Used to swear by push-in connectors until a service call showed me the fire damage

3 comments

3 Comments

Figured you'd be fine until you smell that burning plastic smell and realize your shortcut just turned into a fire hazard. Push-in connectors are great until they aren't, and then they're really not great. People forget that those little springs can lose tension over time, especially with any kind of vibration or temperature swings. Guess nobody told your customer's house that simple fact.

tyler_white4229d ago

Oh man, Lee is totally right about this one. I had a similar situation a few years back with some push-in connectors on a ceiling fan install (thought I was being clever and saving time). Came back a few months later to a weird smell and sure enough, one of the connectors had melted just enough to start charring the wire nut box. The spring tension thing is real, especially in attics where it bakes in summer and freezes in winter. Never trusted those things since, always use screw-downs or wire nuts now even if it takes an extra minute.

mary_schmidt1mo ago

Wait, you've actually seen one of those burn up in person?