Insulation Displacement Connector (IDC) Electrical Outlets

Gang:
I have previously posted about these outlets, how they make a poor electrical connection that can be shaken loose during travel vibrations, and how they are are a poor fit for high current applications like electric space heaters. Some owners disputed that these have been used, or even exist. I finally changed out 3 outlets yesterday, and here is a picture of the outlets. Note the complete lack of wire termination screws.


I had to add plastic outlet boxes, outlets, and outlet covers to do the job. The outlet boxes required that the cutouts in the wood paneling had to be widened about 1/8 of an inch. I did this easily in the thin paneling with a paring knife.

If they disputed it, it means they never looked behind the basement walls.

Looks like every RV outlet I've seen including in SOB's. The give-away is that there are no screws in the cover plate as they snap fit. They have the same configuration of any other standard 15A outlet.

The meet all codes and work fine even to drive a space heater or coffee pot if properly installed. Your RV's microwave that draws 12 amps is plugged into one too.

They get used in our travel trailers because they fit in thinner spaces. The only problem might happen if the installer does not properly insert the wires into the outlet so that they bottom in the slots.

Compare the very small electrical contact area to the supply wire by the metal V fingers to the much larger contact area of a connecting metal screw head and contact base. Also compare the more secure mechanical screw compression of the connection versus the weak spring metal contacts of the IDC connectors.

IDC outlet wiring connection example Regular Outlet connectons

They may meet codes and work OK for most applications in the RV but, in my case, the one in the basement of our soon to "old" rig gave me problems so was changed to the standard home outlet. The problem was that they were trying to connect too many romex wires. The basement outlet had one "hot" input and 2 other heavy gauge romex wires tapped into it. This three wire connection made it almost impossible to keep the third set fully seated into the jaws.

A receptacle has 4 screws, but its not made to be used as a splice point or raceway as per code. a splice should be made before and 2 wires one hot one neutral to rcpt.

swburbguy said:

A receptacle has 4 screws, but its not made to be used as a splice point or raceway as per code. a splice should be made before and 2 wires one hot one neutral to rcpt.

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I think that you hit the nail on the head........Don

swburbguy said:

A receptacle has 4 screws, but its not made to be used as a splice point or raceway as per code. a splice should be made before and 2 wires one hot one neutral to rcpt.

Click to expand...

Your Statement about wiring outlets in series has me somewhat confused. could you point me to the NEC section that dictates that outlets need to be wired with pigtails and that the multi-wire compression outlets are not permitted to continue the electrical path to the next outlet. I am not doubting your statement, but I am unable to find that section in the 2014 NEC book and I always like to do things 100% to code.

Thanks

I don't remember the code section ,but is easier to change out a receptacle without effecting anything down line when pigtails are used