Arc Fault protection

[SuperPollito]

I am in the process of adding a 20 amp circuit and approximately 8 outlets to my garage.

I am confident that I ran the wires correctly and sized the electric boxes correctly, but on some of the outlets, I had a difficult time getting the wire and the outlet to fit into the box and ended up pushing the outlet to the point the screws would catch and then tightened them down. I then looked as much as I could to ensure no wires came out of the wing nuts.

I am thinking on getting a breaker with ground fault and arc fault detection just to be safe. Would that be enough or should I pay for an electrician to inspect?

Thanks!

 

[Crashcup]

The arc-fault breakers are pricey. Personally I wouldn't put them in where not required by code. If a hot wire in the box contacts the neutral, ground, or box (if metal), it's going to trip a normal breaker, so you're protected in that way.

Are the walls already covered? If not, you could replace the boxes with deeper ones, or bigger ones with mudring, allowing more space for wires. I found that meeting box fill requirements of NEC even leaves space a little tight.

Be very meticulous about how you fold wires back into the box to use the least space. You can add tape covering the wire nut and wires entering for additional insurance that the nuts won't come off as you push wires back in the box. Before you mount the switch or receptacle, add a couple of wraps of elec tape around it, covering the screw terminals so they're less likely to come into contact with the box or a ground wire.

 

[sberry]

Neatness helps here as does some staging. I can really tighten wire nuts and there is a twist of it all together outside the nut when I am done. I have the box all packed, the folds in it all and the ends all fitted just outside the box where I screw it on almost in position and push it back in. All the engineering, room for the rest of the fold been fitted and I can screw a device together without having to wrestle it like a gator in every direction.
Any wire nuts are packed in the back of the box before we even think about connecting the device, with wing nuts some fitting may be in order and I do keep some backwired outlets on hand just for this on occasion. I know its tempting to want to leave a lot of extra wire.
Some GFCI are deeper than those of old, had to change a couple boxes to fit those in piped work too. It was all easy and at ground level so did it as a matter of future proofing. If it was out of the way may have simply added an extension.

 

[pattenp]

Sounds to me you used too small a box. It should not be that difficult if it's one cable in and one cable out with one outlet. Also if in the US and under the NEC the outlets in a garage need to be GFCI protected. That can be done by making the first outlet a GFCI feeding the remainder of outlets downstream.

 

[sberry]

I am not a pre twister but meticulous about the process. There is always human error, I have remodeled work I was sure I did right and found a missed connection. Some worked for years, a couple even caused me some problem I was curious about and never could get right. I was generally working and was in the thing as a matter of upgrade code compliance when I found it by dam near accident.
A good consistent strip is the deal as one can see it all when installing and make sure they don't come out. I know we can go solid to stranded but try not to.

 

[SuperPollito]

Thanks for the input everybody. It sounds like I may need to go back and pull the outlets and try to actually fold and place the wires in an orderly fashion instead of cramming it all in after adding the outlet. Ugh, but better safe than sorry, right?

 

[rlitman]

Sounds to me you used too small a box. It should not be that difficult if it's one cable in and one cable out with one outlet...

Perhaps, but it could also be that 12 gauge is difficult for some.
The trick is in doing a Z bend in the wires so they accordion into the box as you push the outlet in. If you skip this part, you can get the problems the OP ran into.

 

[TTTTTT]

Maybe most do this anyway but with gfi's or other tight fits I always do a few wraps with electrical tape so sides can't have an opportunity to touch any sides.

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[farphle]

Box size and wire folding is important, but also ditch the wing nuts and get some Wago lever nuts. There's no dealing with the PITA of twisting wires, they don't come off, and are re-usable if you need to make changes later. I will never use a wire nut again.

 

[revamped]

I am wiring over 60 outlets in my garage and 22 circuits total with two sub panels. I chose to put in one AFCI/GFCI outlet at the beginning of each series for each circuit instead of buying AFCI breakers. So basically I paid double price on 9 of the outlets to protect those circuits. And I made sure to install deeper boxes. Might even consider opening up the walls and changing your boxes to be safe. Not worth a fire later.

 

[Norcal]

I am wiring over 60 outlets in my garage and 22 circuits total with two sub panels. I chose to put in one AFCI/GFCI outlet at the beginning of each series for each circuit instead of buying AFCI breakers. So basically I paid double price on 9 of the outlets to protect those circuits. And I made sure to install deeper boxes. Might even consider opening up the walls and changing your boxes to be safe. Not worth a fire later.

AFCI's are not required in garages and there is no way to prove they even work, unlike GFCI's.

 

[doorfx]

In Canada they are. Anything fed from your main panel has to be AFCI breakers
Electrical inspector made me change all mine.

 

[75gmck25]

I always buy the largest capacity boxes I can find for my switches and receptacles. It just makes life easier when you are using 12/2 and trying to fit it all in the box.

On one switch box that was also serving as an accessible wire junction I bought a large capacity box that had a side-car extension to one side. The extension is hidden by the sheetrock once its installed, so it looks like a standard two gang box after you put up the wall.

Bruce

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I am wiring over 60 outlets in my garage and 22 circuits total with two sub panels. I chose to put in one AFCI/GFCI outlet at the beginning of each series for each circuit instead of buying AFCI breakers. So basically I paid double price on 9 of the outlets to protect those circuits. And I made sure to install deeper boxes. Might even consider opening up the walls and changing your boxes to be safe. Not worth a fire later.

That was a waste of money.

AFCIs are snake oil.

 

[revamped]

That was a waste of money.

AFCIs are snake oil.

They were within $1 of the GFCI outlets anyway so I figured why waste money on AFCI breakers.

 

[Wirepuller]

I bought 2200 15 and 20 amp arc faults early last year for just over 6$ a piece. Snake oil that the manufactures are making a killing on. The mark up is insane.


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[wyliesdiesels]

They were within $1 of the GFCI outlets anyway so I figured why waste money on AFCI breakers.

Except that u didnt need them in a garage and a lot of times they dont play nice with motors that have brushes and other similar tools

 

[alfredeneuman]

You can add tape covering the wire nut and wires entering for additional insurance that the nuts won't come off as you push wires back in the box.come into contact with the box or a ground wire.

If the tape is holding the wire nut from coming off then the wire nut connection wasn't properly made in the first place.

 

[Cmreschke]

How many wires and what size boxes?