Squishing in the wires in outlet boxes

[darcyh]

Hello Everyone:

After reading up here, I decided to run 12 awg wire for the outlets in the garage. As the wire is stiffer how do you squish the wires into the box as the outlet is inserted?

Also ground wires; when running one cable in and one out (meaning white, black and ground per cable) I wrap the bare ground wire around each ground screw in the box, add another ground wire and pig tail them together, then take the third wire and attach to the outlet. Geez, this takes up a lot of space in the box especially when installing two outlets in a dual gang box.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[bczygan]

Bigger and more wires = larger box required by code. AND needed just to make it easier.

 

[fury9]

clockwise in a nice oval pattern,make sure the load is on the bottom

 

[1grnlwn]

If you are using 20A. breakers in the garage #12 wire is required. If you are using 15A. then you are wasting time and money. With two romex wires entering a double box, take the ground wires with a pair of plyers and twist them together at the base . Twist them until you have about an inch of two wire twist and then attach the remaining free ground wires to the plugs , one each. To get a good fold, push the wires down and back into the box so that they come out the bottom of the box, then cut them to length about 5 inches. Hook up your connections. Fold the wire top to bottom in a Z pattern and push the receptical flat against the box before drawing it in with screws. If it pushes in quite hard, you need to fold the wires differently or change the length a little. This way when you finally screw the device to the box it is not under a lot of stress. They don't make devices like they use to! If you have multiple grounds and only one device, twist all the grounds together and clip off all but one tail at the end of the twisted section. If none of this makes sense get some competent help.

 

[rlitman]

Fold the wire top to bottom in a Z pattern and push the receptical flat against the box before drawing it in with screws.

THIS. If you learn to do this, you won't have any issues with 12 gauge wire.
14 gauge is so floppy that folding an accordion like pattern into the wires isn't necessary, but it is much better to learn to do this, so the wires fit neatly in the box, and there's no residual stress on the outlets/switches.

Not doing this, is why you'll often see outlets/switches not appearing to sit flat behind the plate.

 

[pattenp]

Also use the deepest outlet box available.

Like this:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_129724-223-...br|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

Not this:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_70972-223-B...br|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

 

[virago83]

I tend to agree with 1grnlwn in that regardless of whether you're wiring for the garage or basement workshop, etc. most of your receptical circuits would be 15amp which only needs 14 gauge wire fed by a 15amp breaker. The most typical receptiacls are only rated for 15amp use and if you,re wiring a 20amp circuit you'll need special receptials rated for that load. Also, the number of wires in your device box, their gauges and number of wire connectors used will determine what size box you'll need. All this is covered in the Ontario Electrical Code.

 

[tonycastec]

I have had this problem and resolved to use the very deepest box that would fit the space(as noted above) .I prefer to use metal boxes that are screwed to the studs so that when you push the wires around the box doesn't deform. Remember to leave a little extra wire so you can manipulate the wires if you make changes later. Another trick is to use a double gang box with an adapter plate for a single gang outlet. Just rummage in the electrical isle at a big box store. Look for "offset mudring" to get you started.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Hello Everyone:

After reading up here, I decided to run 12 awg wire for the outlets in the garage. As the wire is stiffer how do you squish the wires into the box as the outlet is inserted?

Bend them in a pattern/Z shape so when you push in the outlet the wires collapse like an accordion.

Also ground wires; when running one cable in and one out (meaning white, black and ground per cable) I wrap the bare ground wire around each ground screw in the box, add another ground wire and pig tail them together, then take the third wire and attach to the outlet. Geez, this takes up a lot of space in the box especially when installing two outlets in a dual gang box.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

Leave the ground wire long. Strip it and run it to the box screw (in a clockwise pattern so the screw pulls the wire around as it tightens down), then run the wire up to the ground screw on the outlet.

This method negates the need for a ground pigtail.

 

[VHF]

The most typical receptiacls are only rated for 15amp use and if you,re wiring a 20amp circuit you'll need special receptials rated for that load.

This is one area where US and Canadian code differs. The NEC allows using 15A recepticles on a 20A circuit, but Canada does not. So it is quite common in the US to find a 20A circuit with 15A recepticles.

My personal opinion is that #14 wire is undersized for general purpose garage circuits. Given the potential to run compressors, table saws, and so forth in the garage, #12 wire on a 20A breaker makes a lot of sense, if for no other reason than to reduce the voltage-drop on motor startup.

 

[darcyh]

Thanks everyone. I'll practice the Z pattern. I am using 20 amp outlets and breakers.

Regards,

Dave

 

[1Garageman]

Could you take a pictures of the "Z" pattern when you are done and post it. It would just make it a lot easier to under stand that way, LOL.
Thanks.

 

[Dustball]

Could you take a pictures of the "Z" pattern when you are done and post it. It would just make it a lot easier to under stand that way, LOL.
Thanks.

 

[1Garageman]

Thanks
It just makes more since seeing it that way. I now see the "Z"!