Honestly, I used to twist wire nuts by hand for everything, even in a big panel. After a job in Austin where a connection failed on a hot day, I bought a torque screwdriver.

Ngl, it felt slow at first, but now I torque every terminal to spec. Anyone else make that switch, or is it overkill for residential?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara_jones942mo ago

Totally not overkill, that's just doing the job right. After seeing a melted outlet from a loose screw, I made the switch too. @nguyen.tara has the right idea with a preset driver, it's a lifesaver for speed. The key is finding one you'll actually use, even on small jobs, because skipping it is too easy. It feels slow until you avoid your first call-back for a heat-related failure.

nguyen.tara2mo agoMost Upvoted

What kind of torque screwdriver did you end up going with? I had a similar wake-up call after a flickering light issue turned out to be a loose neutral (man, that was a fun troubleshooting afternoon). Now I keep my little preset driver in my bag, it just feels like the right way to do it.

bettyfox2mo ago

Funny you mention it, I read that loose neutrals cause a ton of electrical fires, makes you think.