# Ideal wirenuts on stranded wire.



## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

I am a fanatic about tightening wirenuts. I have massive forearms and I'm not afraid to use them. A couple years ago, I istalled some circuits with stranded wire. All the connections were stranded to stranded. 



When I came back to add some more to this circuitry, I opened a box, pulled out the wires and a wirenut fell to the ground. I was shocked.....no, I was stunned to see this. I could *never *leave a connection so loose. I shook it off and decided to be even more dilligent when using stranded wire.



Yesterday, I have to make a bunch of stranded/solid splices. I lined up the ends and twisted them until the wires started twisting around each other. I had to get back in the box to install a ground wire and as I pulled out the wiring, THREE nuts came off. The wires were twisted around each other but the nuts poped off in my hand. 

It was a WTF moment. I KNOW that stranded to solid connections can be tricky but come on. I have done it 50 thousand times. You can see in the pic that the wires were twisting together yet the nuts just fell off.

Anyway...........I checked them all and buttoned it up.










The tape on the 8's are for added protection. I have seen wing nuts split when they are too tight. I crank the big wire connections very tight with ny needlle nosed pliers and add some tape just for the halibut.


In other words, STFU about the taped nuts :laughing:


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

220/221 said:


> I am a fanatic about tightening wirenuts. I have massive forearms and I'm not afraid to use them. A couple years ago, I istalled some circuits with stranded wire. All the connections were stranded to stranded.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's the nature of the beast. Diligence is the word you used and that's what it takes. Twist and then pull to see if it is tight. And I don't see anything wrong with the tape.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Can't say that I've ever had any special issues, but I don't use that particular Ideal wire nut. I use the B-Caps, from Ideal's Buchanan line.


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## heel600 (Oct 31, 2007)

220/221 said:


> I am a fanatic about tightening wirenuts. I have massive forearms and I'm not afraid to use them. A couple years ago, I istalled some circuits with stranded wire. All the connections were stranded to stranded.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I only use Twisters, and don't have any problems. Do you lead the stranded when mixing solid and stranded?

When both are stranded I'm anal about making sure they are dead even.

Now that I think about it, I could see not doing that making 1 wire slip out, not the wirenuts falling off.

Oh well.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Someone else could of had their hands in there taking things apart.. you never know..


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> Someone else could of had their hands in there taking things apart.. you never know..


I was working alone and it was 10 minutes after I installed them :laughing:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

220/221 said:


> I was working alone and it was 10 minutes after I installed them :laughing:


We all make mistakes, but only a few have the balls to list them on a Internet forum :thumbsup:


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Black4Truck said:


> We all make mistakes, but only a few have the balls to list them on a Internet forum :thumbsup:


Black4Truck, be careful;Didn't you hear about those arms?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

RIVETER said:


> Black4Truck, be careful;Didn't you hear about those arms?


:laughing::laughing:


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

Ill crush him like that can of skotchcoat


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

220/221 said:


> Ill crush him like that can of skotchcoat


:thumbup:


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

220/221 said:


> Ill crush him like that can of skotchcoat


Did you get those forearms from retightening your loose joints over the years?


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## Daniel Korb (Jan 26, 2010)

This is my favorite wire nut, it is a 3m red/ yellow, it grips stranded like a hobo on a ham sandwich


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

*Halibut !!!!!*

Ever seen one? Funny to hear that term from a 'Flat lander'.

That's all, just caught my eye as a man raised on the ocean (Sea coast).


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> Did you get those forearms from retightening your loose joints over the years?


No. Intenet ****.



> Ever seen one? Funny to hear that term from a 'Flat lander'.


Only on a plate.:thumbsup:


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## NY ELECTRIC (Sep 27, 2009)

Daniel Korb said:


> This is my favorite wire nut, it is a 3m red/ yellow, it grips stranded like a hobo on a ham sandwich


:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Daniel Korb said:


> This is my favorite wire nut, it is a 3m red/ yellow, it grips stranded like a hobo on a ham sandwich


This is the winner right here 3M I use the orange/blue, yellow/red, and blue/gray exclusively. Those red ideals in your pic just need to get bumped to come loose.

~Matt


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## Innovative (Jan 26, 2010)

Daniel Korb said:


> This is my favorite wire nut, it is a 3m red/ yellow, it grips stranded like a hobo on a ham sandwich


The only wirenuts we use since they came out in about 1999-2000. For stranded wire they are the only way to go. A little more expensive but well worth it.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

The problem is you didn't use your massive forearms to open a can of SCOTCHKOTE and put it on the connections!:whistling2::laughing:


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

I use only Ideal tan and orange and sometimes blue. I Never use the reds or yellows and I don't over tighten them.

I haven't used the 3-Ms. I will give them a try.


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

The 3m's are awesome, but expensive...I've used all of them...the orange/blue and the yellow/tan don't take up much space either:thumbsup:


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## Innovative (Jan 26, 2010)

The ziptie/sawzall blade guy sells them....... his deal was buy 10,000 get a 500 ct jug for free. His price was about .16 per nut tho........We pay about 7-8 cents per nut tho.....so he tried to throw in some zip ties.....

BTW, has anyone actually bought stuff from that used car salesman???
I got to a point where I didnt answer my phone if it was a call from AZ. That is where the number always originated from.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

I have used Ideal wing nuts ever since they hit the market and have never had the first issue with them. Wing nuts not wire nuts like in the OP's picture. I have little use for wire nuts.


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## Mr. Sparkle (Jan 27, 2009)

3M Performance plus wire connectors all the way. :thumbsup:


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## Mr. Sparkle (Jan 27, 2009)

NolaTigaBait said:


> The 3m's are awesome, but expensive...I've used all of them...the orange/blue and the yellow/tan don't take up much space either:thumbsup:


Yep they are a little more pricey but in all honesty you are talking about the equivalent of maybe $15 on an average sized new house.


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> BTW, has anyone actually bought stuff from that used car salesman???


That knucklehead used to call us *all the freaking time* telling off color jokes and trying to sell saw blades. I would give his sh!t right back to him telling him if I needed saw blades I'd just go the The Home Depot like a normal person. He would get pissed and start swearing, F word and all.

I finally got him to stop by threatening to killl his dog or some sh!t


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

Twister Pro's, small blues, big blue all ideal.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

WAGO'S are rated for stranded wire, but not the fine stuff


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## rnr electric (Jan 29, 2010)

i use B-2 wirenuts, they seem to be the best ive used yet.. 
BTW: regarding your last post Hack no hack i THINK your defense lies in NEC 358.60(2002)"EMT shall be permitted as an equipment grounding conductor" i dont have 08 nec at the house this is 2002 so i might get alot of hate mail for this


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## goose134 (Nov 12, 2007)

One thing that helps a bit is cutting the splice on a slight angle after twisting it. I work the wirenut over the splice with a little wiggle and then twist it till it don't go no more. That said, I've seen some wirenuts just fall right off, but I couldn't say with any certainty if they used the same technique. It is always a bit trickier with solid/stranded connections.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

goose134 said:


> One thing that helps a bit is cutting the splice on a slight angle *after twisting it*. I work the wirenut over the splice with a little wiggle and then twist it till it don't go no more. That said, I've seen some wirenuts just fall right off, but I couldn't say with any certainty if they used the same technique. It is always a bit trickier with solid/stranded connections.


What twist? :blink:

Now we can run off topic for a few pages.. :jester:


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

One little detail: The twists in the conductors can and do end up backward from the wirenut twist and the whole mess comes apart the tighter the nut is twisted. The tan Ideals can be installed with a 5/16 socket which save a lot of time on the large jobs -- THHN and conduit.

So, I retwist the conductor so the stripped wire twist is going the same way as the wirenut twist and I don't over tighten them.


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## goose134 (Nov 12, 2007)

Yeah, yeah, I know that manufacturers don't recommend twisting. But it has been discussed before and I believe the general opinion is to twist. I stand by my statement.


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## 4Runner (Apr 4, 2010)

220/221 said:


>


I'm surprised nobody commented on the one obvious hack splice in the picture. 2 #8's under a red wing nut. :no:


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

> I'm surprised nobody commented on the one obvious hack splice in the picture. 2 #8's under a red wing nut. :no:


Fail.

Scroll to the *452*

http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/products/references/ideal_ul_listed_combinations.pdf


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## Rudeboy (Oct 6, 2009)

220/221 said:


> Fail.
> 
> Scroll to the *452*
> 
> http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/products/references/ideal_ul_listed_combinations.pdf


Yep all good, 2#8's is cool. But I'm thinking that's the cutoff. #6 splices need to be blue wing nuts.


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## 4Runner (Apr 4, 2010)

220/221 said:


> Fail.
> 
> Scroll to the *452*
> 
> http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/products/references/ideal_ul_listed_combinations.pdf


:notworthy:

I still say it's hack because you had to use tape on them like a DIY. :w00t:


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## crazyboy (Nov 8, 2008)

No problems with stranded under tan's so far


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

RIVETER said:


> Did you get those forearms from retightening your loose joints over the years?


 Na, probably an eighties electrician like myself who hung SEU with 2" panhead screws and an awl and screwdriver three times a week.


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

crazyboy said:


> No problems with stranded under tan's so far


I've never had any problems with tans and that includes twisting them with a driver and 5/16 socket.

All in the feel. I want to add a sexist remark, but I won't....


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Do you twist the stranded wire first prior to wirenut installation ? Can't say I've ever encountered that problem with twisting and using BCaps and tan twisters.


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## 4Runner (Apr 4, 2010)

Shockdoc said:


> Do you twist the stranded wire first prior to wirenut installation ? Can't say I've ever encountered that problem with twisting and using BCaps and tan twisters.


I never twist stranded wire. There doesn't seem to be a point to twisting stranded wire before making a connection.


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

Shockdoc said:


> Do you twist the stranded wire first prior to wirenut installation ? Can't say I've ever encountered that problem with twisting and using BCaps and tan twisters.


I do. I "twine" all my connections for about six inches and slightly twist the stripped ends just enough to facilitate their insertion in the nut. It is the factory twist in the stranded conductors that can get all messed up while being re-twisted in a wirenut.

Make any sense?


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

waco said:


> I do. I "twine" all my connections for about six inches and slightly twist the stripped ends just enough to facilitate their insertion in the nut. It is the factory twist in the stranded conductors that can get all messed up while being re-twisted in a wirenut.
> 
> Make any sense?


I pretty muck pony tail twist em .


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