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Images: https://imgur.com/a/NbXxkFl

I was going to change out this outlet.

It was previously all shoved together in a back-wire type outlet (The kind you just stab in). Was going to replace with a new side-wire outlet, but wasn't expecting 6 total wires.

For now, I've just pig-tailed the 3 live wires together, & the 3 neutral wires together, so that the next several outlets down work (crucially, the refrigerator's outlet doesn't work unless these are all connected).

Couple questions:

  • So I'd just pigtail in 2 more wires - 1 white wire to the 3 neutral wires, and 1 black wire to the 3 live wires, then connect those to single posts in the new outlet?

  • Is this not...excessively crowded in that electrical box? Is that OK?

  • Anything else I'm missing that means I'm going to burn down my house?

Thanks,

bbb0777
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  • Back-wire screw-to-clamp outlets are probably going to be necessary here unless you want to use an extension ring to provide more space (and move the outlet out from the wall). Take a look at Jphi1618's answer at the question I linked. – Nate S. Aug 30 '19 at 21:37
  • Could you link to that style of outlet? I've read, regardless of style, it's a no-go to connect multiple wires to the same post, and that as such one needs to pigtail? – bbb0777 Aug 30 '19 at 21:51
  • Link was in the answer I linked, but perhaps not obvious. It's this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Tamper-Resistant-Duplex-Receptacle-15-Amp-White-CARS-15-TR-WH/204612351 – Nate S. Aug 30 '19 at 21:52
  • That outlet style has 4 attachment points per side, two under each screw, so you would not need to pigtail in that case. The 1-wire-per-screw advice is for when you're wrapping around the screw directly; it doesn't apply to the clamp plate style that are designed to clamp onto two wires at once. – Nate S. Aug 30 '19 at 21:53
  • @NateStrickland When doing conduit fill calculations, **pigtails are free**. So it does not matter whether you pigtail or use a screw-to-clamp type. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Aug 31 '19 at 00:37
  • True, by the calculations pigtailing is always fine -- I just wasn't sure it'd fit physically in this case based on the pictures. Though probably if OP trims back the wires already in there it would work. – Nate S. Sep 03 '19 at 16:06

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