10 Things You Didn't Know About Outlets

I'm a pro, over 20 years experience in the field, and 28 years in the electrical wholesale business. Everything you're showing your audience is spot on correct, and it's how I do it👍🏻

Excellent tutorial! I am a DIYr and have been doing electrical for over 40 years. I started learning when I was 10 and helped my dad. He would let me do all of the switches and outlets which I would leave hanging out so that he could review my work. What you are teaching is HUGELY valuable to all DIYrs. Great job and keep up the great work.

DIY - 1. I had a custom home built years ago and the electricians oriented switched receptacles with the ground up so they are easily identified. I loved this idea as a best-practice and applied it to subsequent remodel projects I've done. Keep these great videos coming!

16, trade school attending DIYer here, I knew of speed wiring (and the higher danger associated with it), side wiring (the standard for my class), but had never knew of back wiring being a thing as I haven't worked with commercial grade receptacles yet. Thankyou for the new information that we haven't covered in class, I'll definitely speak with my instructors for deeper understandings of some of the concepts you spoke of in the video, thanks mate!

Pro 2. If you’re just switching half of the receptacle there’s no need to break the tab on the neutral side. Also, “speed wiring” or back stabbing as it’s commonly referred to is never a good idea, I’m glad you said that more than once, it’s worth repeating. I have been a licensed electrician for 35+ years and have repaired many overheated loose connections due to back stabbing.

A combination of 2 of these points is Switched Outlets and Ground Terminal facing Up. In a previous home, nearly all receptacles were installed with ground facing down. The exception was the switched outlets. These were installed with ground facing up so that it was instantly identifiable as to which outlet was controlled by the switch, and it was always the top outlet of the upside down or ground up receptacle that was controlled by the switch. I found that to be very cool and helpful when we moved in.

DIY 5. Speed wiring a common issue I have come across when having to do electrical repairs of a former home owner DIYer. I suspect most of the problems are the result of failing to understand that it is a one time use only feature. Great video, keep ‘em coming.

DIY. Watched my father DIY literally everything like an expert. Excellent video for me. I am changing all receptacles in house on my own as a 62yo female. Love it!

Pro having been a licensed General Contractor and wiring hundreds of houses I wanted to comment that these videos are fantastic. For anyone whether replacing an outlet or doing inspection this is fantastic information. I recently purchased an older home (1955) build and am upgrading all of the electrical. It has been so very interesting to see all of the different ways people have wired outlets over the years! When going through apprenticeship I was trained to always put the ground down on a outlet.

DIYer here who didn't realize point no 3 that the speed wiring terminal was for a one time use only. I agree, I don't trust this feature and never use it. For item 4, never noticed the hook for bending the wire around the screw. For Item no 9, after working for Underwriters Laboratories for years, I was taught that receptacles should always be installed with ground prong toward the bottom so that if a plug begins to fall out of an outlet, the ground pin will be last to loose contact. This is also the reason why the ground pin on the plug is a little longer.

Pro with 20+ years of residential wiring and aware of 9 of the tip except for the receptacle stripping feature -- I would never suggest anyone use it. We all thank you for your well-done DIY tutorials, I would trust sending my friends and customers your videos.

DIY-1 Calling the thing on the wall an "outlet" is proper and descriptive. In the same sense as calling the power connector on the back of your computer is an "inlet". Love your videos.

I used to be a pro I went to electrical trade school and learned all this there over 30yrs. ago. It's nice to see someone informing others the right terminology. NEVER EVER USE the quick/ speed wiring I've seen them fail and cause more problems then there worth.

DIY 3. When I replace outlets, I do ground down, unless it's a switched outlet. Those I do ground up, so they are easily identifiable

DIYer 5,6,7 - love these kinds of informational vids as well as the how-to’s. I’ve always been someone who needs to know the how AND the why. Knowing the “why” helps a lot in figuring out what to do when I run into something I wasn’t expecting.

Pro 1. Didn't know the nickel/ dime thing, but its pretty easy to tell the difference once you've worked with it for a while. Also jackets are color coded now white, yellow, orange but when I started everything was white. I've seen the thing about the built in wire stripper, but I have never tried it myself and don't know anyone who has. I was also taught that the two ears top and bottom can be broken off and used as shim washers to level the outlet to the wall. I think the ground up/down was more of a regional thing, at least 20 or 30 years ago. I like to put them ground down because some polarized wall wart type power supplies tend to unplug themselves if the ground is up.

Learned that when I was an electricians helper, in the 70s, went on to get my journeyman's license and then my Master electricians license, and at almost 70 years old I'm still learning, I love learning and helping others to learn more. Great field to work in , but you have to keep up with the changes.

DIY-4. The built-in wire bending is a GREAT one that I had no idea about. That would have saved me a ton of time. Thanks!

DIY-er Trained electrician but never worked in the industry. Got into sales my whole life but my training has stayed with me all these years. I like the ground UP!

DIY 9. I've replaced a lot of receptacles and I always bent the shepherds hook with pliers. I thought that there must be an easier way. Thanks for showing it to me. Also, I emphatically agree about speed wiring. I lived in a house for 30 years that was totally speed wired and I had to rewire a lot of receptacles while living there. Most were malfunctioning when I moved into the house which, at the time, was only 3 years old. Thank you.