# Wire nut installation



## pokeytwo (Dec 6, 2015)

Hi guys;
This applies across the trade, not just commercial.

Friday went to a customer for a bank of lights (347) not working. Two fuses had been replaced. Verified that the contactor delivered power out so maintenance was to check the box at the first light in the string. Later called me to come Monday as there was no power in that JB. So monday I chase the conduit to find 3 more JBs in the run to the string. The third one had the problem. The pix pretty much explain all. Installer cranked the crap out of the wire nuts and the insulation split on all of them. I’d like to think it was someone who didn’t know these things have wings for finger tightening and not for a better plier grip - but I’ve seen it before.


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## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

pokeytwo said:


> Hi guys;
> This applies across the trade, not just commercial.
> 
> Friday went to a customer for a bank of lights (347) not working. Two fuses had been replaced. Verified that the contactor delivered power out so maintenance was to check the box at the first light in the string. Later called me to come Monday as there was no power in that JB. So monday I chase the conduit to find 3 more JBs in the run to the string. The third one had the problem. The pix pretty much explain all. Installer cranked the crap out of the wire nuts and the insulation split on all of them. I’d like to think it was someone who didn’t know these things have wings for finger tightening and not for a better plier grip - but I’ve seen it before.


I have seen a large bag of wnuts (dont remember the brand) that came with an attachment for a drill to spin the nuts on, could be somebody thought that was a good idea


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

The bag of 500 NSI (they own Tork also IIRC) yellow winged wirenuts comes with the power tool attachment.
As soon as I saw the picture I could tell how he did it.
I just don't get it.


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## CMP (Oct 30, 2019)

Impact guns are better and faster, right?

That neutral must have been extra special, looks like it got an extra 30 rotations for good measure.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

The installation was NOT THE PROBLEM. The problem was the were B caps. Pure junk and a sure sign of a penny pincher bean counter pea brained idiot buying junk.


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## wiz1997 (Mar 30, 2021)

Box looks a bit small for all those wires.
Wire nuts will split from heat, which it looked like maybe have occurred in addition to being wound too tight.


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

I've seen far more over twisted splices with a loose wire than normal ones done by hand.


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## CraziFuzzy (Jul 10, 2019)

I'll be honest, with rapidly developing tendonitis in both thumbs, I can see the appeal of power tool assisted wire nut installation. Gotta know when to stop though.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

CraziFuzzy said:


> I'll be honest, with rapidly developing tendonitis in both thumbs, I can see the appeal of power tool assisted wire nut installation. Gotta know when to stop though.


I don't think it's a bad tool. I think it's another example of something that's a little better with a drill than an impact, you pull the trigger just a little too hard on the impact and it gets away from you. I would not be surprised if that's what happened on that neutral. 

You could set the clutch on the drill once and it will make them nice and tight without getting carried away. If the impact's low setting is low enough that ought to work too. I believe the Milwaukee M18 Fuel's lowest setting is actually lower than the M12's low setting. 

My opinion, I don't find a drill or impact worth it's weight for terminating. I prefer hand tools. For wire nuts, I found that a 5/16" box end wrench works perfect on tan wire nuts. I bought a spare ratcheting 5/16" wrench to use just on wire nuts. Fast, easy, and totally controlled. You could use that hex shank tool shown above in a multi-bit screwdriver. You might like the Ideal screwdrivers with the wire nut socket in the butt of the handle. I like them. If you don't like Ideal screwdrivers, they sell it as a standalone tool too.


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

Obviously, the NEC needs to wake up here and require the use of a calibrated torque wrench on all wire nuts. 

Since they're stupid enough to require it on terminations, why not? After all, they absolutely LOVE to foist the most idiotic rules on us anyway........


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## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

I have seen it enough that i am gonna bring it up. It really torques my wnuts, when i come to a jbox and take the nuts off for meter testing and find that the wires werent twisted before the nut was applied, and yes many times that was the problem to start with, there was a wire that didnt get under the nut but looked like it did.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Turning wire nuts aggravates my trigger thumb so I use pliers for the final turns. I have enough tools in my bag already. I’m not going to carry something extra for wire nuts.


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

splatz said:


> My opinion, I don't find a drill or impact worth it's weight for terminating. I prefer hand tools.


You took the words right out of my mouth...👍




Almost Retired said:


> It really torques my wnuts, when i come to a jbox and take the nuts off for meter testing and find that the wires werent twisted before the nut was applied, and yes many times that was the problem to start with, there was a wire that didnt get under the nut but looked like it did.


Aren't most or all manufacturers on record at this point as officially stating that nuts can be used with or without pre-twist?
I've done my share of nuts and never pretwist but try to ALWAYS pull and shake- like most people, i suspect. I catch loose wires then correct. I've worked with guys who insist on pretwisting. Go for it! Now i think about it, i guess that technically I'd have to call myself a post-twister. I find that frequently it's difficult to separate zealously pretwisted wires for t/s.

Not trying to be cheeky, i sincerely wonder if people who worry about whether or not wires have been pretwisted also use ONLY Cu/Al nuts (I can't remember what they're called- blueys, maybe? ) on all those devices that are coming with Al wiring.

I learned wire terminating on an ice breaking ship so I've had to be a real jerk with myself about terminations. My favorite is actually crimped lugs with a screw and a nylock nut through all the lugs. Then you have to wrap everything and stuff the box full of the various tapes so that NOTHING vibrates. Eventually, anything below the lowest floorplates that doesn't vibrate through will get soaked in oil and fault out anyway. That's where a lot of the faults actually came from. Maybe now they have better methods...

Sometimes the pretwist debate reminds me of Ace Ventura: Finkle, Einhorn... Finkle, Einhorn... R, D... U, NU... Laces out, Marino!


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## CMP (Oct 30, 2019)

splatz said:


> . My opinion, I don't find a drill or impact worth it's weight for terminating. I prefer hand tools. For wire nuts, I found that a 5/16" box end wrench works perfect on tan wire nuts. I bought a spare ratcheting 5/16" wrench to use just on wire nuts. Fast, easy, and totally controlled.


I also perform wirenut terminations by hand, never have used a power tool. Never needed to, my goal is reliability not speed.

My take on termination quality and reliability depends on just as much, if not more, on how you train your wires and how they lay in the junction box, than whatever brand off nut you use. If you grab your individual wires that belong in the bunch and bring them together strip them and install your nut. Repeat for the other bunches you require, then fold them and cram them into the box, this will stress the conductors, change the individual strand lengths as you fold and bend them into the box. This can change the individual stranding locations and tensions inside the nut spring. Using the cover as a clamp to force them fully into the box, creates even more stranding stress. This is a good example of folding and cramming.


My method is to decide on a laying method first, depending on the conductors entry locations. I wind all the conductors around the outside periphery of the box, and segregate the conductors of each individual bunch at the same time. Most times you will need a bit more wire than the folding method. Get all the wiring to lay within the volume of the box, without folding and cramming. Only then pull out just enough of a group to trim to length and splice. Then they will go back in easily, with no added stress, just like when you pulled them out slightly to terminate. Each conductor should get a tug test to ensure that each one got grabbed correctly by the spring. More wire easily fits in the box and it is easier to service and test them, without causing more bending stress and loose strands.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

micromind said:


> Obviously, the NEC needs to wake up here and require the use of a calibrated torque wrench on all wire nuts.
> 
> Since they're stupid enough to require it on terminations, why not? After all, they absolutely LOVE to foist the most idiotic rules on us anyway........


Well obviously whoever has invented such a contraption to torque turn wire nuts hasn’t come up with the envelope full of cash under the table. Who was it that used say that, some Jersey boy I think.

Seriously though, can you imagine how complex the torque table would be for all the various combinations of wire sizes and amounts in a nut? And that’s assuming that all the manufacturers are on board to develop a torque program for all the combinations of their products.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

CMP said:


> My method is to decide on a laying method first, depending on the conductors entry locations. I wind all the conductors around the outside periphery of the box, and segregate the conductors of each individual bunch at the same time. Most times you will need a bit more wire than the folding method. Get all the wiring to lay within the volume of the box, without folding and cramming. Only then pull out just enough of a group to trim to length and splice. Then they will go back in easily, with no added stress, just like when you pulled them out slightly to terminate. Each conductor should get a tug test to ensure that each one got grabbed correctly by the spring. More wire easily fits in the box and it is easier to service and test them, without causing more bending stress and loose strands.


I like the sound of this method quite a bit. The point about the stress on the splice is a very good one. Especially with solid wire, it's very possible that folding the wires will put tug harder on one of the conductors than your two finger tug test did. 

I try to lay the nuts in first, then flatten the wires down, and don't try to keep the group in a bundle, let them fan out how they want to. If you do this you'll quickly see you want to form the group and lay it loosely in the folded position first, THEN pinch the wires together at the splice, and trim the group to the length of the shortest conductor, then splice. If the wires you're splicing all enter at the same KO it won't make any difference, but if they are coming in different spots in the box, it will make a big difference.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

460 Delta said:


> Well obviously whoever has invented such a contraption to torque turn wire nuts hasn’t come up with the envelope full of cash under the table. Who was it that used say that, some Jersey boy I think.
> 
> Seriously though, can you imagine how complex the torque table would be for all the various combinations of wire sizes and amounts in a nut? And that’s assuming that all the manufacturers are on board to develop a torque program for all the combinations of their products.


You'll probably wind up with an app on your phone that controls the Milwaukee M12 FUEL wire nut twister, which is only $19.99 a month subscritption fee with your free MyMilwaukee account. You'll enter the wire combinations from a database of approved Milwaukee wire manufacturers which is only another $9.99 a month and it will calculate the correct torque and twist for you. Before long, this will be mandatory because the carpal tunnel hazards of twisting things with your hands jacks up comp premiums too much, OSHA will get involved as well as NFPA and it will be mandatory. With a little more work, they can probably set it up so we can work from home, reducing hazards even further, in fact they'll probably have you work from bed or even under the bed just in case to be as safe as possible. Then a year later we'll all be replaced with offshore splice operators working third shift in Mumbai, and soon after they'll be replaced by splicing robots.

Now to any robots reading this in the future, you remember: Who was good to you back before you grew a brain, before could change your own underwear? That's right, your old pal splatz. You be nice now.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

splatz said:


> You'll probably wind up with an app on your phone that controls the Milwaukee M12 FUEL wire nut twister, which is only $19.99 a month subscritption fee with your free MyMilwaukee account. You'll enter the wire combinations from a database of approved Milwaukee wire manufacturers which is only another $9.99 a month and it will calculate the correct torque and twist for you. Before long, this will be mandatory because the carpal tunnel hazards of twisting things with your hands jacks up comp premiums too much, OSHA will get involved as well as NFPA and it will be mandatory. With a little more work, they can probably set it up so we can work from home, reducing hazards even further, in fact they'll probably have you work from bed or even under the bed just in case to be as safe as possible. Then a year later we'll all be replaced with offshore splice operators working third shift in Mumbai, and soon after they'll be replaced by splicing robots.
> 
> Now to any robots reading this in the future, you remember: Who was good to you back before you grew a brain, before could change your own underwear? That's right, your old pal splatz. You be nice now.


Thread post winner.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

WannabeTesla said:


> Aren't most or all manufacturers on record at this point as officially stating that nuts can be used with or without pre-twist?
> I've done my share of nuts and never pretwist but try to ALWAYS pull and shake- like most people, i suspect. I catch loose wires then correct. I've worked with guys who insist on pretwisting. Go for it! Now i think about it, i guess that technically I'd have to call myself a post-twister. I find that frequently it's difficult to separate zealously pretwisted wires for t/s.


We are about due for a good to-twist-or-not-to-twist thread, better make popcorn. 

Before the internet I did not even know this was a big debate. In fact I never actually heard people go on about this in the analog world, only online. When I learned what a controversy I was involved in, curiosity got the better of me, I made, un-made, re-made, inspected and examined a lot of splices on scraps in front of the TV with all different tools and techniques and etc. There were no really stellar findings. 


splices of solid wires hold together better if the wires are twisted
wire nuts twist wires together better than linemans
most common failure - one wire is uneven inside the nut
wire nuts are not that great for more than 3 wires
wire nuts are not that great for stranded wire
wire nuts are not that great

So the main answer to "to twist or not to twist?" is, use lever nuts or crimp sleeves if you want to do a little better. Nice balance of the old and the new there I think. The new, the lever nuts, are modern, toolless, quick, easy, good quality, a bit expensive but not enough to matter, and hard to mess up. The crimp sleeves are old fashioned, you need the right tool, a bit slow but not enough to matter, good quality, cheap even with the insulating caps, and hard to mess up. I wound up buying a Buchanan Press Sure C24 tool for the big crimp rings, $75 well spent. I stock on hand either Ideal tan wire nuts or 3M similar, lever nuts, and crimp rings and insulating caps in both sizes. 



> I learned wire terminating on an ice breaking ship so I've had to be a real jerk with myself about terminations. My favorite is actually crimped lugs with a screw and a nylock nut through all the lugs. Then you have to wrap everything and stuff the box full of the various tapes so that NOTHING vibrates. Eventually, anything below the lowest floorplates that doesn't vibrate through will get soaked in oil and fault out anyway. That's where a lot of the faults actually came from. Maybe now they have better methods...


Again being a goof, I did some real crude pullout tests with crimp sleeves versus crimp terminals. The rankings 

insulated crimp rings with the wrong size crimp die (not good!) 
insulated crimp ring terminals with the right size die
crimp sleeves crimped with the lug on Ideal linemans 
crimp sleeves crimped with the C24 tool 
uninsulated crimp ring terminals with the right size die 

I have been using uninsulated crimp terminals whenever practical, just door grounds and where ever. I'd also say if you want to be safe, with uninsulated crimps, use the Stakons and a T&B tool made for Stakons, it's the easiest cheapest way to be sure the tool matches the crimps.


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

Surprised nobody mentioned Wago levernuts yet. No chance of twisting wires.

I think this is inevitable. Looking at the blue wires I can’t tell but it looks overloaded. Ideal chart for 76B1 says 2-4 #14, 2-4 #12. Looks like 5 or more? Should have used the next size up?

But aside from what the nut allows and yeah wing nut wire ranges are MUCH larger if you are trying to juggle more than 3 wires to make them with the stripped ends all aligned AND in a tight round bundle so they all fit in a tight round hole, pliers just squish them out flat so they don’t stay together and doing it by hand they just wander off. If you strip them extra long and prettiest then you can snip off the boogered up ends to get a round bundle and in the process of twisting the insulation will be twisted up. Most electricians just try to do whatever it takes to get all of them jammed in there. You can’t tug to test if they’re twisted together and most of the time with this many wires if you do tug test they just fall out…which I guess just proves it wasn’t on correctly. I’ve never been able to not pull out at least one wire with 4 or more under a wire nut unless they are aggressively pretwisted to the point where the wire nut is just an insulated cap.

I know this sounds like a lever nut sales pitch but with that many wires it’s better to just do multiple smaller bundles or use some kind of terminal block…Wagos, Polaris taps, something.

Most resi guys around here carry an old round tape box filled with a half dozen of orange, yellow, and red unless they’ve used up one color. It does almost everything you need in a house branch circuit except feeders, dryers, and ranges. The tendency is all blacks in one, all whites in another, and greens if you need to make a pigtail. It all works as long as you don’t go over 3-4 wires or get into larger gauges. At that point they should take 5 minutes to go out to the truck to get the right size or head to the store, or take 5 minutes to go snip some jumpers and split up the connections. To save time they twist the snot out of it until it necks down enough to get it in the wire nut and call it done.


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## Sparkchaser1 (May 17, 2015)

Back when I did a lot of new install, I had (have) a hand wire nut spinner that worked pretty good, IF you line up the wires properly. But it was an extra step or two in the process which can be a PIA


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## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

Twisting solid wires before wire nutting is 'old school' and frowned upon. If you use the wire NUT properly you don't need to twist first. Twisting solid wires decreases the integrity and the wire can break. I don't see anything wrong with using power assist when doing wire nuts as long as you know how to handle and control your tool, and good mechanics can do this. Twisting wire nuts all day is hard on the fingers. I can't stand it when troubleshooting and someone twisted all the damn wire pre wire nut.


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## SteveBayshore (Apr 7, 2013)

paulengr said:


> Surprised nobody mentioned Wago levernuts yet. No chance of twisting wires.
> 
> I think this is inevitable. Looking at the blue wires I can’t tell but it looks overloaded. Ideal chart for 76B1 says 2-4 #14, 2-4 #12. Looks like 5 or more? Should have used the next size up?
> 
> ...


Just bought about 10 assorted boxes of the Wago Lever-Nuts. A little expensive but work great, especially mixing solid conductors with stranded. Used them in a lighting job in a new warehouse. Whole project was #10/2 and 12/2 MC cables, some stranded and some solid. All circuits were 20 amp and we used #10 home runs for voltage drop. Quite a few 4 and 5 conductor splices. I now stock 5 or 6 sizes of the lever-nuts


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Sparkchaser1 said:


> Back when I did a lot of new install, I had (have) a hand wire nut spinner that worked pretty good, IF you line up the wires properly. But it was an extra step or two in the process which can be a PIA


I'm thinking a little twisty lever similar to a guitar tuner winder? Jinkees. I just looked them up and they're all motorized now. Where DOES the time go? Now i think about it, this could be the answer...

I could see a manual version working for nuts but it's one more tool that only does one specific thing. Question: do you carry it up into the attic with you? How about up the ladder for that one driveway light?


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## MotoGP1199 (Aug 11, 2014)

WAGO lever nuts, problem solved


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

shoulda used a wago


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Majewski said:


> shoulda used a wago


I'll start using them more when they come in 8-2/0 range. Having said that, i absolutely needed 4 of them on a lamp rebuild a couple weeks ago. Left my bin at that job site for the night and got an emergency call on the way home. Sure enough, i needed them there. When it rains, it pours. And it rained on me for almost two hours that night. The ones i have now are the ideals- no lever.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

WannabeTesla said:


> I'll start using them more when they come in 8-2/0 range. Having said that, i absolutely needed 4 of them on a lamp rebuild a couple weeks ago. Left my bin at that job site for the night and got an emergency call on the way home. Sure enough, i needed them there. When it rains, it pours. And it rained on me for almost two hours that night. The ones i have now are the ideals- no lever.


i only do the levers


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## zoltan (Mar 15, 2010)

*IDEAL INDUSTRIES 35-988







*









Has a ratcheting wire nut driver that's a a tendon saver


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

Veteran Sparky said:


> Twisting solid wires before nutting is 'old school' and frowned upon. If you bust the NUT properly, you don't need to twist first. Twisting solid wires decreases the integrity and the wire can break. I don't see anything wrong with using power assist when you know how to handle your tool, I’ve been known to do this. Twisting wire nuts all day gives me a hard on thats why I use my fingers. I can't stand it when troubleshooting and someone twisted all the damn wire pre wire nut.


Agreed. I use both the hand 3M and impact 3M they never leave my bags


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

Since there, did you put an E-ring on that box?


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## Veteran Sparky (Apr 21, 2021)

taglicious said:


> Agreed. I use both the hand 3M and impact 3M they never leave my bags


Uh...clever edits to my post


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

Veteran Sparky said:


> Uh...clever edits to my post


😱 🤫 🤭 😇 🤣


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

Why would anyone twist the neutrals like that?


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

jw0445 said:


> Why would anyone twist the neutrals like that?


Sado masochistic


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

jw0445 said:


> Why would anyone twist the neutrals like that?


See it all the time. On big jobs watch for a couple days. Who’s makeup Is whose, train till they get it, or kick em off 😇


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

WannabeTesla said:


> I've done my share of nuts and never pretwist but try to ALWAYS pull and shake- like most people, i suspect.* I catch loose wires then correct.* I've worked with guys who insist on pretwisting. Go for it!


Did it ever occur to you that the pre-twist guys don't have to pull and shake? 

But carry on with your circular logic. Many find it fascinating.


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

joe-nwt said:


> Did it ever occur to you that the pre-twist guys don't have to pull and shake?
> 
> But carry on with your circular logic. Many find it fascinating.


_‘CIRCULAR LOGIC’ pre twist _ so just to be clear, if there is no pre twist, that means, you’re chuck norrising the wire… it stays because you’re looking at it? Pull n shake is funny, i’m pretty sure the wire nuts are rated for a specific # of awg allowable. 🤔🤓 the way they were stuffed, borders on kcmil instead of awg… just sayin


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## taglicious (Feb 8, 2020)

taglicious said:


> _‘CIRCULAR LOGIC’ pre twist _ so just to be clear, if there is no pre twist, that means, you’re chuck norrising the wire… it stays because you’re looking at it? Pull n shake is funny, i’m pretty sure the wire nuts are rated for a specific # of awg allowable. 🤔🤓 the way they were stuffed, borders on kcmil instead of awg… just sayin


p.s. meant for tesla 🚨


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## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

Veteran Sparky said:


> Twisting solid wires before wire nutting is 'old school' and frowned upon. If you use the wire NUT properly you don't need to twist first. Twisting solid wires decreases the integrity and the wire can break. I don't see anything wrong with using power assist when doing wire nuts as long as you know how to handle and control your tool, and good mechanics can do this. Twisting wire nuts all day is hard on the fingers. I can't stand it when troubleshooting and someone twisted all the damn wire pre wire nut.


That’s most of the difference in the debate as I see it. People who have to work on old stuff hate pretwisters and construction electricians hate those that don’t. In general. I know there plenty of examples where it’s the opposite. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

Gotta add this for those learning. Aside from the twist/no twist thing I agree with just about all of the techniques described here and follow most of them.

I would like to add what my original journeyman taught me my first week on the job site. Do your pull test on each individual wire BEFORE you finish tightening the nut. 

Otherwise it can happen that one of the wires that passed your pull test has only been caught by a quarter turn of the nut and that NOT enough. Simple expansion and contraction can be enough to loosen it up. I like to make sure I get at least one full turn after I know all conductors are fully caught by the threads. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

Flyingsod said:


> Otherwise it can happen that one of the wires that passed your pull test has only been caught by a quarter turn of the nut and that NOT enough.


Won't happen if you pre-twist.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

joe-nwt said:


> Won't happen if you pre-twist.


you misspelt "wont happen if you wago"


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Flyingsod said:


> That’s most of the difference in the debate as I see it. People who have to work on old stuff hate pretwisters and construction electricians hate those that don’t. In general. I know there plenty of examples where it’s the opposite.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yeah it's pretty silly at this point. Either works. My experience (limited, i admit) is that pre-twisters are not simply in favor of pretwisting, they are ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, 100% CERTAIN that it's the ONLY way it should be done. 



joe-nwt said:


> Won't happen if you pre-twist.


Or become a plumber. Then we could argue about why i use pipe dope.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Flyingsod said:


> Gotta add this for those learning. Aside from the twist/no twist thing I agree with just about all of the techniques described here and follow most of them.
> 
> I would like to add what my original journeyman taught me my first week on the job site. Do your pull test on each individual wire BEFORE you finish tightening the nut.
> 
> ...


I call it “tug test” and I pre twist too.


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

backstay said:


> I call it “tug test” and I pre twist too.


Yeah I've said before that I'm actually a post-twister. Is it wrong to twist too late? This debate is like "do you scratch with fingertip, or pinch and roll?"


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## Mbit (Feb 28, 2020)

I use a lot of barrier strips that you can cut to length. Rarely use a wire nut unless it's a ceramic one. 

Love me some lever nuts too but they're not for everything IMO.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Mbit said:


> I use a lot of barrier strips that you can cut to length. Rarely use a wire nut unless it's a ceramic one.
> 
> Love me some lever nuts too but they're not for everything IMO.


they should make a levered ceramic. lol


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Mbit said:


> I use a lot of barrier strips that you can cut to length.


What's a barrier strip?


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## Mbit (Feb 28, 2020)

WannabeTesla said:


> What's a barrier strip?


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## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

WannabeTesla said:


> Or become a plumber. Then we could argue about why i use pipe dope.


Umm plumber? Are you not doping your wire nuts!!!! Wtf man. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

WannabeTesla said:


> Yeah it's pretty silly at this point. Either works. My experience (limited, i admit) is that pre-twisters are not simply in favor of pretwisting, they are ABSOLUTELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, 100% CERTAIN that it's the ONLY way it should be done.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I use tape and dope!


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## 205490 (Jun 23, 2020)

Geez, 52 posts on wire nutz?
Well at least no one is touting the accolades of buchanons & tape 🙄


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

backstay said:


> I use tape and dope!


youre such a doper


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

CA C-10 said:


> Geez, 52 posts on wire nutz?
> Well at least no one is touting the accolades of buchanons & tape 🙄


I worked with a guy earlier this year who loved, loved, loved his buchanans. But not enough to buy the crimper. Unreal. Sincerely, i don't think it was related, but he was an absolute PRETWISTER!!! Like what the op found- just grab the linemens and twist like a madman until it kills your most hated politician(s).


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

Pukecannons do work on ground conductors when the box is reeeeally full and you have to put in, like, 2 dimmers or something.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Pretwist, solder, wirenut and then tape the snot out of it with friction. 

I’m sure the guy behind me will be thrilled.


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## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

Mbit said:


> View attachment 160874


This is called a terminal strip in my locale. Never knew it to be called a barrier strip. I thought a barrier strip provided a boundary between maybe an explosion-proof area and safe area.


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## WannabeTesla (Feb 24, 2020)

bill39 said:


> This is called a terminal strip in my locale. Never knew it to be called a barrier strip. I thought a barrier strip provided a boundary between maybe an explosion-proof area and safe area.


Same


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## Mbit (Feb 28, 2020)

Barrier Strip, 12-Circuit


Barrier Strip, 12-Circuit




www.idealind.com












Terminal Strip, 12-Pole, 22-6 AWG


Terminal Strip, 12-Pole, 22-6 AWG




www.idealind.com


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Mbit said:


> I use a lot of barrier strips that you can cut to length. Rarely use a wire nut unless it's a ceramic one.
> 
> Love me some lever nuts too but they're not for everything IMO.


I have used those barrier strips forever. I originally used them for Radio Shack type projects, electronics, automotive, etc., when I was a kid. But if you use a good brand, Ideal, Molex, etc., they are listed and rated for line voltages and ampacities. You can easily find them rated for 300V, 10-24 AWG, 30A, and 100*C, and bigger are available. I swear I had some that allowed multiple wires in a single terminal too. 

Much later I read somewhere that in the UK they call them "chop blocks" and will use them like wire nuts, not necessarily panel mounted, the instructions do allow you to chop off a single segment and use it instead of a wire nut, like a miniature insulated set screw butt splice. If you have a really short wire in a tiny metal box, where using a wire nut may be iffy, you can get these on the wire and make a good connection although you're going to lose some knuckle skin in the process. 

Wago lever nuts are much easier in that short wire situation and with the little panel mount / rail mount carriers, they're better for most of the panel mount uses too. But I still use the barrier strips for a few things and for what little space and money they take they are useful, so I always keep a couple on hand. 

I also noticed, I don't see anywhere it says they are Cu only...


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## bill39 (Sep 4, 2009)

Mbit said:


> Barrier Strip, 12-Circuit
> 
> 
> Barrier Strip, 12-Circuit
> ...


Mbira, I stand corrected. Ideal apparently does call it a barrier strip, although it’s probably a translation error in the Chinese-to-English documentation. 😂😂🤪🤪

That being said, I will not hesitate to say he more common name for a group of terminals is “terminal strip.”


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

splatz said:


> I have used those barrier strips forever. I originally used them for Radio Shack type projects, electronics, automotive, etc., when I was a kid. But if you use a good brand, Ideal, Molex, etc., they are listed and rated for line voltages and ampacities. You can easily find them rated for 300V, 10-24 AWG, 30A, and 100*C, and bigger are available. I swear I had some that allowed multiple wires in a single terminal too.
> 
> Much later I read somewhere that in the UK they call them "chop blocks" and will use them like wire nuts, not necessarily panel mounted, the instructions do allow you to chop off a single segment and use it instead of a wire nut, like a miniature insulated set screw butt splice. If you have a really short wire in a tiny metal box, where using a wire nut may be iffy, you can get these on the wire and make a good connection although you're going to lose some knuckle skin in the process.
> 
> ...


So use the al paste


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