best practice would be to pigtail to the switch or receptacle.

i have a book that i bought on basic wiring and it explains that practice they called "middle stripping" and that it was popular back a few years ago because of the time and space savings, and said that it is generally not a good practice, but did not specify if it was a violation of code.

We worked on a home last week that had all of the switches middle stripped. We were replacing several of these switches with dimmers that have wires that are wirenutted to the to the existing switch wires. I removed the old switches and cut the loop in half, straightened the ends out and twisted them together before wirenutting the hot wire from the dimmer. We never do the pratice of middle stripping as it is not acceptable in modern pratice.

Isn't this simply the u-turn method? I do this all the time in gang boxes of switches. I leave the incomming power extra long and then use the black wire u-turning around the screw of each switch. If power continues to other devices sometimes at the end of the loops I wire nut to the next feed. Sometimes I also pigtail all the constants and leave one long wire out of the pigtail to feed all switches. The code has nothing wrong with a wire u-turned on a screw just as a wire curved clock-wise around a screw, right in the example photos around atricle 110.

"...generally not a good practice"'
It is a litlte harder to rework, but arguably by eliminating a connection it should be more reliable.

There's no reason to use this middle stripping method other than to wire quickly to make more money by cutting time. Whenever I come across this method, I do the same as Texasredhead and cut the loops and replace with a pigtail. There really is no place for this in modern wiring.

"There's no reason to use this middle stripping method other than to wire quickly to make more money by cutting time. Whenever I come across this method, I do the same as Texasredhead and cut the loops and replace with a pigtail. There really is no place for this in modern wiring."

Why would you say that? It's a quicker and easier method to wire multiple switches than using multiple pigtails, and eliminates a wire nut connection. As far as the "make more money by cutting time" comment, if you work by the hour, you are saving the customer money, not making money.

The only place I have seen middle stripping used is on tract homes built in the 60's-70's. Those homes were never custom built and were wired by contractors on a per job basis, not by the hour. Hence the "make more money by cutting time."

I am still waiting for why there "no place for this in modern wiring."

It is not against the code, it eliminates a connection (and eliminating connections nearly always increases reliability).

I am still waiting for why there "no place for this in modern wiring."

Because if you actually did renovation wiring on this method of wiring instead of hypothesizing about it, you'd know what an archaic pain it is to work with if any repairs or rewiring are necessary. Nobody, as in electrical contractors, uses it any more. Maybe in your neck of the woods it'll pass code, but here the AHJ will look at it and say why are you wiring like my uncle Brickeye did 40 years ago. Maybe it'll pass, maybe it won't. Depends if the AHJ got up on the Brickeye side of the bed or the Bigbird side. Other than that, I think rather than worry about mid-stripping versus pigtailing, all I can say is we should be more concerned with getting the hell out of Afghanistan and Iraq before more of our soldiers are killed and maimed for nothing!

What the heck where is this going to? How on earth is this a non-workman like installation. You leave the wire long enough so that to the first loop, there is still the required length on the wire from the edge of the box, even if it were cut at the loop later. Wrap a screw, go down to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... more switches whatever it needs. 2 to 7... extra wires under a wire nut are a lot more work, fill up a box more, and are not any more of a better connection than a wire that is never spliced in the connections. If you come in 10 years latter to put in some dimmers, cut the damn loop off the screw at the 1st switch and you are right back where any regular switch box is. If a switch needs to be replaced, loosen the screw and remove the u-turn from around it and it easily can be placed on the new switch. I see this commonly in half the commercial facilities and houses that I go into. I just don't see how anyone would even question this as being quality work.

Well said Spencer, and I agree 100%. I've been "looping" wires for years and have never had a problem or had my workmanship challenged, and I will continue to use this high quality, time, and space saving technique.

"Because if you actually did renovation wiring on this method of wiring instead of hypothesizing about it, you'd know what an archaic pain it is to work with if any repairs or rewiring are necessary."

I actually have been rvovating and workingon this type of stuff for years.
See the previous post:
"It is a little harder to rework..."

It is not a hazard, not in violation of any part of the NEC, and while not routinely used saves a lot of space in multi-gang switch boxes.
Instead of 4 (or more) pigtails in a 4 gang box a single wire is run from switch to switch.

While I haven't used this wiring technique on insulated conductors, I have used the equivalent loop technique with a bare ground. Never been questioned by an inspector I ran across...

Is there a reason they do not make switches with an extra screw terminal on the source side so you can also run a jumper from switch to switch? Similar to an outlet. After reading the posts, I can see the benefit to mid striping. It could be a cluster F have many switches run to one wire nut.

Now that I am thinking, what is the preferred method with wiring room outets running from one to the other? Are most pigtailing to the outlet, or using one of the screw terminals (if this is the correct terminology being I am joe blow homeowner). Yes, lets throw a grenade into the forum and run...he he.

Hey - BBird. Perhaps I'm ignorant but I can't understand how to pigtail relates to how our servicemen are deployed and why. I've looked all over the 2005 NEC and the only reference to 'marine' has to do with docks and water wiring. See Articles 553 and 555.

C'mon, leave the politics at the door, please. Thanks.

"what is the preferred method with wiring room outets running from one to the other? Are most pigtailing to the outlet, or using one of the screw terminals "

If you want any downstream recepts to function if you have to remove/repair a recept, then use pigtailing. If you don't care about that, then use the second set of terminal screws on the recept to run your wires downstream.

"Hey - BBird. Perhaps I'm ignorant but I can't understand how to pigtail relates to how our servicemen are deployed and why. I've looked all over the 2005 NEC and the only reference to 'marine' has to do with docks and water wiring."

It's under article 123.456 of the NEC... the business about how a female sailor should never mid-strip while in the presence of a jihad!

Add one more to the OK to midstrip camp. While I'm more likely to do it with grounds, I've done it with other conductors too. Both midstripping and pigtails are vastly better than the "ball of electrical tape" connection for reworking.

The only hesitation I would have would be that I find it more time consuming to midstrip. I don't know of any specialized tool that does this; what am I missing? I've used a penknife.

Doing that, there's a risk that you'll nick the conductor with the blade. That might be of concern.

The way I do it is leave the wire long, with a good amount hanging from the box strip the wire just as you normally would with wire strippers except with another 12 or whatever more inches of insulation ahead. The insulation slides down the wire, then procede to the next switch with some extra wire between and do the same thing. At the last switch there is all the excess insulation hanging off so you cut it and just stip it as a dead end wire would be. Another way would be to use a single peice of wire for all the switches but wire nut it with the rest of the out going power feeds from the box. I also like this for 2 duplex receptacles forming a quad. Avoids the pigtails entirely in that situation.

As I'm sure all the electricians know ...
You're only supposed to wrap wire clockwise around the
screw. This helps the wire to tighten and stay tight. My
concern is the length to the next device could cause it to
loosen over time. Think heating. Also it seems to be
counter to strain relief requirements that I've learned in
the electronics trade. Opinions?
Thanks

My book is in the car but it shows pictures of the allowed ways to make a connection. It shows clockwise around the screw and also u-turning around the screw. I find the connections very firm

Mid stripping is accepted practice where I live. Having said that, I will add that I usually wind up cutting them for one reason or another. A few weeks ago I went into a bathroom in our new house to reverse a 3-way switch that had been installed upside down (one of the few devices that the electrician got installed before he quit the job). He had mid stripped the common hot from another switch, and he made it really short. When I tried to reverse the 3-way switch, the wire wouldn't reach. I had to cut it and pigtail.

saxmaan1, you do realize that the reason outlets have two sets of screws is so you can split-wire the outlet? The screws are not intended to be used as feedthroughs. I do not hold with using devices as feedthroughs. I once witnessed a (fortunately small) fire where an old outlet that was wired as a feedthrough got hot due to an oxidized connection. A portable heater, plugged into another outlet downstream, was drawing the current that caused the outlet to overheat. The fire department responded and pulled out the outlet, and the terminal screws were glowing red. It caused a huge amount of confusion because nothing was plugged into that outlet, and no one could figure out why it was hot. The heater that was drawing the current was in another room, and it was only identified as being on the same circuit when the overheated outlet finally disintegrated and the connection broke. It was an old building, and it took another hour to find the panel and breaker for that circuit. Had the room where the fire started not been occupied at the time, it could very well have burned the building down.

So call me paranoid, but I will not use a device as a feedthrough. Inspectors around here accept the practice of taking a hot or neutral into a device using the backstab, and then using the terminal screw to wire a feedthrough. For the life of me I don't understand why they accept this. Whenever I find such an installation, I take it apart and install pigtails.

As for the question about outlets: In our new house, I used a bunch of prefabricated pigtails for the outlets. These come with a wire nut attached to one end, and a spade lug on the other. They are 12ga stranded and can be used for 15A and 20A circuits. They saved me a lot of work. Every time I did an outlet, I took a prefab pigtail and attached the line in and line out using its wire nut, and then it was a simple matter to attach the spade lug to the outlet's terminal screw. The pigtails come in black, white, and green, so you can match colors properly. All the big-box stores around here seem to have them.

The screws are not intended to be used as feedthroughs. I do not hold with using devices as feedthroughs

The practice of using the screws for a feed through is accepted because the manufacturers design them to be used that way and that is how UL tests and lists them, and why 15 AMP receptacles have a 20 AMP "feed through" rating. The tab is definitely there to allow splitting the receptacle, but it sure isn't a consideration for not using the receptacle as a feed through device

An incorrectly done splice or connection done with any type of connector or device will lead to problems. The majority of houses built anymore have the receptacle used as a feed through and we don't have massive failures because this method was used. I've seen more bad splices made with wire nuts than with screws on receptacles.

As to "looping" wire for connections, I did it early in my career and found it to be more work, for me, so I don't do it anymore. I can't imagine how looping wouldn't be code compliant or why it would be considered bad workmanship - it's just one of several ways something can be hooked up in a box.

UNK

With NM cable, the middle strip has always seemed like slower work to me. But in conduit, using THHN or similar conductors, using this technique where two devices (switches perhaps) are supplied by one conductor, is frequently done. No problem, no NEC violation.

"A few weeks ago I went into a bathroom in our new house to reverse a 3-way switch that had been installed upside down"

3-way switches have an up and a down?

I once witnessed ... an old outlet that was wired as a feedthrough got hot ...

Funny, my experience is just the opposite. I'll admit, I'm not a pro, so I haven't seen it all ;-), but I've seen a poorly applied wirenut get hot enough to melt. I've never seen a receptacle screw cause a similar problem.

In theory, it's probably just as easy for a careless worker to leave a terminal screw loose as to do a crummy job with a wirenut. In practice, I suspect that the latter is more common.

One thing I DO NOT get. Big Bird and fa_f3 mention about inspectors "accepting the practice", or "Maybe it'll pass, maybe it won't".
What is up with your inspectors??? Do they routinely make up their own rules? Do you simply cave when they do?
Why would an inspector have to "accept the practice" of something that is ABSOLUTELY legal. He really has NO choice.

Do I loop my feeds? NO, not anymore.
I have grown to really dislike the practice. I don't feel pigtails for each device take up any more room than looping. It is also very typical to have more than one feed (in or out) in a box so you have a wire nut anyway. Besides, I use the deepest boxes I can for everything so space is rarely a problem.
I just like an individual wire for each device.

Petey: You're right; there is nothing in the CEC about mid-stripping and loops, but the AHJ's I have come across have told me, sometimes, not always, that the loop method is from the 50's and 60's and "not up to today's wiring standards", whatever that means. So let me retract my much earlier statement that it isn't to code. It is. I never do it, as it takes me more time to wire than pigtails and marrettes. As you know, when you have to fix something that was done with mid-stripping, you must rip out all the wire, as the locations where it was stripped will inevitably never line up properly again. I have never had an inspector reject it personally, because I never do it. I am just going by what several AHJ's have told me when I inquire. Our AHJ's are not necessarily licensed electricians. They are building inspectors employed by my city and may be plumbers or carpenters or electricians. Outside of my city in towns and rural the inspectors are employed by the Poco and are all qualified electricians.

"Also it seems to be counter to strain relief requirements that I've learned in the electronics trade. Opinions? "

The 90 degree bends to go over to the next device will provide more than adequate strain relief.
Given the bending and folding required to get the required length of wire back into the box behind a device, strain relief is the least of the problems.
It is not required very much in permanent wiring since there should not be any strain placed on the connections inside a box anyway.
Having worked for over 30 years in electronics and electrical, I can only recall even using solid #14 wire once outside of electrical wiring. It was for a large common mode choke in a 380 VDC unit.
Just about everything else is stranded.

"3-way switches have an up and a down?"

OK, call me anal, but... I like for 3-ways to be installed so that when both switches are down, the light is off.

Are those stranded wires OK to use as previously commented with the metal clip or piece on them. I would help getting all those wires back into a tight box.

If the light is off with both 3-way switches down, it also will be off with both switches in the "up" position. If one encounters one of the mercury type 3-way switches, the mounting strap indicates which way is "up" for installing the switch. It will not work properly otherwise.

Okay first when you have more than one heart in a switch box you can leave one hot mom enough to wrap the switches. But then you have the second hot every switch only has one hot screw so how would you get the second hot on the switch without stabbing it in the back of the switch. So in cases where there are multiple hearts I take one long wire cutback the hot stripped them back twist the long wire with all hot wires in the Box. Then take the one long wire that is made up with all the hot wires in the Box and wrap it around the hot screw on each switch. Second of all how can a three-way switch be put in upside down every switch tells you top or bottom if you do not know. Even though every three way is in the down position at first. Once one of the 3-way switches is flipped to turn on or off the lights there an opposite positions. Three-way switches cannot stay in the same position as each other all the time. Because if you go to one switch and flip it up the light turns off if you go to the other switch and Flip It Up the light turns on. So how can you sit there and say that you like three-way switches to be all in the same position?

Hopefully, this got resolved when it was posted over 10 years ago...

OK, I'll admit my ignorance. What's a "heart in a switch box"? What's a "hot mom"? (Sounds like something you'd find on those websites you have to pay for.) And "multiple hearts"? Yes, it's also a 10+ year old thread, not that it isn't interesting.

I think it's a combination of poor typing, poor grammar and autocorrect. Maybe dictated to Siri?

"one heart in a switch box" == "one hot in a switch box"

"leave one hot mom enough" == "leave one hot long enough"

...and no proofreading. However, I must admit that the original version was sexier ;-)

heart = earth (move the h)

mom = omm (move the m)

!@#$%

LOL box hearts and hot moms... what will they come up with next?

I found a middle stripped wire in my step parents bathroom light switch. Except... the neutral was hooked to the metal box, and there was no ground.

I took pics, and redid it...

Can anyone verify if that is normal or if it was a huge shock risk they have been living with for however many years. I know the ground and neutral are bound in the panel but not sure if what they did in that box was kosher.

It's entirely up to the local jurisdiction. The NEC is silent on the practice. The only thing that can't be done is having the device itself part of the grounded conductor connection for multiwire branch circuits. Looping the conductor doesn't violate this.

Ron, I'm assuming you are saying the "middle stripped wire" is okay, not the neutral hooked to the metal box. THAT isn't okay.

Correct, I was talking about looping the stripped conductor around the screw.

It is not proper to have the grounded conductor (neutral) touch the equipment grounding conductor (or anything that is supposed to be bonded to it like a metal box). They are only connected at the SERVICE DISCONNECT (which is not necessarily even the panel where the branch circuit originates).

In fact, my house has no main panel. The service disconnect is a mongo 400A switch ahead of the generator transfer switch. It's kind of satisfying to pull that thing and watch the generator fire up.

will middle stripping instead of a pigtail for feed through eliminate one hot wire in the electrical box.

1. Wires that start and end in a box -- pigtails -- are not counted when computing box fill.

2. Best to start a new thread, rather than add to the end of a long thread that's 12 years old.