bcowen 61 posts 03-05-2017 :09am
@audiolover718:
Did you notice any difference after replacing outlets 1-3, or did you do any before/after comparisons? Not trolling...I’m genuinely interested as I have a similar wiring configuration. Using a Furu GTX-D(R) for the outlet powering the system, but haven’t gotten around to doing anything with the other outlets on the circuit. Thanks!
bcowen,
In regards to the OP’s situation he stated the duplex receptacle outlets he removed were the really cheap residential grade receptacles that didn’t even provide side wire screw terminal connections. At the time his house was built the electrical contractor probably bought the duplex outlets in bulk for around 20 cents each.
Here is the problem with the cheap outlets. With the passage of time the spring clips that holds the hot and neutral current carrying wires lose their memory spring tension due to heating that takes place in the connection caused from various connected loads. In my previous post I used the example of a vacuum cleaner with a 12 amp motor. As time passes the more usage generated heat causes the spring clips to lose even more spring tension. The result at first is a slight series arcing between the branch circuit wire/s and the spring contact/s. The series arcing generates more heat. More arcing more generated heat. Basically the same principle that causes the receptacle holding tension that holds the plug blades tight in the receptacle. The arcing can also create a VD, voltage drop, across the wire to spring contact connection.
When the cheap outlets are daisy chained together with one another the feed though provision of the device is placed in series with the hot and neutral wires respectively of the incoming and outgoing lines entering and exiting the receptacle outlet junction box.
(Hot in wire inserted in Hot side contact clip > feed through > Hot wire out of other clip to next duplex receptacle. Repeat the same process for the neutral in and out wires that connect to each duplex receptacle.)
Scroll down the page pictures of the Link to a close up picture of the feed through contact. This is a Leviton outlet. As cheap as the Leviton looks imagine how cheap the contacts are in the OP’s stab in the back only 20 cent outlets.
https://www.handymanhowto.com/electrical-outlets-side-wire-versus-back-wire/
You asked if the OP could hear any difference after replacing, the old stab the wire in the back duplex receptacles, with duplex receptacles using side wire terminals. He should have. And not because of the audio grade receptacles he used. The main reason he should have heard a difference is because of the better feed through contact termination connections from duplex receptacle to duplex receptacles, 1, 2 , and 3. The OP eliminated a total of 12 possible wire to spring clip poor connections. If any arcing was occurring in any of the 12 connections, when he was listening to his audio system, The arcing, I would think, would introduce AC noise/RFI feeding the power supplies of his audio equipment.
Was there any VD across any of the 12 wire to spring connections of the old receptacles? Good chance there was. Especially when he was pushing the power amp. As the amp was trying to recharge the caps in the power supply it was drawing more current from the AC mains. More current the greater the possibility of more VD. I wouldn’t be surprised if the OP has found his audio system sounds cleaner with a tighter bass and he has noticed he can crank the volume up louder than before without any distortion.
If it were me though I would still rework the branch circuit wiring in all the outlet boxes of the branch circuit. I would joint together the hot and neutral wires, respectively, and pigtail out the hot and neutral wires to feed duplex outlets at each of the 4 receptacle outlet boxes.
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http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electrical_Outlet_Backwire_Failures.php
http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electrical_Outlet_Backwired.php
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