# Melted split receptacle tabs



## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

Do you have a short version of this novel? LOL


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

*Yes post a picture*

Yes post a picture. Till I read all your post it sounded like they were backstabbed, but you said wrapped around screws. I have seen backstabbed one melt all of one side of a circuit when a heater is plugged in. Your customer may not know what a heavy load is, hair drier, cube heater, curling iron, ....

Please post a picture.


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)

jw0445 said:


> Do you have a short version of this novel? LOL


Yeah sorry I didn't want folks to have to pull teeth for details so I gave them all that I could think of. lol


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Are you absolutely sure that the tabs weren't purposely removed to make half of those receptacles switched? Or possibly to have each (the top and bottom) on it's own circuit? 

I just can't see what would break all 3 at the exact same time without blowing a hole in the receptacle (and wall).


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)

just the cowboy said:


> Yes post a picture. Till I read all your post it sounded like they were backstabbed, but you said wrapped around screws. I have seen backstabbed one melt all of one side of a circuit when a heater is plugged in. Your customer may not know what a heavy load is, hair drier, cube heater, curling iron, ....
> 
> Please post a picture.


Connections were landed on the screw terminals and were secure. As far as the homeowner goes I ran them through a list of just about everything I could think of in terms of possible heavy loads when I asked but I could have missed something. Pictures coming up.


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)




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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Someone bent those apart. They did a crappy job of it.


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)

HackWork said:


> Are you absolutely sure that the tabs weren't purposely removed to make half of those receptacles switched? Or possibly to have each (the top and bottom) on it's own circuit?
> 
> I just can't see what would break all 3 at the exact same time without blowing a hole in the receptacle (and wall).


Only the last tab seemed to be fully gone the first two had remnants that shouldn't be there if they were snapped at the break points the one pictured above was the first one in the circuit closed to the feed. There was only two 14/2 entering all the receptacle boxes so they couldn't have been intended for a split although I do question whoever did the wiring due to the way the bonding was done.


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

*They were cut for sure*

Sometimes they don't break on the score marks, and if someone used dikes they look like that.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Maybe they are spliced in the basement and those 2 14-2 wires are feeding each outlet, top and bottom.

I can't imagine all three blowing up at the same time without a single bit of black on that clean white plastic


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## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

Those were definitely cut....maybe someone used some old stock removed from a previous job


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)

Right makes sense, I did question them if they had anyone in with bad intentions or if someone had given it a go before me and they said no (although I take that with a huge grain of salt). There is some very fine copper spatter that I can see in the black plastic although if someone cut most of the way through or left the bits close enough it may presumably have vaporized the tiny amount left.


As far as the wiring goes when I initially started looking at this I did just simply replace the first receptacle which livened up the top half of the next one in line. The first receptacle had some plaster ingress into the box so I just figured someone had done something while painting or plastering but then when I saw the next one and the one after being the same I disconnected what I had re energized and said I would get back to them. I was obviously concerned if it was an overload of some kind what the state of the wire in the wall was and I don't have access to a megger at the moment to test the insulation. The wiring I could see going to feed the circuit and the wiring visible in the boxes looks pristine so I felt running new lines was overkill but I wasn't comfortable not being able to explain why three outlets had been damaged. They did say it was working when they bought the house although who knows. It was also a repossession when they purchased it.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

otif said:


> As far as the wiring goes when I initially started looking at this I did just simply replace the first receptacle which livened up the top half of the next one in line.


That right there proves that these receptacles were bi-wired.

Those 14-2 aren't daisy chaining from one receptacle box to the other, they are homeruns back to a splicebox somewhere.

I've done something similar a few times. The customer wanted lamps to be switched in their living room, but they also wanted to be able to move the room around in the future and still be able to switch the lamps in the new positions. So I wired every outlet in the living room with a 14-3 homerun to a 6X6 box in the basement so I could configure it any way in the future.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

The amount of current needed to melt those would've taken a whole lotta wire insulation with it. I think Brian John tested that out and they fused at 1,500 amps?

Those just look chewed up.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Those tabs look like they were chewed out by rats teeth or something similar.


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Those tabs look like they were chewed out by rats teeth or something similar.


Or cheap pair of DIY dikes from the dollar store.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Signal1 said:


> Or cheap pair of DIY dikes from the dollar store.


Yup, that's it. The perforations don't do much, you need to cut them out. And someone went to town with the wrong tool :laughing:


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Signal1 said:


> Or cheap pair of DIY dikes from the dollar store.


Tool marks I am unfamiliar with.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

otif said:


> I found that three receptacles presumably wired in line with another all had the split receptacle tab on the line side melted open which resulted in power not reaching the lights.


Personally, I'd sell the house .... It's demons :jester:


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

HackWork said:


> Maybe they are spliced in the basement and those 2 14-2 wires are feeding each outlet, top and bottom.
> 
> I can't imagine all three blowing up at the same time without a single bit of black on that clean white plastic


Ya just gave me a thought on this one .,,


To OP if you did see 2 X 14-2 NMD in the junction boxes did you indenfity the conductors to see which one is switched and one is non switched ?

some case I have see it at least once before and pretty much it is not the best way to do it .,, 

if you going replace those conductor for some reason just run 14-3 NMD and be done with it.


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## otif (Oct 26, 2016)

Hey guys thanks for all your help. I went back there tonight and replaced all the additional outlets. After your feedback I questioned the homeowner again and there story changed to the lights in the room never working since they took possession. After I pulled out the last receptacle again I was able to examine it a bit closer as I had to tunnel to it (this was a bit of a hoarder's house) and couldn't really get close enough to exam it closely prior. The tab was broken off there were no shredded edges on that one and it was definitely snapped off so it became very clear that this, as you guys suggested was done deliberately as opposed to a hardware failure. The house was a repossession and only 10 years old so I guess the previous owner wanted to get revenge for the work they did on the basement or something. Why someone would go to the effort to do that is beyond me but people will be people I guess.


As far as how it was wired it really was just daisy chained through. I did do some due diligence and there were no mystery wall switches or plates and I could see the first receptacle from an unfinished space and the feed the entire way from the panel to the first box. Also being fairly new construction there were no other outlets that had clearly been added in that area of the house that wouldn't have been installed as per code by the builder.


I'm currently off work hence why I didn't have access to a megger(and couldn't afford to go out and grab one) and this was being done pro bono for a lady that does a large amount of charity work in the town. She actually is going to be selling the house to downsize due to also being off on disability and only then asked for help so that there would be lights for the showings. The picture below is the other two receptacle for anyone else like me who might search this and is as unsure as me 


Hopefully I can return the favor some day when Profibus finally makes it into residential. :whistling2:
Thanks again guys


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