andyvh1959
Well-known member
Working on installing GFI outlets in my kitchen remodel of my 1973 tri-level house. One outlet box had that distinctive mousy smell, ugh. It was a single box with three 12ga Romex circuits coming into it and all crammed together, with doubled up pigtails under the side screws like was commonly done back in the 70s. So I changed the box to a 2-gang, and added another outlet with the new GFI outlet. No more doubled up 12ga pigtails under the side screws. As let far as I know, its no longer acceptable to double up pigtails under each side screw. Just too many things to come loose or not be secure as the outlet is shoved into the box, plus even if secure, the screw heads project further out the sides of the outlet fixture profile.
Few weeks back I plugged the toaster into the old outlet and heard a "snap" and a spark, yet it did not trip out the breaker. When I got into the outlet box I found the source of the mousy smell, and it was obvious Micky got the chair. I found bite marks through the insulation on a black/hot wire, and,....the skeletal reamains of Micky, almost a complete spine/legs/tail, along with some fuzz. And a tiny weld spot on a ground wire that had likely touched the black wire through the chewed insulation. Luckily, the wires were just long enough I could cut the hot wire back to avoid the compromized insulation. So the little ****** had managed to crawl up inside the wall and into the outlet box.
Few weeks back I plugged the toaster into the old outlet and heard a "snap" and a spark, yet it did not trip out the breaker. When I got into the outlet box I found the source of the mousy smell, and it was obvious Micky got the chair. I found bite marks through the insulation on a black/hot wire, and,....the skeletal reamains of Micky, almost a complete spine/legs/tail, along with some fuzz. And a tiny weld spot on a ground wire that had likely touched the black wire through the chewed insulation. Luckily, the wires were just long enough I could cut the hot wire back to avoid the compromized insulation. So the little ****** had managed to crawl up inside the wall and into the outlet box.
