Tapping Into 120v Question

BFL13 wrote:
Ok, so it doesn't matter. It is all about not overloading the breaker, however you distribute the loads into various receptacles. I will find something else to worry about. :)

But it DOES matter that your connection points are not overloaded.
Need to be sure that there is a lot of metal contact area and that the screws are really TIGHT.

Not to the point of breaking something or stripping threads but "snug" just won't do.

BFL13 wrote:
Ok, so it doesn't matter. It is all about not overloading the breaker, however you distribute the loads into various receptacles. I will find something else to worry about. :)

I just had the wiring updated on a 50 yo house. Both bathrooms, large living room and garage were all on a single circuit. No wonder the tenant had issues...

Worrying is like fretting over a son-in-law diving for lobster at midnight. Gaining of information is not the goal.

Wondering about the effects of a certain mechanical arrangement is not worrying. It is called perceptive curiosity --more commonly-- known as learning. A definite proof of intelligence :)

Ok, so it doesn't matter. It is all about not overloading the breaker, however you distribute the loads into various receptacles. I will find something else to worry about. :)

BFL

this 120v A.C nothing is series
all connections are parallel
you ran a 'branch' from that outlet. same connections as a junction box

hot to hot, neutral to neutral, thats parallel

a series of outlets on circuit, can be referred too as 'daisy chain'
but the wiring is NOT in series

this is NO different than the 12v ceiling lights in your RV, pos to pos, neg to neg...parallel feed to all lights on the chain

BFL13 wrote:
I was able to pass a wire (after much digging around for a route) from my new receptacle to another receptacle that has both sets of terminals filled, so it is a "middle of the run".

I added the new receptacle's three wires to that, and it is working showing two yellows on my three-light tester, as it should.

So I avoided the wire nut "issue", but I am still not clear on the series vs parallel thing since it seems to me, I have stolen from the next in the run by tapping in like that.

Does it make any difference if you tap in sideways like I did from adding another receptacle to the "run", for what you can draw from the receptacle?

Thanks.

Just so I understand what you mean by series -vs- parallel: Are you calling wires come from the panel, to a receptacle then "split" into 2 wires to feed other receptacles "parallel" as in the wire splits into parallel paths as opposed to one after the other on a single long run?

Regardless, the wire is more than capable of the full rated current of the circuit breaker so no, you cannot "steal" any power by how you wire them.

Think of this another way: Think of the wires as rope hanging over a cliff and the receptacles as men who are repelling. If you have all three attached to the same rope one below the other, the maximum weight will be felt at the top of the rope. Now if only one guy is suspended from that rope but in turn has 2 different ropes connected to him that have the other guys on them, the load on the top rope is the same. The weak link is always the rope connected to the top.

BFL, remember the days of Christmas tree lights where when one went on the blink they all went out?

That type of series wiring robs downstream power. Receptacles are miniature limited buss bars. Where reference is required for stringing is the limit of receptacles in a string. It has to "fit" the overall complete circuit. Where one receptacle may be fed 15-amperes with fourteen gauge wire, it does not mean a string of four receptacles (therefore) have an aggregate capacity of 15x4 = 60 amperes.

The string has to see a breaker that is correctly sized for the string's amperage.

My four receptacles in my galley are wired with 10AWG wire. Terminations are stacked on one terminal to avoid using the "bridge" in the Bryant terminals. I have this circuit breaker set at 30 amps. These are special receptacles with integral 15 amp pushbutton resets.

I "cheated" and got away with it.

The subject of soldering has yet risen again...

For an OEM to use personnel to solder chassis termination would cost a fortune. Component soldering is done by robotics. Wave soldering for electronics and robotic soldering for components like starter motors and alternators.

To me, an unsoldered automotive terminal is near junk and I refuse to do alternations or repairs minus solder.

If OEM terminals were available at anything less than truly exorbitant prices I would use them. Many firms charge almost a dollar each for small terminals that cost me two and a half cents each.

I would -love- to inventory OEM terminals. By the hundreds if not thousands.

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer

And OEM terminals are awesome...they make a mockery out of regular terminals.



The wide tangs crimped the stripped conductor of the wire, the smaller tangs are crimped strongly into wire insulation.

Sadly they are priced like Kyoto Beef but car manufacturers pay a small fraction of what an aftermarket supplier demands of the general public. These terminals come on reels with snap off tabs.

I was able to pass a wire (after much digging around for a route) from my new receptacle to another receptacle that has both sets of terminals filled, so it is a "middle of the run".

I added the new receptacle's three wires to that, and it is working showing two yellows on my three-light tester, as it should.

So I avoided the wire nut "issue", but I am still not clear on the series vs parallel thing since it seems to me, I have stolen from the next in the run by tapping in like that.

Does it make any difference if you tap in sideways like I did from adding another receptacle to the "run", for what you can draw from the receptacle?

Thanks.

time2roll wrote:


If you do make a wire nut splice it needs to be in a box and accessible. Can't just bury and hid a splice connection in the wall.

And yet, Fleetwood did. :S

You can also use self contained nm splices- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-A22899-000/202204326

Tyco Electronic's Non-metallic splice and tap kits provide a fast and reliable method for splicing or tapping 2 wire w/ ground and splicing 3 wire w/ground non-metallic cables up to 300 volts. They are designed and approved for use in rework within existing structures. Splice and Tap Kits also eliminate wire nuts for installation and replace the conventional method for adding a splice or tap for non-metallic cable without the need for exposed and unsightly junction boxes. NEC approved Article 334-40b.