# mechanical lug sloppy terminations



## Wiresmith (Feb 9, 2013)

does anyone know of a standard of manufacturer instructions that says anything about keeping the wire in the middle of the connector.

the problem i have is some lugs are for wide range of wire sizes so if you are using the smaller wire then there is a lot of room in the connector, i personally believe the wire should be close to dead center and i will tell any apprentice that works for me that it should be. now, when i see j-man co-workers letting the wire sit all the way to one side of the connector i would like to be able to tell them it needs to be more center and provide them with a reference to something published rather than saying "because i say so and quit being a hack"

know of anything i can use for convincing?

thanks, and i'm just talking about a small wire in a lug with lots of extra room and the wire is all the way to one side, im not going to knit pick someone if a wire is just not perfectly center


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

Rread the manufacturer's information.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Seems like common sense should prevail, but it doesn’t always. I bet there is some installation Doc or maybe a NECA installation standard. I’m curious myself. I’ll try to see if I can scare something up.


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

I hate that about some lug connectors. You go to put #4 into the lugs of 200 amp milbank meter cans, and you have to pay close attention and center it just right, or only about half the strands are tight under the lug. 

It's rated for that wire size, but I think sometimes they leave too large of a range.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I would like to offer that to some degree, a persons vision might be a factor. No reasonably experienced electrician would allow themselves to walk away from the termination you described.
I would work that conductor back and forth a bit until it came out and then ask the person to take a look at it. Some people have tender egos and can't take much installation criticism. 
Those of us that worked on the local nuke plant are used to the term "peer check" I start that with new hires and even the green apprentices as just a way of getting around the ego problem.
They terminate something as a first time evolution or hang a piece of equipment and say "peer check" someone will come over and see if it's level and pull on a few terminations in a most fraternaly pleasant way offer a verbal or visual thumbs up or down.
It opens the door to allow eachother to put a level someone's else's work or double check if ABC is left to right or right to left.
It's not 100% of the time or a policy but just a simple way of keeping up with little problems before they become big ones.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

matt1124 said:


> I hate that about some lug connectors. You go to put #4 into the lugs of 200 amp milbank meter cans, and you have to pay close attention and center it just right, or only about half the strands are tight under the lug.
> 
> It's rated for that wire size, but I think sometimes they leave too large of a range.


if using stranded copper you can stake on a crimp connector and keep the strands together
if using aluminum get connectors rated for aluminum and use the compound if required.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

im a hack sometimes, i bend the wire so it makes a wider contact into the lug


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