Trick to using stranded wire?

[justsam]

Sta-kons are cheap so I'm gonna head to the local electrical wholesaler and pick up some of them and a good crimp tool.

Make sure you get a GOOD crimp tool, not something one may find at the bargain tool table. Something that has honest crimp dies and not just a combination wire stripper and crimper. The tool can be used on other projects as well.

 

[Jon_E]

Make sure you get a GOOD crimp tool, not something one may find at the bargain tool table. Something that has honest crimp dies and not just a combination wire stripper and crimper. The tool can be used on other projects as well.

Got it. I don't buy cheap (read: junk) tools, so I will take that advice.

 

[sberry]

There is probably an approved way and I am looking for camera cord now to show some pics but the screw is the most secure and eliminates a connection.

 

[Norcal]

Most of the receptacles that have the square washers under the screws are also self grounding, so if you are using metal boxes you can just wire nut a pigtail to the ground wire splice and then put the pigtail under the box ground screw.

If you are using raised covers then the bond is lost when the cover is removed. It be a screw attached to the box, the box manufacturers do not tap a spot out of the goodness of their heart.

 

[gml1998]

I've started wiring my shop and ran into a little problem over the weekend. I started by installing a double duplex receptacle (120V) and a single 240V receptacle adjacent to my panel. I am using surface mounted square boxes, EMT conduit and #12 THHN stranded wire. I have a bunch of older receptacles, none of which have the backwire feature (not the stab-type, I won't use them), but they all have regular wire-mounting screw terminals. I found that no matter what I did, I could not get a clean-looking connection between the stranded wire and the screw terminal. I think I did OK after a few failed/aborted attempts but I don't like it at all. I don't have any solid wire to run pigtails, either. I never considered how difficult this would be, as I have never used stranded wire in line-voltage circuits before. My entire house is NM-B (Romex) and it is all solid wire.

Any special tricks or tips to using stranded wire on receptacles and switches that have screw terminals, or should I just set these aside for use in solid-wire circuits and buy some new commercial-grade receptacles with backwire plates?

I strip wire about 1.25 - 1.5 inches up then pull insulation down about 3/4 inch, but do not remove it completely . A few twists then wrap it around screw and tighten. Should look like pic.

 

[sberry]

Yes, I been looking for my camera but those are super tight and reliable. That is basically the way I do it.

 

[n8n]

If you are using raised covers then the bond is lost when the cover is removed. It be a screw attached to the box, the box manufacturers do not tap a spot out of the goodness of their heart.

Good point. I was thinking of a typical flush installation and OP did say surface so probably 1900 boxes in which case your comment is valid.

 

[rlitman]

If you are using raised covers then the bond is lost when the cover is removed.

So what?

 

[sberry]

It was splained to me and I forget exactly why but it is a code deal.

 

[ddawg16]

Pig tail.....

Use about 5" of solid wirenutted to your stranded.

Especially if you are daisy chaining the wires.