Why DIY Homeowners Should Wire Differently Than Most Professionals

In addition to commercial grade outlets, be sure to use commercial grade ‘outlet covers’. The generic kind will crack at the screw hole where the commercial kind are made thicker, stay flat and hold up much better. They cost more but you get what you pay for.

Use electric tape rape around the outlet around the terminal no big deal that.all now you have a 15 amp that cheep I use a 20 amp it’s better

I don’t like back stabbing it gets loose in time

I just finished replacing all switches and receptacles in a 40 year old house. Fully 10% of the backstab “connections” did not need to be released. The wires just came out when the device was pulled from the box.

Never cut the J hooks off. Straighten the J hooks and trim the exposed copper wire to the appropriate length for the device you are installing.

The gap from the drywall to the box may be too big. Watch the setback of the box less it gets too big.

DIYer renovating an old home, so every time I pull an outlet or light switch I have no idea what I am going to find in the box!

I’m a professional. Wrapped clockwise around the side screw is always the best. 80% of service calls are the result of a home owner using the push / stab type coming loose. I do like, use, and approve of the type you showed with the stab and then screw tighten. But be careful. Too many people don’t get the wire in squarely or all the way in and the screw seems tight but the wire can pull straight out. Seen it many times.

Hate tamper resistant outlet also don't like plastic j-boxes.

He’s basically telling every homeowner that they’re idiots and if they can’t just do it like he showed in the very first example and that they can’t do it properly even if they do do it so they need to buy this more expensive device that is sort of idiot proof and maybe they are so it might not be a bad thing for the ignorance of proper work habits and methods with Electrical which is an can be dangerous Unlike working on drywall or plumbing in general so whatever yada yada yada yada yada

DON'T FIXSOMETHING THAT WORKS!!!!!!!! Appears to be another gimic to make money, Did not say that it wont work.

One big problem with the A commercial or residential is that holes in the back of the outlet in you can only put 14 awg wire in them,But most codes require 12 awg or bigger.

I can see how you could think that this would be easier for diy but some people that have never done wiring before don’t check and make sure they have the wire under the clamps the side wiring with the hooks and a rez receptacle will save you money $1.00 receptacle compared to $2.50 receptacle so it comes down to if you think that you have the skills to do it correctly and how much you want to spend and I will admit that the speck grade receptacles are a heavier grade and will take more abuse, and I’ve been doing electric work for 30 years. The other thing that you need to watch out for is if your house was built in the 60’s or early 70’s and has aluminum wire, because if you do side wiring with the hooks will be better because the aluminum wire is softer than copper and because of that the wires have a greater chance of becoming loose over time.

I like the Leviton Edge.... but will argue against it for one reason... You never know when you're gonna run into a setup where 4 wires isn't enough. You can get bulk packs of regular/commercial grade outlets and KNOW you'll be able to mirror the existing wire mapping without needing to run out and get Wago 221s, or wire nuts to make pig-tails. So, if you're doing a bulk replacement... just go with a commercial option, and save yourself some time, mileage, and frustration.

I just replaced all outlets and switches in the house I bought, since they were all 30 years old, many weren't securely holding plugs and all were ugly almond. I bought Leviton Edge for simplicity sake, but wound up needing to get regular decoras to mirror the wiring for both switches and outlets. One day, I'll get an electrician in here to clean up the screwy areas with proper groupings and pigtails... but it shouldn't be necessary for a while.

I know this seems to be a bit , of over kill , great video ,except you should have mentioned turning power off, i know common sense tell one that ,but there are people out there that will see this and say i can do this !! I am not saying people are dumb , but moments of stupidity does exist!!!

Thanks for that video, I like that new commercial switch like so much easier for a DYI person and the new of that tool y where using and the black spacer does that have a specific name?? Thanks Again 😊

I only purchase and use the type outlets that you are recommending .

First of all nobody should wire anything differently as only one way is right. Dont use anything with flip levers, like wagos which is worst thing you can do. Mechanical connections are the best (screw pressure), or wirenuts twisted pressure. Flip levers are springs which cause all kinds of problems. Its just a shortcut which may bite you later. Dont give in to use something because its quicker, more convenient or new. This guy is just a home depot handy man giving advise a competent electrician should give. Dont take advise from a utube electrician. Its like taking medical advise from a lady across the street rather than your doctor.

Nothing wrong with a good old backstab. Maybe one and 100 will need to be replaced 10 years down the road.

He's probably a software designer trying to become an electrician

must be desperate to make a video, waste of time

I started using the Leviton Decora outlets you showed and was quite happy with both the ease of installing wire into them and the lack of exposure of bare copper on the outside. With metal boxes this is especially a nice feature.

Thanx.

RV repair my thing, but I get the occasional shed or addition to wire. Sticking with side wire and cheap receptacles except for ones in areas where plugging & un-plugging regularly will probably occur or high amperage devices will be used regularly. For those areas, commercial grade all the way to avoid early failures.

Nothing wrong with J hooks vs what you showed on the commercial receptical. It's personal preference IMO

ECX drivers work much better on electrical screws than Robertson square drive IMHO.

I'm with you. Side wire works but the Pro is the way to go. Speed receptacles are crap. The new tap systems look weak to me but I would like to take one apart.

I like the back wiring and havnt tried the clip wiring

As a British retired electrician l am amazed that it has taken so long for the American domestic electrical accessory market to come up with an electrical outlet with non- exposed connection terminals.
Keep up the very informative videos and stay safe.

I'm waiting for you to cut open and compare the decora edge receptacle and light switches before I replace my old ones. I'd like to see if they are closer to commercial grade or standard consumer grade inside.

FYI: None of those were a 20A receptacles, they were all 15A. A 20A receptacle will have an addition horizontal slot on the "HOT" side. But everything else in the video was 100%.

I like the more mechanical of a connection this is.

you should always run couple wraps of electrical tape around a new outlet or switch to cover the wires and screws

Handyman.

I try to use what makes the most sense for a given customer, and generally give them the option.

I'm not going to push a customer to use what I'd prefer to work with (commercial) at increased cost to them, as they arent going save money because I saved a few seconds...

The hook being 'more secure' isn't really the saving grace ppl think it is. Poor connections cause fires... a loose screw is a loose screw. The hook won't stop it from burning down your house...

What you're calling, "Mickey Mouse Ears" are actually washers that you might need to space the receptacle out away from the box to account for paint build up or wallpaper. I always remove them by bending them back and forth with a pair of pliers whether or not I actually need them. Unlike the flexible plastic spacers you are showing, the metal washers do not compress and loosen over time. There are more suitable hard plastic washers available for people that need them. Commercial receptacles are the best. They're easier to use and have a longer service life.

Twist a cj tighten call it a day easy, it's not rocket science.

DIY'er- I like the way you showed, but I don't know why you didn't wrap electrical tape around the perimeter of the outlet to cover the screw terminals. I thought that was best practice.

I would use the back wiring. I am a diyer

I think there is confusion about the term "backwiring". Some outlets and switches have a stab-lock type of backwiring where you just push the wire into a hole on the outlet and a spring catches the wire. There is no screw to tighten. This type of wiring is illegal in some places in the US. The backwiring method you demonstrated actually pinches the wire between two metal tabs. You must tighten the screw to hold the wire in place.

DIY using decorative edge from now on.

Wish they had these 20 years ago when I remodeled 😂

Electrician here. I agree with the commercial grade upgrade in terms of the build quality and ease if install, but you should not be recommending these for DIY, as these commercial outlets are not Tamper Resistant which is a National Electrical Code requirement for receptacles in all dwelling units (pretty much all residential applications).

感謝神

Ok, here’s a hypothetical question, the back wiring outlets have a place for two wires under the “clamp”. Can two wires be connected, such as the in and out of the box blacks on gold side, the the two whites on the silver side? The current would not be going “through the device “ ???

I wish that you would recommend someone in my area to come to my home and do the repairs. I can do some. I don't know of a handyman with credible references. I get worried about scams.

If you install a back wire device on solid wire like you have done. Twist it in your hand back and forth which could happen during installation. Your wires are lose. Stranded wire on a back wire device will stay tight. Always hook solid wire or call a professional. Bonus Tip : 30 dollar screwdriver will not make you a better DIYer.

I’m a do it yourselfer 👍

It is not a good ideal to wrap electrical tape around an outlet or switch, some places it is against code.
In the event a side screw becomes a high resistance load, and reaches a high temperature, electrical tape can melt, then ignite causing a fire.

I like the backwire method. It's good for serviceability, and easy to do correctly. A couple comments claim that side wiring is more secure, but I don't agree. The backwire method has plenty of clamping force. They might be confusing it with backstabbing, which I'd never use. I like the new Leviton receptacle from a safety point of view, but I don't know if the lever clamps are as good as screws. I'm a little leery of Wagos for the same reason. I've done a lot of electric work, but am not a licensed electrician.