Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn
What scares me more than the old two wire system's, is the modern code approved twisted(wire nut) connections, and those crazy push in terminals on the back of duplex receptacles.
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There's two types of wiring devices. Back wired and back stabbed. Back wired devices are the better quality devices. They have pressure terminals, that when using the back holes, you have to tighten the terminal screws to retain the connection.
The back stab devices, just have the holes to insert the wires. There's just a string type retainer to hold the lead. The screws are just there to connect the leads, if side wiring is desired. That is the best and preferred method. They're only listed for # 14 solid. The better back wired devices are listed for #12 or #14 solid or stranded.
Regarding wire nuts, they're only as good as the care used to install them. I've seen them burn up, from excessive load. That generally can be traced to improper installation.
Regarding K&T wiring: They claim that any K&T wiring, that remains unmolested, from the original installation is as safe as any other wiring system. The only negative is there's no ground available.