or receptical) with out grounding to the box (where conduit is required by codes)
I was, until I switched over the the Klein Multi bits. I like the 16-in-1 but the 15-in-1 Klein comes with a combo bit as 1 of the 15 just like the ECX. I just like having to only carry 1 screwdriver for 99% of my DIY jobs.
you can find commercial grade tamper resistant, but yes, receptacles in residential installations are required to be tamper resistant. - tamper resistant commercial grade are available, because they are required in child care facilities.
You can press in a small slotted screwdriver into the slot below the wire to release or if that doesn's work you can twist back and forth and pull them out.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs other way around - twist and pull will usually get them out, and if that fails, use the tab. or channies. if you're chaning out a lot, just crush the outlet with channies.
I would say you also need to make sure you are using the proper receptacle for your circuit. Installing a 20A receptacle where you should be using a 15A and then using 20A devices would be a fire hazard.
Nope, it is a bit confusing but you can have a 15-Amp duplex outlet on 12-gauge wire and a 20 Amp breaker. Just can have a single 15-Amp outlet on a 20 Amp breaker.
What if you have cloth insulated wire with no ground but it’s encased in metal loom and your boxes are metal? I was told that conducts as a ground. Is that true?
the outlet closest to the panel is usually the first in line. once you've determined what outlets are on the circuit, you can separate the wires on the closest outlet, and see if that kills power to all of them. then you can find out which cable is the host side, and install 1 GFCI to protect the entire circuit - or, if the panel has been upgraded, you can install a GFCI breaker (I recommend a dual fault GFCI/AFCI breaker if they cost the same) also - the common term for that is daisy chain, rather than series - since series has a specific meaning in electrical work.
So ground up or ground down? And if you put ground up, do you still wire hot to gold and neutral to silver? Sorry if that’s dumb, but I’m having a hard time visualizing this.
Code doesn’t say anything about ground up or down, although you will find people claiming one way or the other is the only right way to do it. Some claim it’s safer up because a falling metal object wedged in between it and the wall will hit the ground first, not the hot prong. On the other hand , ground down will ensure outlets stay in place more reliably because the ground receptacle doesn’t wear out . Personally I prefer ground down. Hot still goes to the gold and silver to neutral regardless of how you orient the outlet in the box
Hot (black) goes to the gold screw terminal. Neutral (white) goes to the silver. Ground goes to the green. As a DIYer, I install receptacles one of two directions, 1)receptacle vertical with ground down, 2) receptacle horizontal with ground either on left or right, depending on the space.
be aware that code does permit a screw to be driven through the side of a standard nail on box, as long as it doesn't leave sharp edges inside the box, and the screw head is far enough back to not accidentally contact the device. the boxes with the built in screw ports are, to me, worse than the alternative.
I presume those lever receptacles are much more costly than the regular, commercial grade. Not at all worth it for me just to save a couple turns of a screwdriver.
I think they are between the price of spec grade and residential grade - they're made for manufactured/tract home use, so they're priced accordingly. (to be clear, the price difference is calculated to make them cheaper in the long run than the combination of turning the screwdriver and having bad connections come up while the home is still under warranty) - also, the leviton edge are not commercial grade.
Nicks on the wire when stripping will break the wire with a few back and forths. There should be no nicks. It is amazing how easy the wire will break, do an experiment.
😮But, legacy 2-prong outlets can still be purchased, and outlets are still manufactured with back-stab connections and 14-AWG solid wire is allowed on 15-amp branch circuits...
You forgot to mention breaking off the mickey mouse ears when using old work boxes. Otherwise, your outlet will be too far forward, and the faceplate won't sit flush with the wall.
You content creators keep mentioning things that are code grandfathered in or imperfect workmanship as wrong bad or not to code. These events are incorrect at best. Its like the pretwist debates or backstab outlets. Not cool.
@kenbrown2808 I have two old rentals. The wiring and outlets are grandfathered in. While I find it dangerous, the old wiring is cloth covered heavy Gage vinyl covered wiring with almost no ground wires. Only the kitchen and bath have independent bare copper ground wires. And all the outlets are very old, but have thicker internal brass contacts. And the splices are soldered. This wiring and outlets by Gage and component metal contacts exceed the amperage use in modern commercial outlets and have thicker more durable bakelite ebonite moldings. They are built like a tank. Just no ground wires. I was replacing old outlets with modern commercial ones with half the metal thickness and half the cheaper plastic mold thickness. I could probably run double toasters or large element commercial electric heaters and not heat up the outlets or wiring. You can barely bend the wiring when working on it. But no GFCI safety so moping the floors with extension cords laying around would be deadly.
Not meaning to attack this author, but videos in general that imply things like a backwards Shepard's hook is not to code or will burn down a city. Lack of exceptionality, sure.
6" and 3" rules. Why are electricians such cheapskates?? What's an extra inch or 2 on every box? You are charging the customer for each foot actually used anyway!!!
not too long because it is a pain to stuff more wire into the box. not too short because it violates code. sometimes they get cut shorter during a repair - I've had to trim off burnt ends and barely had enough good insulated wire to splice with a Wago.
@@redneck94chevy NFPA 70E refers to safety, arc flash, blasts, shock, etc. The National Electrical Code (NEC) refers to codes related to electrical installations.
When I was a residential electrician, about 30 years ago, I worked for a contractor who would get angry if I left "too much" wire in the boxes. Literally a couple inches extra. He said it came out of his profit.😂
Insurance Survey And Custom Report: geni.us/bI8z0
Smart Electrical Box (Internal Screws): geni.us/ddcJ4nz
WAGO 221 Kit (4 Types of Lever Nuts): geni.us/wKcBNC
New Klein Tools 16-in-1 Screwdriver: geni.us/9j1bFVa
My Favorite Non-Contact Voltage Tester: geni.us/EIcTOsV
My Favorite Outlet Tester (With Voltage Display): geni.us/rS4mlwJ
Klein Tools Self-Adjusting Wire Strippers: geni.us/LICises
Knipex Hybrid Wire Strippers: geni.us/uVWn
Leviton Edge Outlets: geni.us/Nrt7j6
Electrical Tools Used In The Video: geni.us/Pf2A
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
The survey doesn’t work when I’m trying to choose Other
@@erezamit7289 Thanks for the feedback. I will take a look.
Dang, I cannot express how grateful I am for this video. Not only do you produce some amazing content, that is clear, concise, and too the point, but you cover all of those little things people could run into. As someone who only dabbles in this kind of home improvement, your channel is a godsend. Thank you!
extremely informative video! i've replaced quite a few of our outlets already...but i always learn something new from these videos. saved straight to my DIY Home playlist!
Nice 🙌. Thanks for the feedback and support.
You really should talk about aluminum wire in some of these common repair videos - many houses in my area built in 60s used this.
I always hated dealing with aluminum wiring.😂
Thanks for the feedback! Aluminum wasn't too common in the few different areas I have lived over the years but good to get the feedback to make sure we are helping the most people.
@@Lysander_Spooner yeah, it sucks for a lot of different reasons.
Good solo technique for checking breakers is plugging in a vacuum and letting it run while you flip breakers
I got a circuit finder from Klein Tools. It has the outlet tester you leave in the outlet and has a receiver tool you run over your breakers at the box and beeps with red light when you're over the breaker.
@@johnhwang339 me too, brother. How do you like yours? I’m about to fire mine up for the first time over the weekend.
Great Idea! Thanks for sharing. I know some use a radio for a similar reason.
Ive seen some outlets mainly in shop/garage setting where each receptacle was connected to a seperate breaker, make sure you test both
Lever-connected receptacle/outlet looks really good! Great episode! Well done!
Using a soft piece of flat wood, such as a piece of yardstick or paint stick, is helpful when folding & pushing the wires to the rear of the box. Good job on the video.
I never realized that you can use a square bit to remove the outlet fasteners. Thanks for the tip
Those new leviton lever terminals are slick
I didn't see something that was new to me, but it's probably because I've watched all of your videos. Cheers - good work!
Regarding number five.....2 wire with no ground. I went with installing the GFI breaker at the panel as the entire circuit is then covered. Most of the outlet boxes I have are all small, and putting in a GFI outlet is very tight. Also a big thumbs up on the Southwest boxes.....have installed many and they are great. (also used your idea and replaced the screws with torx heads). Good video.
Thanks for the feedback and the GFCI breaker as opposed to the GFCI outlet is a great option.
Love to see a tear down of the new Leviton lever connections. Honestly, nothing I see there makes me think it's in any way better than backstabbing. Cracking them open would tell the story.
The design is substantially different and I like the retention design a lot more than what is on a standard cheap outlet with backstabbing. I will get the Dremel ready and cut a few open 👍
I sure appreciate all of your videos. Thank you.
As someone else mentioned: The lever terminal outlets are bulkier so may be harder to fit in cramped boxes. Also, I didn't see options on them for jumpering to other outlets. The nice thing about a good quality outlet with back inserting terminals is you can connect 4 wires to each pole. Example: Romex in, 2 Romex cables out, plus a connection to a 2nd outlet in the same box.
Happy New Year Scott.
Happy New Year! Hope you have a great 2025 🚀
Whatever happened to using an "ecx" bit on the terminal screws? Well done video!
I still use them and LOVE them. It really keeps them from camming out.
Very informative video. The lever-connect feature of the new Leviton outlets looks to be very functional. However, they appear to be bulkier in the body than the regular screw type outlet.
they're bulkier, and the drywall ears are bigger. its made for an oversized cover plate. you can trim off a breakaway part of the ears, but really, they're made for fast and sloppy.
2:54 even better is the Klein Combo bit. it can be found on some of their multi bit screwdrivers.
Yep, it's called the ECX bit. Works good.
Congratulations on 1 million subscribers 🎉
Not just for short wires - I recommend always stocking some Wago or Ideal push connect, and a few feet of 12ga wire. This will allow creating pigtails instead of using the outlet to connect multiple wires to feed downstream in parallel. (Just did this while replacing the outlet at the end of the island in mother-in-law's kitchen.)
I really appreciate your help! Grate tips! Love the wGos kit has been a grate game change
Decora Edge is what got me to replace all my outlets in my house built in 92. Quick and easy for someone who knew nothing beforehand. A tad on the expensive side but I bought in bulk helping with the price
Would love to see the Leviton teardown, I'm really curious as to how those work. Thanks for the great content.
I was really interested in the Leviton edge but i was bummed that it didn’t have the robust blades like commercial outlets do. I hope that they improved that. Looking forward to the teardowns
Thanks for the feedback!
Great info. The right driver is always what kills me since i never spend the time to find the right one so the Klein multitools is likely in my future. Have you looked into air sealing electric boxes? Between caulking and using wall plate gaskets I am planning on doing that to my house to hopefully improve my house leaking air
in an old house, the wallplate gaskets can reduce cold air leaks. in a newer house, the wall shouldn't be leaky enough to make a difference. if you can't feel a draft from your devices even on a cold windy day, it's probably not worth the bother.
Good pointers. I always use a torque screwdriver/small wrench when tightening the terminal screws. All manufacturers have a recommended torque specification for their receptacles.
I find Eaton TR receptacles are more adult friendly than the Leviton. Whenever I try to plug something into a Leviton TR receptacle, I feel like I am breaking the TR tabs. Not so with Eaton.
I don’t know if you have created a video regarding permitting, but that is something DIY’ers can get wrong. Some think they do not need a permit because they are the homeowner, which in my state is not correct for a lot of the work you show. Some think since they own the rental home, they can do the work as long as they have a permit, which in my state is never correct.
Oof. This may sound bad, but avoid getting permission to do work in your own house. It's your property, not the state's.
@@Lysander_Spooner Personally, I would not advise people to break the law. Even after you sell the property, you are responsible for the work you did on it. If somebody gets hurt from your work and they can prove you never got it permitted/inspected, their legal position against you is much stronger.
@Around_The_Home The "law" is a construct. Usually for three reasons, revenue compliance, and control. A free people don't ask for permission.
@@Lysander_Spooner Does that apply to the NEC also?
@@Around_The_Home I've found the NEC to be fairly practical on most codes. Some are a little ridiculous.
Great compilation, Scott!
I used to live in an apartment that was attached to a seasonal business. Had a bedroom outlet burn one day. "No big deal", I thought. Went to the store and grabbed a new one. When I get back, I discover that none of the breakers actually control the bedroom. Tried every single one, plus the main. The bedroom remained powered. So at this point, I figured the bedroom must have been wired into a breaker inside the business (before you comment, the place was an absolute mess in the way it was wired; no idea how the guy got away with it). As previously stated, this was a seasonal business. It was already closed for winter, and the owner was in Florida. Slightly exciting swapping an outlet on live wires (keep one hand in your pocket! Lol), but got it done without incident. Not recommending it of course, just sharing a story.
Great summary. Just changed a receptacle this morning in an old house. The ground was screwed to the back of the metal box. Is that enough? Even if the box is surrounded by wood?
Perhaps should change to GFCI. Thx
The theory was, if the box was grounded, the receptacle was grounded as well, through the screws. What you could do: Screw a grounding pigtail into the box, then do a pigtail with the existing ground and terminate it on the receptacle.
You're the man, bro. Thank you.
You bet! 👊
I use Wagos exclusively. I’ve looked for lever lock receptacles at my local ACE Hardware and they don’t carry them. I’m not sure Lowe’s or Home Depot carry them. I have to order them. I used the Leviton edge series in 2 bathroom remodels. I love them, with the “screwless” plates.
Lowes has Ideal lever connectors (same concept, but it looks a little different). Home Depot sells both, though their website says only the Wagos are actually in-store where I live.
@ thanks. I’ll look
Home depot and menards sell the wago connectors also
The slim GFCI are great for older homes with smaller receptacles.
My 1948 house has metal receptacles that are grounded to the house plumbing. That was the old way to ground. All receptacles grounded to the house - including the AM antenna in the attic. 😮
Back in the day, I'd plug an extension cord into the receptacle I'm trying to shut off, plug my outlet tester into the cord and drag it to the panel with me. That way I know when I turned off the correct breaker. Now I use the Klein ET310.
Nice, that is actually a good idea
this is why if I replace a 2 prong to a 3 prong I use a GFCI and mark he outlet no equipment ground, if its on a generator you might need to bond it
I would love to see a tear down of the Leviton edge outlets.
12:38 wouldn't you also recommend putting it on the other side of the screw so that as you tighten the screw it pulls the wire in (that's the way I was taught)
That is a good point and was actually thinking the same as I tightened the screw. Good catch 👍
Leaving the faceplate screw oriented horizontally is a sure sign of psychopathy.
Good info & good vid ... Thx
The black wire hooks up to what screw. And the white wire hooks up to what screw. The same with the ground.
Hot (black) goes to the gold screw terminal. Neutral (white) goes to the silver. Ground goes to the green.
You mentioned links in description but they aren't there. Particularly interested in the non decora edge outlet - I couldn't find it on Amazon.
Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder and I think Home Depot has them exclusively for the first 3-6 month and then the new models seem to roll out to more stores. www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-Lever-Edge-15-Amp-125-Volt-Duplex-Outlet-Receptacle-NEMA-5-15R-Commercial-Grade-White-10-Pack-M02-ECBR1-WMP/331467943
great video
Thanks!
Don’t want to close your hook before tightening ground screw?
Pinching it down a bit isn't a bad idea. I try to make the J-hook so it is open just enough to get around the screw but not open too much.
I don't know if you have covered switched outlets. I have a switched outlet I'd like to make constant hot, how would I go about doing that? Any help would be appreciated. By the way you have a great and informative channel thanks again for the help.
Great demo, what is that gray box called that screws to the stud? I recently purchased the skill cordless swivel head screwdrive($19) that’s worth every penny I’ve used similar ones 4X the price and I prefer the Skill. Always a learning lesson, thx for sharing 👍
They are the Southwire SmartBox. The screws that come with them are #6, 1 5/8”, fine thread, sharp point drywall screws. Fine thread drywall screws like to be driven perpendicular to the surface of the wood. Not at an angle. Therefore, like Scott, I remove the screws that come with it and use either Torx screws or #6, 1 5/8”, coarse thread, sharp point drywall screws
@ thank you for the great info
I tried the edge series, and went back. funny how you don't like standard grade devices, but Edge is more of a mobile home grade. personally, edge is perfectly adequate for residential devices - but the time savings of the wago type terminals gets burned because they are made to be paired with oversized plates, and you have to cut away part of the drywall ears to fit a standard plate.
If you have no ground wire, how do you find the first outlet in the chain to replace it with gfci?
are there any pointers on working with metal boxes? my house uses flex and utilizes the box as a ground.
Is there a ground wire in the flex?
the biggest pointer is, if the flex is damaged or broken, you've lost your ground connection. if a DIYer has replaced it with nonmetallic cable, then the ground wire has to be bonded to the boxes to maintain the integrity of the grounding system. as for replacing devices, with an effective ground path - commercial grade devices usually have a clip on one of the mounting screws that allows the device to be grounded through the screws, so you don't HAVE to retrofit ground pigtails, but ground pigtails are more sure to make good contact.
Something that has always stuck with me from my apprentice days was just remembering the saying, “Gold is HOT, Silver is NOT”.
Do you ever place electrical tape over the wiring screws. This allows you to remove the device (switch or receptical) with out grounding to the box (where conduit is required by codes)
I thought you were sold on the ECX drivers?
I was, until I switched over the the Klein Multi bits. I like the 16-in-1 but the 15-in-1 Klein comes with a combo bit as 1 of the 15 just like the ECX. I just like having to only carry 1 screwdriver for 99% of my DIY jobs.
I tried the ECX & didn’t find a big difference.
I prefer tamper resistant to commercial. Have not seen both but maybe u can find an outlet with both?
you can find commercial grade tamper resistant, but yes, receptacles in residential installations are required to be tamper resistant. - tamper resistant commercial grade are available, because they are required in child care facilities.
Tear down leviton would be nice to see what inside
Yes, tear down of new outlets, please
How to remove wires that were “back stabbed” into an outlet or switch?
You can press in a small slotted screwdriver into the slot below the wire to release or if that doesn's work you can twist back and forth and pull them out.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs other way around - twist and pull will usually get them out, and if that fails, use the tab. or channies. if you're chaning out a lot, just crush the outlet with channies.
I would say you also need to make sure you are using the proper receptacle for your circuit. Installing a 20A receptacle where you should be using a 15A and then using 20A devices would be a fire hazard.
💯
The breaker would trip, so no problem.
also a code violation to install a receptacle with a 20 amp face on a 15 amp circuit.
You have 12/2 wire with a 15 amp plug? Is it a 15A breaker? Could that be bad since the receptical isn't rated to pull 20A if its a 20A circuit?
Nope, it is a bit confusing but you can have a 15-Amp duplex outlet on 12-gauge wire and a 20 Amp breaker. Just can have a single 15-Amp outlet on a 20 Amp breaker.
side wire receptacles are rated for use on a 20 amp circuit, even with a 15 amp face.
Should check both receptacles for power. Very unlikely the bottom one could be connected to a different circuit.
Industrial grade outlets may not meet code in residential homes because of the lack of TR.
There are plenty of industrial/commercial/hospital grade TR outlets on the market.
What if you have cloth insulated wire with no ground but it’s encased in metal loom and your boxes are metal? I was told that conducts as a ground. Is that true?
Yes
22 gauge wiring for a 20 amp receptacle good?
12 gauge would be the right match for 20-Amp.
The smallest AWG you can use on a 20 amp branch circuit is 12. The smallest AWG you can use on a 15 amp branch circuit is 14.
What if I don’t have a ground and my outlets are wired in series. I don’t know which outlet is the main line so where would I install the gfci?
You'd have to determine which one is first in line from the panel. Once you do that, you're good to go.
the outlet closest to the panel is usually the first in line. once you've determined what outlets are on the circuit, you can separate the wires on the closest outlet, and see if that kills power to all of them. then you can find out which cable is the host side, and install 1 GFCI to protect the entire circuit - or, if the panel has been upgraded, you can install a GFCI breaker (I recommend a dual fault GFCI/AFCI breaker if they cost the same) also - the common term for that is daisy chain, rather than series - since series has a specific meaning in electrical work.
@@kenbrown2808 Thanks for the info and education on correct terminology, it is appreciated.
You left out the weather insulator. And yes, we want the teardown video.
Replacing Old outlets can fix a number of issues that you may not even be aware of, so if you can replace them you should.
So ground up or ground down? And if you put ground up, do you still wire hot to gold and neutral to silver? Sorry if that’s dumb, but I’m having a hard time visualizing this.
Code doesn’t say anything about ground up or down, although you will find people claiming one way or the other is the only right way to do it. Some claim it’s safer up because a falling metal object wedged in between it and the wall will hit the ground first, not the hot prong. On the other hand , ground down will ensure outlets stay in place more reliably because the ground receptacle doesn’t wear out . Personally I prefer ground down. Hot still goes to the gold and silver to neutral regardless of how you orient the outlet in the box
Hot (black) goes to the gold screw terminal. Neutral (white) goes to the silver. Ground goes to the green. As a DIYer, I install receptacles one of two directions, 1)receptacle vertical with ground down, 2) receptacle horizontal with ground either on left or right, depending on the space.
@@ethansmith2326 Thank you.
@@Around_The_Home Thank you.
@@ethansmith2326We had this same discussion during my apprenticeship. You nailed the answer. Nice job.
The Parts and Supplies Used link does Not list all the associated tools, outlets, switches noted in the video.
be aware that code does permit a screw to be driven through the side of a standard nail on box, as long as it doesn't leave sharp edges inside the box, and the screw head is far enough back to not accidentally contact the device. the boxes with the built in screw ports are, to me, worse than the alternative.
I presume those lever receptacles are much more costly than the regular, commercial grade. Not at all worth it for me just to save a couple turns of a screwdriver.
I think they are between the price of spec grade and residential grade - they're made for manufactured/tract home use, so they're priced accordingly. (to be clear, the price difference is calculated to make them cheaper in the long run than the combination of turning the screwdriver and having bad connections come up while the home is still under warranty) - also, the leviton edge are not commercial grade.
Nicks on the wire when stripping will break the wire with a few back and forths. There should be no nicks. It is amazing how easy the wire will break, do an experiment.
😮But, legacy 2-prong outlets can still be purchased, and outlets are still manufactured with back-stab connections and 14-AWG solid wire is allowed on 15-amp branch circuits...
Utilise la bonne pointe de tournevis ça aura l’air plus crédible.
Nice video. You could have got the face plate square with the wall. lol
You forgot to mention breaking off the mickey mouse ears when using old work boxes. Otherwise, your outlet will be too far forward, and the faceplate won't sit flush with the wall.
Depends on the depth of the box.
Go ahead buy commercial grade outlets spend a few more pennies .
This man has clearly never worked on an old house or in the Chicago area.
What makes you think Chicago houses are so special 😂
🙄🤔
You content creators keep mentioning things that are code grandfathered in or imperfect workmanship as wrong bad or not to code. These events are incorrect at best. Its like the pretwist debates or backstab outlets. Not cool.
it may shock you, but people will find things in older houses that don't meet current codes. - or in houses that a homeowner did their own work in.
@kenbrown2808 much of that is grandfathered in.
@kenbrown2808 I have two old rentals. The wiring and outlets are grandfathered in. While I find it dangerous, the old wiring is cloth covered heavy Gage vinyl covered wiring with almost no ground wires. Only the kitchen and bath have independent bare copper ground wires. And all the outlets are very old, but have thicker internal brass contacts. And the splices are soldered. This wiring and outlets by Gage and component metal contacts exceed the amperage use in modern commercial outlets and have thicker more durable bakelite ebonite moldings. They are built like a tank. Just no ground wires. I was replacing old outlets with modern commercial ones with half the metal thickness and half the cheaper plastic mold thickness. I could probably run double toasters or large element commercial electric heaters and not heat up the outlets or wiring. You can barely bend the wiring when working on it. But no GFCI safety so moping the floors with extension cords laying around would be deadly.
Not meaning to attack this author, but videos in general that imply things like a backwards Shepard's hook is not to code or will burn down a city. Lack of exceptionality, sure.
@@daleb5967be a better landlord.
6" and 3" rules. Why are electricians such cheapskates?? What's an extra inch or 2 on every box? You are charging the customer for each foot actually used anyway!!!
not too long because it is a pain to stuff more wire into the box.
not too short because it violates code.
sometimes they get cut shorter during a repair - I've had to trim off burnt ends and barely had enough good insulated wire to splice with a Wago.
There's a thing called NFPA 70 that electricians have to go by.
@@redneck94chevy NFPA 70E refers to safety, arc flash, blasts, shock, etc. The National Electrical Code (NEC) refers to codes related to electrical installations.
When I was a residential electrician, about 30 years ago, I worked for a contractor who would get angry if I left "too much" wire in the boxes. Literally a couple inches extra. He said it came out of his profit.😂
@Sylvan_dB very true. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it started that way or not. Stuffing the box is a pain though