brass or copper on recepticals

[Ralph Mowery]

I noticed that instead of the old paper or plastic keepers on the duplex recepticals now one end has a brass or copper item to keep the screw with it on one end.

What is the reson for that ?

[Tony Hwang]

That is hot side. (Black wire goes there) Ground is green, Neutral is white. Nothing new.

[gfretwell]

That is a "self grounding" receptacle and could legally be installed in a grounded metal box without using the ground wire terminal on the device. It is still a good idea to use the wire tho. These are handy if you are retrofitting a 3 prong receptacle in a box that was grounded but still only had the 2 prong devices installed. (somewhat common for a while in the 50s)

[Ralph Mowery]

I may not have made it clear. I know about the screws where the 3 wires go. It is the screws that mount the receptical to the box I have the question about.

I have not bought any in many years and just noticed a week or so ago they started putting some brass or copper keepers on only one end to hold the mounting screws to the end of the receptical. The other end is still plastic or paper. They may have started doing that 10 years or so ago, I don't know when it started.

[bob_villain]

Yes, they have been doing this for many yrs...it's for a more positive connection to ground (if you're using a metal box).

[Paintedcow]

Yes, this is the correct answer. The "self grounding" outlets cost a few cents more. They are a good idea, but I agree to still use the ground wire where possible. Personally, I'd just make all of them with the self grounding device and eliminate more clutter on the store shelves. For the manufacturer, the cost to add this, cant amount to much of anything. Of course if there's plastic or bakelite boxes, this does nothing.

[Ralph Mowery]

I did dig out some recepticals and a light switch that I have had for many years and they had the special keeper on one end. Also had some that just had the plastic keepers on both ends. Guess that I never noticed that. before. All I could recall just had the plastic on both ends. I can see where the plastic could sort of insulate the frame/ground connection.

Most of my work was in electronics and 3 phase wiring. Never did very much with the 120/240 circuits other than just enough to know which wire to hook where to keep the neutral and hot on the correct side. Did not have to know the code for most things.

[Don Y]

It's not really a "keeper" but, rather, serves to ensure electrical contact from the *metal* frame of the switch/outlet *through* the screw and into a (metal) Jbox.

Some idiot replaced a "three-way" switch in the garage with a regular light switch. Seeing three terminals on the switch (the third being the safety ground!), he assumed the third wire ("traveler") should be connected to that screw! Had me puzzled wondering why I caught a shock "only sometimes" when TOUCHING the switch/plate!

Had the house been wired with metal Jboxes instead of plastic, this wouldn't have happened (a breaker would have blown whenever that traveler ended up with line potential!)

[Paintedcow]

A good reason why people who lack the knowledge should NOT be allowed to touch electrical wiring!!!

Also one of the reasons why I use ONLY metal boxes. I will admit that I used metal boxes all my life, so it's probably an "old age" thing, but I feel that metal boxes are safer as far as grounding, and also a little safer if something in the box overheats, since plastic burns whereas metal dont. Not to mention that the screw holes in plastic boxes tend to strip out, and once that happens the box has to be replaced, which likely means ripping walls apart. Whereas, if the threads strip in a metal box, one can just rethread it for a thicker bolt or use a sheet metal screw.

[Ralph Mowery]

It never fails to amaze me what some can do.

At work a receptical on a ground fault breaker would trip with any load. Some other workers had tried replacing the breaker and it still tripped with any load.

To make a long story short, the wires went from the breaker box to another box with terminal strips in it. Some one had used the wrong neutral going to the receptical. One of the workers (he did have a state license) would just pick up any neutral when doing the wiring. If I could help it, I would not let him change a battery in a one cell flashlight from some of the things he did at work.

[Don Y]

I consider "basic electricity" (not to be confused with detailed Code requirements) to be a "no brainer". But, apparently, there are lots of DIY'ers who *have* no brains! Too many people who *think* they know what they are doing...

[bob_villain]

As you say, with your experience you may have used specs for isolated-ground applications. Then, the mounting tabs are insulated and there's only a dedicated ground on the receptacle.

[Tekkie®]

Ralph Mowery posted for all of us...

They are listed as self grounding outlets. No need to run a jumper to a metal box.

[clare]

That is a sgety fround connection - grounds the receptacle body to the metal box (if you are using a metal box) making the bare or green ground wire redundant.

[clare]

No, he is talking about the screws that hold the receptacle onto the box. The terminal screws have never had "paper" to "retain" them.. Ya gotta read the whole post!!!

[clare]

And it is mainly on "spec grade" receptacles - not so often on the "cheapies"

[Micky]

That is strange. Maybe if you floated it in a bowl of water, you could tell which way was north. That's all I can think of.

[Micky]

Haven't all the outlets been self-grounding for decades, even the ones with paper keepers on the screws? I figured one should remove the paper to get a better ground (if the ground through the bottom of the screw head to the screw to the box isn't enough.)

[gfretwell]

IG is mostly snake oil. IBM dropped the requirement in the Carter administration.

[gfretwell]

You can only do that when the device is mounted tight to the box. If it is out there hanging on the drywall ears, the connection is not good enough to reliably operate the O/C device.