Special Receptacles for Three Sets of Wires?

[molo]

I'm wondering if they make a receptacle with 3 sets of screws and not just 2? This is to avoid a pigtail with three pieces of 12-2 coming into a receptacle box.

Thank in Advance!

[ActionDave]

Not that I have seen. If you get an old recpt. that will still allow 12AWG for backstabs you could stab two sets of the wires and wrap the third around the screws.

What is the issue with pigtailling? Wire nuts are easy to come by. Box fill calcs do not include them. I think it is easier to stuff all of the wires back into the box and attach the device to the lone pigtails reaching out to greet me.

[molo]

Not that I have seen. If you get an old recpt. that will still allow 12AWG for backstabs you could stab two sets of the wires and wrap the third around the screws.

What is the issue with pigtailling? Wire nuts are easy to come by. Box fill calcs do not include them. I think it is easier to stuff all of the wires back into the box and attach the device to the lone pigtails reaching out to greet me.

I'm thinking that the box will be more packed with the wire nuts, but maybe not. With pigtails the outlet won't be wired "in series" which is a plus.

[hj]

They make outlets with two rear openings, but the wires are secured by clamping them with the screw, NOT "back stabbing" them, so you could put a wire under the screw head before tightening it.

[jimbo]

Most quality receptacles these days ( not the 69 cent puppies) have what is called the "backwire" feature. At each screw location, you can insert TWO wires which are clamped when the screw is tightened. Thus you can have up to 4 blacks and 4 whites.

[molo]

Thanks for the responses! We chose to pigtail and there were no space issues.

[jwelectric]

Great ending to a good story, good job