Better Junction Boxes

[Aaron Fude]

Hi,

I have discovered a junction box where a wire splits into 4. What a MESS! It's got these huge nuts to hold the wires together and everything is twisted and barely fits. And, of course, one of the connections is broken.

Why don't there (seem to) exist better junction boxes? I envision a box that looks more like a small panel where you get to connect the hot wires together by inserting them into connected individual slots and tightening with a bolt like you do in most breaks - and same for neutrals and ground. I think that something like that would be much more secure and easier to work with!

If what I envision does exist, I would very much appreciate a link.

Thanks!

Aaron

[Joseph Meehan]

That would be an interesting idea, but considering it would increase cost, I don't see it happening any time soon.

Boxes are rated by size so only a given number of connections can be made in a give size box. Frankly I think they tend to get over crowded well before they reach the code max. You can get different size and shape boxes. Many you should choose a larger or deeper box.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

This is the kind of thing I recall from UK a few decades ago:

Wire nuts always struck me as a Rube Goldberg solution.

Perce

[Aaron Fude]

Yes, that sort of thing.

Sure it would be a little more expensive, but I think it's necessary. It can't be that much more expensive. I buy nice residential outlets for $1.25 and those can essentially be used as junctions. In fact, that's what I will probably do. Instead of a junction box, I'll put an electrical box there with three outlets. I will use the home run wire to power each outlet and use the remaining connections on the outlets for the effective connections. Is this a bad idea for some reason.

Aaron

[dpb]

You could simply use a split nut for solid connections or put a terminal strip in an existing box or a deeper box to make it less crowded. There are a myriad of terminal choices--check at your local electrical distributor or look at Grainger or Square D or other online electrical distributors to see catalogs.

Three outlets in one location simply for the terminals seems excessive imo, but there's nothing specifically wrong about it. Don't know what one would use all of them for, though...

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[John Grabowski]

It is permissible to do it that way as long as there is no multiwire circuit involved. In that case the neutral would have to be spliced. Use good quality receptacles as your loads from whatever is coming off of that junction box will be passing through the outlets instead of the splices.