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Wife's daughter recently paid $200 for an Electrician to replace an outlet that was overheating. I could have replaced it for $2, if she just waited until next week till I could get out of there. They turned off the breaker and half the house is on the one circuit, so it was an inconvenience for them. If they waited I could have saved them a fortune. He also tried to tell them that the backstabbed outlets were a fire hazard and it would cost her 3k to replace them all. I showed her how to replace tow of them, neither was backstabbed. She's going to do it herself now that I showed her what to do.
Wife's daughter recently paid $200 for an Electrician to replace an outlet that was overheating. I could have replaced it for $2, if she just waited until next week till I could get out of there. They turned off the breaker and half the house is on the one circuit, so it was an inconvenience for them. If they waited I could have saved them a fortune. He also tried to tell them that the backstabbed outlets were a fire hazard and it would cost her 3k to replace them all. I showed her how to replace tow of them, neither was backstabbed. She's going to do it herself now that I showed her what to do.
There's probably about 1,000 YouTube videos that walk you through that one. I replaced an outlet for the first time nearly 35 years ago with help from an article in Family Handyman magazine. I was really proud of myself!
There's probably about 1,000 YouTube videos that walk you through that one. I replaced an outlet for the first time nearly 35 years ago with help from an article in Family Handyman magazine. I was really proud of myself!
What does backstabbed mean?
Many outlets have an option to use a holes in the back of the outlet to allow the feed wire to connect without having to wrap it around a screw. There is some concern that the connections beneath those holes have problems with high current appliances and can overheat and cause fires.
The reality, given all the testing required to pass regulations, is that those where you have "stabbed" the wire into the hole may overheat and cause an open connection, but are unlikely to get hot enough to ignite sheetrock. However, electronics don't play nicely when the power coming to them is inconsistent, so it doesn't hurt to use the screw terminals and possibly a dab of no-ox on kitchen outlets or ones that might have a space heater plugged in.
Many outlets have an option to use a holes in the back of the outlet to allow the feed wire to connect without having to wrap it around a screw. There is some concern that the connections beneath those holes have problems with high current appliances and can overheat and cause fires.
The reality, given all the testing required to pass regulations, is that those where you have "stabbed" the wire into the hole may overheat and cause an open connection, but are unlikely to get hot enough to ignite sheetrock. However, electronics don't play nicely when the power coming to them is inconsistent, so it doesn't hurt to use the screw terminals and possibly a dab of no-ox on kitchen outlets or ones that might have a space heater plugged in.
Thanks for the explanation. I'd never heard of that. Thankfully, I've never seen it.
Many outlets have an option to use a holes in the back of the outlet to allow the feed wire to connect without having to wrap it around a screw. There is some concern that the connections beneath those holes have problems with high current appliances and can overheat and cause fires.
The reality, given all the testing required to pass regulations, is that those where you have "stabbed" the wire into the hole may overheat and cause an open connection, but are unlikely to get hot enough to ignite sheetrock. However, electronics don't play nicely when the power coming to them is inconsistent, so it doesn't hurt to use the screw terminals and possibly a dab of no-ox on kitchen outlets or ones that might have a space heater plugged in.
Electrician here. I have replaced dozens, if not hundreds, of receptacles and switches burned up by backstabbing. Some hold up ok if lightly loaded and not subject to vibration, but these factors can never be guaranteed. A few devices have a clamp where you can still stab, but also tighten down a screw. These are ideal. Some were also "protected" by arc fault breakers, the biggest ripoff authorities have forced on us. This is part of the reason for higher costs. A typical arc fault breaker is about $50-60, opposed to $5-10 for a standard breaker.
Part of higher costs too, are the costs of doing business. Worker's comp insurance is very expensive, so is liability insurance. We all know about fuel costs. My first set of tools in the 1970's was $65. Same tools now run $250-300.
I ran my business for 5 years and had to hang it up. I shut down owing a lot of money and having 5 years of lost income. That was 2013. I should have shut it down by 3 years.
Electrician here. I have replaced dozens, if not hundreds, of receptacles and switches burned up by backstabbing. Some hold up ok if lightly loaded and not subject to vibration, but these factors can never be guaranteed. A few devices have a clamp where you can still stab, but also tighten down a screw. These are ideal. Some were also "protected" by arc fault breakers, the biggest ripoff authorities have forced on us. This is part of the reason for higher costs. A typical arc fault breaker is about $50-60, opposed to $5-10 for a standard breaker.
Part of higher costs too, are the costs of doing business. Worker's comp insurance is very expensive, so is liability insurance. We all know about fuel costs. My first set of tools in the 1970's was $65. Same tools now run $250-300.
I ran my business for 5 years and had to hang it up. I shut down owing a lot of money and having 5 years of lost income. That was 2013. I should have shut it down by 3 years.
Couldn't agree with you more. I'll leave it at that, since the rest might be a rant on those two products.
I make good money but I’m not DIY guy due to lack of time and skills. I wish that I had both
Yes, if you make good money, you do better to spend your time at the job and hire others to do what you're not good at. No one is an expert on everything, though we sometimes like to think we are.
Yes, if you make good money, you do better to spend your time at the job and hire others to do what you're not good at. No one is an expert on everything, though we sometimes like to think we are.
You definitely have to balance the two, especially if you can afford it. I've found that many projects don't take much time at all, however, but DIY can save a ton. Still, that will be very situational. One of my friends saved a tens of thousands (or rather had tens of thousands paid to him by the insurance company instead of a contractor as he did things himself) by redoing his bathroom , hallway flooring, and living room flooring himself after a major flood. He made time to do so and knew what he was doing. But he was busy for a while and it ate up all of his free time for well over a month. I'm not sure if that's a project I'd like to do myself given the time and effort, but there are certain projects I'd have less of an issue with if it meant saving serious money.
I make good money but I’m not DIY guy due to lack of time and skills. I wish that I had both
Same here, but I take a certain amount of male pride in making minor repairs to a washing machine or electronic device, or changing a light fixture. And I know I'm saving the planet by making some repairs instead of throwing an item into the waste stream!
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