Russell McMahon wrote:
>
> A warning about this practice.
> <snipped>
> An allowed practice is to tin the tip only but leave the bulk of
> wires away from the tip bare -the  clamping takes place on the bare
> wires.

  It's good practice to go through the electrical box & do maintenance
checkups every now & then anyways.  I cannot count the number of times
I've caught clamped wires corroding, causing heat problems (My
preference?  Solder 'em, and then carefully re-tighten the clamp
periodically, OR, use a good anti-corrosive grease but that's usually
really nasty to mess with.  Don't always get to go with my preference,
though...)  Seattle's really rainy tonight (Heavy rain & wind storms,
think I'll start building an Ark tomorrow if this keeps up!)  Had a
2-second power outage earlier & numerous glitches, glad I am not a power
or phone lineman tonight...

  Also, those aluminum wires need anti-corrosion treatment every now &
then;  I've caught a few heat problems on older houses by glancing at
their breaker box, by all means hire an electrician if you don't do
mains work enough, but I figure if my blind friend Mary could re-wire
her house (With the right tools and some care!), anyone on the PIC list
can do it.  (Sometimes it's just quicker to hire someone, though.  None
of us get over-busy, right!?)

  Mark, mwillis@nwlink.com