Everyone swears by pigtails for outlets but I'm backing away from that after a job in Phoenix

Was wiring up a new build out in Surprise last month and every single outlet had pigtails from the previous crew. Then the homeowner mentioned they had flickering lights in the living room. Turned out one of the pigtail connections was loose inside the box. Now I just run the line straight to the outlet and use the second screw for the downstream. Has anyone else ditched pigtails after finding a bad connection?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerc8626d ago

Nah, you might be overthinking it a bit. Pigtails aren't the problem, it's just bad workmanship. That loose connection you found was probably someone who didn't twist the wires tight enough before capping them. I've seen that happen in Phoenix builds too where the heat makes the wire expand and contract. But using the outlet as a splice is actually against code in some areas cause it puts stress on the little tab between the screws. Run the line to the outlet first, then pigtail off that, that way you keep the connection solid and still have the second screw free if you need it later.

jason_robinson26d ago

Man over in Tucson got zapped last month doing exactly that, using the outlet body as a splice. He was fine but it blew a hole in the drywall and scared his cat half to death. Now his wife makes him call a licensed guy for any outlet swap.