Wires Too Short in Outlet Box, How to Extend Length ?

[Doug Kanter]

Yeah, well, if you don't, you could burn your house down, or your boat or car, wherever you've got crimp connections.

[dnoyeB]

I did this at one house. Cut out the drywall and put on wire nuts on a length of fresh wire. Probably not proper. That wiring was soooo bad. I been meaning to put some AFCIs in that house. I think ill do that this weekend. Probably all that wiring should be replaced as it was brittle and the walls were bade of wood. Accident waiting to happen.

Proper way I think would have been to rip open the wall, and put in an extra box closer to the source of the wire and let the wire nuts be in the extra box. Or maybe just move the outlet.

[Sandy]

replying to zxcvbob, Sandy wrote: Those back-stab outlets will work but they won't hold as well as regular side post switches.

[Sandy]

replying to zxcvbob, Sandy wrote: Those back-stab outlets will work but they won't hold as well as regular side post switches.

[trader_4]

The back clamp type, which is what zxybob recommended will perform as well as screw terminal switches or receptacles.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Tue 20 Mar 2018 12:14:02p, Sandy told us...

It's true that they don't hold s well, but once properly installed and mountded properly, what's to make them loosen up? I've used them on some occasions and never had a problem.

If you really need to lenghthen the wires, the additional pieces of wire can be joined together first, then soldered, then properly insulated.

[Clare Snyder]

For north american code simply wire-nutting a "pigtail" on is all that is required. In a situation like that I wirenut a length of stranded wire on to allow more flexibility. "Back Stab" outlets are a REALLY BAD idea. Back "clamp" outlets are a GOOD idea (screw clamped rear wire entry)