Electrical: when are loops at screw terminals allowed?

My electrician seems to love looping the hot wire from one switch to another in a 2-gang box. Is this fully against code or just not advisable?

Could someone please explain to me then what is "illegal" about the "looping" that the OP is talking about?

Maybe it isn't, maybe it is just considered a questionable practice by some (including some inspectors?).

Wayne (the OP)

OK, based on the comments so far, let me try to revise what I think I know about looping a wire around a screw terminal (and continuing to another connection):

2) It is advisable to do this with the EGC and the grounding screw of a metal box or strap, because it makes a neater, tighter installation.

So that still leaves me with the question of whether it is a good idea to do this with the EGC and the ground screw on a device. Specifically, for a light switch, I'm considering looping the EGC of the cable with the outbound switched hot around the ground screw of the switch that serves it. What's the downside?

Thanks, Wayne

I have switches like this, a single hot comes in, and it daisey chained from one switch to another without ever being cut. It is the ONLY time I have found a terminal screw used in my house. Everything else is BACK STABBED. :(

later,

tom

Could be a 2002 110.3(b) violation. I just checked the instructions on a box of NM-B and found it says to make connections at the end.

With some inspectors(I've heard of), that's is more than enough to fail an inspection

hth,

tom

Could you elaborate on what that section covers? Does it deal specifically with NM cable?

With conduit installations it's commonplace when running wires from box to box to simply leave a loop in each box and cut off some insulation from the loop and hook it around the screw terminal.

Any NEC quotes are summaries, please read the code for yourself:

No, it's a general instruction: "Installation and Use of Equipment". You need to follow the manufacturer's instruction. If the manufacture says to only connect at the ends of insulated conductors, then you need to do so.

Can't say it's too common. Simple since other people I run into, and how I was taught, you cut, pigtail, and wirenut. If you are using a greenie, then just cut, and wirenut. Now with the free end goes to the ground screw.

The knawing of insulation in the middle of the wire run seemed to look lazy/unprofessional, so I'm guessing an inspector can hit you as a

Remeber i'm still learning, so I listen to what hapens to other electricians and take note.

later,

tom

Maybe naive question, but does "back stabbed" imply some particular kind of wiring (defect?), and if so, what is that?

Thanks,

David

Many residential grade (cheap) wiring devices have holes where a 14 gauge solid wire can be "stabbed" in and a spring clamp will hold it in place. It's a labor saving feature that can result in intermittent connections.

"back stabbing" is what I call when you strip the wire and push through the tiny holes in the back of a device(switch, receptacle, etc) that only uses spring pressure to hold onto the wire. So all you do is stab it into the hole.

This is different from what I call 'back wiring' where you insert the wire into the back, under a pressure plate and tighten a screw.

hth,

tom

technical term for arcing and flickering of lights, applances, etc....

thx,

tom

According to The Real Tom :

Scary things those.

Backwiring was described to me as the act of bending the ground wire back over the cable sheath, and using the box clamp to "make the ground" connection.

Ick.

Back stab connections are legal. However the perspective is human safety. Code is only concerned with human safety. You have other concerns beyond human safety. Concerned not addressed by code.