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Electrical wiring Question

jimmiem | Posted in General Discussion on December 27, 2009 07:49am

I’m adding some workshop outlets using 12 Ga wire. Folding and tucking it into the outlet box ain’t easy. Any tips on folding/tucking 12 Ga wire? Thank You

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  1. DanH | Dec 27, 2009 09:02pm | #1

    Don't make the wires any
    Don't make the wires any longer than they need to be.

    Have only 1/2" or so of the cable jacket inside the box.

    Think about the layout before you start attaching wires.

  2. webby | Dec 27, 2009 10:06pm | #2

    Yes, too much romex jacket in the box makes it more difficult.

    However I always found it easier to fold the wires when I left the code required 6 inches +or- a little bit. I place a fold near the device, and a fold kind of in the box so that it kind of accordians up behind the receptacle. I never understand why people cut the wire so short then feed in and out of a device- then you are trying to push it all in the box and the shorter wires wont flex at all. You need the longer wire length to allow the wires to flex. Unless its like a pancake box or other type of shallow box.

    One thing you could do, you could pigtail to the receptacle- instead of feeding in and out of the device, you could connect your blacks /whites/and grounds with a pigtail from each to the device which would maintain the circuit, and give you only a single black white and ground to fold up. The connections take up room in the box too, but it is a little easier to get it all to fit in. I think Ideal even makes a wire nut with correctly colored stranded wire already attached to make the pigtail. Stranded is also easier to fold in.

    http://www.idealindustries.com/products/wire_termination/twist-on/term-a-nut_pigtail.jsp

    1. DaveRicheson | Dec 28, 2009 07:12am | #3

      With 6" of wire you have plenty of room to attach the device and then roll the wire back into the box. Push the wire down to the bottom of the box, or up to the top if it enters at the bottom, and then roll the wire and the device 360 degrees in a coil and push all of it back in the box. Same way with pig tails.

      It takes longer to descibe it, than do it.

  3. JTC1 | Dec 28, 2009 09:20am | #4

    DanH, Webby and DaveRicheson all offer good advice.

    12 wire is more challenging than 14 - but you have already discovered that....

    I am a firm believer in pigtailing because it simplifies any future servicing of the circuit.

    How I make a pigtailed outlet connection:

    1)Cable(s) enters the box and cable sheath is trimmed away to leave only about 1/2" inside of the box's clamping device. Trim sheath and clamp.

    2)I grab all conductors accross my palm, make a fist and extend my thumb - conductors are held inside of my fist. Pinky finger side of fist touches wall / box front. I trim all conductors to the length of my extended thumb.

    3)Separate all conductors so I can work with each one individually. Box front looks like the wires exploded out of it at this time - conductors are forming a "spider leg" type pattern.

    4) Collect all of the grounds from the box plus an additional 12" pigtail of wire. Twist and wirenut all of the grounds together using appropriate sized wire nut.

    5) Fold and tuck the grounds to the back of the box - no white or black wires should be behind the grounds - move them out of the way so you can tuck the grounds all the way to the rear of the box.

    6)Pigtail should be poking out of the box in whatever corner it will be needed to connect to the device.

    7)Repeat pigtail process (#4, 5 & 6) for the neutrals and tuck them into the back of the box - will be "on top" of the grounds. Pigtail wire size and color matches other wires in each bundle, bare/white/black.

    8)Repeat pigtail process (#4, 5 & 6)for the hots and tuck them in "on Top" of the neutrals.

    9)Trim the 3 pigtails to the same "fist+thumb" length as in #2.

    10) Strip the pigtails, loop and connect to the device (or strip and connect to the back clamping device, if device is so equipped). Check all screws for tightness and connection positions. Bare-> green; white-> silver; black-> gold.

    11) Fold and tuck the pigtails into the box (get the bends started). Insert the device and snug the attachment screws. Adjust device for level / plumb. Tighten screws.

    12)Install cover plate.

    Done.

    "End of run" device connections have no pigtails, conductors are trimmed to "fist+thumb" length and connected directly to the device....but I don't think you were having trouble with this scenario.

    I could have done 3 or 4 in the time it took to type this.

    If you are having major trouble:

    - Too much sheath in box (most common problem)

    - Too small a box, i.e., overfilled.

    - Too long a conductor length.

    - Messy wires - meaning the wires are crossing inside of the box; not allowing them to lay flat in the rear of the box, therefore, holding open too much dead space.

    - Not starting the bends before attempting to tuck the wires back into the box.

    Good luck,

    Jim

    1. jimmiem | Jan 10, 2010 01:12pm | #7

      Thank You for the detailed instructions.

  4. k1c | Dec 28, 2009 09:48am | #5

    Plastic boxes are bigger than metal per intended use (these have to be reinforced with backing because they are floppy and may cause the outlet to break the sheetrock when pushing the plug into it). There is ground wire nut with a hole at the end so that additional tail is not necessary (leave one ground wire long). Use contractor grade outlet that you can plug the wire into the back and clamp down with side screws. Plastic box also does not require its own grounding screw, although personally I like the metal box. Hope this helps.

    1. DanH | Dec 28, 2009 08:29pm | #6

      Also, use the largest box you can find for the application. Sometimes (eg, three cables entering) it's worth it to go with a square box and a mud ring, vs the standard single or double wide box.

      1. User avater
        popawheelie | Jan 10, 2010 03:21pm | #8

        Mud rings on big boxes rock! The house I grew up in had flexible metal conduit. The newer cheaper stuff was aluminum flex. Big boxes with mud rings were common. Romex? What was that?

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