A Guide To Wire Nuts - Wagos - Push In Connectors - Do It Right The First Time 

Wow! That’s is really cool. So great to know that they are a good company. I’m sure that was interesting to see their manufacturing process and be a part of it. Now I want to go for a tour after reading your comment. Thanks for watching and nice to hear about Ideal. I’ll look them up now. 🙌🙌

Right On! 🙌Thanks Hector!!

Right On! 🙌 I’ll give that a shot. Never tried it.

Right On! 🙌Thanks! Fred!!

Right On! 🙌 Thanks Pete!

Right On! 🙌 Yes I know sometimes they use high temp wire nuts in a dryer. Ceramic ones. I used them once in an old dryer. Probably not necessary in a new dryer but it’s a good thing to think about. Those wagos are perfect for that lighting.

It was likely the rubbish Ideal sell in their pushfit range if you seen it 20 years ago in the US.

Right on Nicholas! 👍 Yes it is a Pana Vise. Made in Reno Nevada. I’ll put a link here to Amazon amzn.to/3vYQoui

@@RightOnJonCrane Amazeballs Thank you Jon, and for the silicone in Wire Nuts good trick, gonna remember this one

Right On! 🙌

Oh Right On, thanks for the tip. I’ll go get some and check them out. 👍🙌 ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Wire nuts like we use today make the absolutely best connection short of twisted-soldered-taped. In the UK, they used some porcelain "wire nuts" that were prone to cracking. I've heard these were banned there. That was a 100 year old design and did not have the spring insert. Frankly, I have never seen one instance of these being used in the US. They may have been used here, but I've never seen it. BTW, don't confuse the old porcelain with current design ceramic versions used in extremely high temperature applications. The old standard here going back to knob and tube days, was always twisted-soldered-taped. as best as I know, we went from that standard to the more modern style wire nut as the replacement. These were designed to be an equal replacement. Plenty of scientifically based testing has proven that. As for being behind, you seem to be forgetting the inherently less safe 240 volt systems, ring circuits and receptacle plugs, large enough to be considered a dangerous weapon!! And then things like your RCD trips at 30 milliamps vs 5 milliamps on our GFCIs. And then there are AFCIs requirements which the IK and other 240 volt countries barely even recognize to even exist!! If you are looking back and seeing us, it's because we are about to lap you again, putting you even further behind!

I love Wago lever nuts and use them exclusively. But, modern wire nuts done correctly are safe and secure. I just don't like them because they are more complicated to install and too easy to get wrong, not to mention making rework a pain in the butt.

I think only crimps are approved to automotive use, just due to the vibration they're exposed to. Wirenuts and wagos MAY work, but I dont think there would be any longterm reliability.

@@KiltPatrick Correct. Auto industry here, brother is in marine, all that's used in both is crimps. A good crimp is stronger than the wire itself.

Wago. Least chance of doing anything wrong and easiest to control.

From what I know, wire nuts are mistrusted in the UK because of a particular brand of ceramic wire nuts that used to be used there that had a tendency to crack. There is absolutely nothing wrong with modern wire nuts, like we use in North America. Lever connectors are definitely easier to use, but are just that much more expensive. Push-in connectors I believe are popular in the UK as well (correct me if I'm wrong) and those have a bad history here, with some cheaper models showing poor reliability.

@@raggarex Wagos are very popular. Europeans love German products.

@@raggarex I think the issue was actually with porcelain wire nuts that hand no insert. Do not confuse these with the more modern style ceramic ones designed for extremely high temperatures. These are exceptionally durable and not prone to cracking. Not only are WAGO style lever nuts much more expensive, but they are also technically inferior to wire nuts. The issue is that the tiny little spring clamp connection made with dissimilar metals, has about 3 to 4 times the resistance of a wire nut connection, right out of the box. What that means is they are going to create more heat at the connection. Where this may become a problem is at higher, near capacity currents. It gets worse as currents rise because heating is a function of the current squared times the resistance. twice the current equals 4 times the heating. The 221 lever style connectors are just a slight improvement to the older 773 push in style connectors. But both have the same spec ratings. IEC rated for 32 amps but UL rated for only 20 amps. The lever does not improve the clamping action on the 221. Some have suggested that the 221 "Is better", however the UL ratings are the same for both. If you look for comparison testing, most reviews are all about how easy they are to use, while ignoring the elephant in the room regarding their technical, hard engineering properties. For example, the resistance of the connection. I plan to detail test the 773 push ins vs the 221 lever style. I don't anticipate finding a real difference where it actually counts from a purely technical properties perspective. I do not see the levers changing that. The IEC ratings are the same for both and the UL ratings are the same for both. However, I think it is telling that the IEC current rating is 32 amps but the UL rating is only 20 amps. In my opinion, i wouldn't use either WAGO style for anything but very low current applications. I just can't see deliberately using a connection device that inherently has more resistance than the long proven wire nut connection. I don't really see the cost factor or ease of use, as being relevant to which one is fundamentally better from an engineering perspective. Now if Ohm's Law should somehow get repealed, and resistance no longer mattered, I might see it differently. But that's not about to happen and the science is still the science. But I'm an engineer vested in the science and not some installer, with rather low technical knowledge, looking to make my job easier.

@@IAmThe_RA Yeah, but popularity doesn't change the technical properties. Europeans use the 240 volt residential system where we use the split phase, dual voltage 120/240 volt system in the US an North America.

@@professorg8383 Does not matter. WAGO connectors are also UL listed (32A/450V) meaning you can legally use them in the US and Canada.

I do like the noalox for connections. It has suspended particles of zinc in it that help stop corrosion. Dielectric grease is good too for sealing out air and moisture. I use noalox on the battery terminals on my car. Works great.

I do like the Wago but sometimes they feel loose and the wire is spinning. At least with wire nuts there is a lot of surface contact and it is very strong!

Why not ferrule fine stranded wire?

Be VERY careful tinning wires. In many terminal connections, the solder slowly deforms over time, creates a loose connection then starts arcing. This is especially problematic in screw terminals that hold it at a fixed position and a common concern with cheap electronics produced overseas. A constrained connection like a wago might be fine unless it's to make up for wires that are too thin but it's unnecessary. I would never tin wires in situations like this. It reduces the electrical conductivity, increases heat and adds another variable. When you're concerned about a stranded wire, use a crimped ferrule of the appropriate size, period. An adequate crimping tool is cheap and shouldn't slip out when done right but they're made perfectly for a piece of heat shrink if you felt it was warranted.

Monte I respect your opinion since you are someone who has worked in the field for many years as I have. As I mentioned in the video I like to use the tape in high vibration applications and also in marine environments. It’s good to seal out air and also trap in some noalox. Also I have opened up many j boxes over the years and have had wire nuts spill out on the floor. I’m in favor of going the extra mile in certain situations. For everyday simple connections the tape isn’t necessary. But for some instances a few wraps of tape goes a long way at protecting expensive equipment.

It's not arbitrary not at all. It's based on the number of dies it took originally in the wire manufacturing process to get down to the given thickness of wire. Starting with you guessed it 0 gauge.

@@johnh8546 , Hence arbitrary... ... Emperial countries (read US) does everything to not use metric, despite everything is measuered in units converted from metric... 😁🤪

@robertlindhe5582 arbitrary means chosen on personal choice and not with logic or a system in mind. So choosing based on the manufacturing process is not arbitrary by definition. Also AWG (American Wire Guage) was established over 30 years before Sweden adopted the metric system.

@@johnh8546 Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not necessarily the same as random decisions. I would say it's very impulsive to make a choice to use such complicated train of thought in a description of a cable property, instead of a simple cable area measurement. Also, when it was established is quite irrelevant, it still makes it complicated and made from an impulsive chance, from my point of view. :).

@robertlindhe5582 no it's not random or complicated or without thought. It's insanely simple and more simple than using mm or inches. You take the process used to make wire which is the same for everyone. Then you just say here are the dies you use to make your wire. We will all use the same size and number of dies. So that the 12th or 10th or 8th of whatever have you, die will always be the same size no matter who makes it. It stops anyone from cheating and using a slightly smaller die and calling it whatever mm or inch measurement, because everyone got the same dies. It is and was the simplest way to get uniformity. It's the opposite of arbitrary it's extremely logical and simple. The dies were selected to give a certain ampacity at 250 feet of wire. All of this was a very simple way of having the consumer have absolute confidence that they were getting what they paid for. If my wire manufacturer was using AWG dies and was certified as such. Then you know you are getting exactly what you wanted. Not just what they said was x or y inches squared.

Been using pressure connectors for last 50 years and never hsd a problem. No such thing called a wire nut in our valve million word NEC. Worked in large p!ants that had vibrating machines like crushers, hammer mils, vibrating screens etc and always stripped the wire at least 7/8" then ore twist, install pressure connector & tightened with heavy side cutters then applied quality electrical tape. Went back on connections that I made over 49 years ago and still working great.

@@garbo8962 so, re-read what I wrote and try to reply to it.

@user-tq7yj2kq5c more complex doesn't equate to better and more over sight doesn't equate to better. At a point it is just burdensome. Twist on wire connectors make a better connection than most anything due to the surface area contact of the conductors. Due to the way the threads bite into the wires it makes a very strong connection. The NFPA does say twist on wire connectors aren't suitable in certain applications, but for residential there is nothing better. Nothing gets you a stronger lower Z connection.

It actually is incredibly secure when done correctly. Wire nuts used to be ceramic back in the stone age. They would crack and that is why they were not used but they are a whole new animal. They feel a lot more secure than wagos and get more surface contact than a wago. The US is not behind in tech by any means because of the use of wire nuts. I think they are actually better. Right On! 🙌

@@RightOnJonCrane You know the difference is that in the US still rules 110V and twice the amperage. In Europe, the maximum current in an extension cord (for example in the UK) is 13A. The problem in the US is very high current. In the EU, wires are thinner (1mm2-2.5mm2) in a home installation. High voltage does not overheat connections, High current overheats them. This causes the wires to oxidize.

Oh I like wagos too but when a wire nut is done correctly I think it is way stronger than the Wago. Much more surface contact. Twisted wires are strong. If you ever pull on a wire in a Wago it feels loose and you can spin the wire. I’m not sure the Wago is really better.