In allot of industrial sites I've worked on (oil and gas) the use of ferrules on all connections, ELV or LV is mandated in panels, junction boxes or end devices. They are a good job and don't really take any longer once you get used to using them. They are especially good for connections that get removed now and then for testing or alterations, I think this is the main advantage in using them, you can terminate them multiple times and they still provide a perfect connection, twisted strands are only good for one or two terminations before they need to be restriped and twisted up again and the wire is getting shorter every time you do that!
@@abdulseaforth6930 I use the Wiha model in the video but also have a cheaper knipex pair for smaller stuff, see link in last comment. For ferrules I normally use RS Pro, same price as others, normally have stock and don’t keep changing part numbers so easy to reorder.
I came across this video while researching the use of ferrules; as I've always been uncomfortable with the way stranded wire gets chewed up. I didn't know you could get one to connect two wires together. Apart from protecting the wires, it solves the age-old problem of one wire slipping out when you are trying to put two into one connection. Love the video.
I work offshore and all electrical connections are terminated with bootlace ferrules. As long as they fitted correctly and the right size ferrule is used they are excellent.
What a brilliant video. I don't know if it's just me, but this is the first video I've seen advocating the the use of ferrules in a domestic situation, inline with industrial standards where reliability is perhaps more important. Very well done sir, a point very well made! Perhaps I could add that the ferrules you are using have plastic end bits that are quite bulky, which is fine for one core, one termination. Where several wires are entering one termination though I find that plain ferrules are handier, and three or more cores can be inserted. I appreciate double type ferrules as you show are available but its not always the best solution. Once again many thanks for the great video.
Really useful video as it shows what some places don’t necessarily teach. Making a more quick and effective job. Especially the earthing ferrules. Also love those Wiha crimpers 😜!
Standard on railway signalling cabinets. Should be able to just see the end of the strands at the front of the crimp. Tools were calibrated daily and pull test results logged in a book that stayed with the tool (both numbered).
I only wish all sparks would watch this video . It should be law to use these and the better quality Ferrell s also with the Wiha crimper you can place the Ferrell into the tool then closes the handles till the 1st click and it holds the Ferrell and you can easily insert the wire great video
Bootlace ferrules are mandatory on fine stranded cables on our jobs, and because I'm picky, I make the lads put them on regular cables at dist boards if they're 2.5mm or smaller. This is to stop the copper crumbling away when the terminals are tightened right up.
thats good practice. im a panel basher, i work site all over. theres been a few times where the cabling guys have asked for some ferrules so i tend to keep extra, just to help out when i can.
Nice Video. I just got this tool, it seems to make much better crimps that others I've seen. Hopefully it will solve the issue of multiple wires going into a single breaker where some are getting loose after time due to minute differences in thickness or insertion angle.
Nice video, another advantage ist that it also helps to keep moisture away from the copper. Other than that standard German colour scheme would be. White 0.5, grey 0.75, Black 1.5, Blue 2.5
I am an electrician in Brazil, I only use terminals, even if in a service I "lose a few cents" I prefer to lose than to make poor quality connections, in BR is totally widespread flexible cables, so for better connection are the terminals, I know many and many electricians even who were stopped in the time they do not use, I particularly think very pig
Thanks for the video. I have been using ferrules for several years on all flexible cores. Something to bare in mind, they don't always work. I have had experience with terminating 1mm flex into a spur with a ferrule and they fall out, some spurs terminals can be too big for a small ferrule like 1mm or 0.75mm. So I have had to cut the ferrule off many times, twist and fold over to get my decent connection. This doesn't happen in all spurs depends on the branding, just double check them before screwing back.
I hope the follow-up video will address the use of Farrell's on solid core cabling and twisting conductor strands together before inserting into Farrell's. The only thing I haven't seen is a way of doing two cables that would later need to be separated for testing? Say rings.
You don’t understand how excited I get about ferrules. You know that feeling when meet the woman of your dreams and your heart skips... this is up there honest 😂
Great video giving examples. Had the debate with our qs when I put on an EICR that neutral fly leads on rcbos had been shortened and only twisted in terminal. I gave it a c2 and said its a regulation to use them. 526.9.1 he said that must be a new reg so I continued to show him it in the 17th and in the 16th. But yes all who don't use them when using screw terminals should really change as soon as its pointed out to them. However the guys on site will call it a specialist tool and expect company to supply it. That said I have 4 in van 1. 25,35,50. 2. 6,10,16 3. 0.5-6 and 4. 0.25-10. Number 4 is favorite as is a clone of knipex on amazon costing £12.
@@lucidlx I'm guessing you looked it up. There can be confusion on screw type connectors as some have a little plate which separates the screw tip from the conductors. That said if you have the tool its a good habit to get in to regardless on type of connection. I personally wouldn't use them on lever wagos though as they aren't as solid as a typical crimp lug
i was always taught , to only crimp things on stranded conductors and not solid conductors. i tend to use them on meter tails, there was a time when hager consumer units came with a pair for the meter tails. And that was when hager were seen as a cheap brand totally different from todays image of hager.
There is a good thread on IEE about this and one chap is adament they should not be used on solid core conductors. Others whom worked on MOD projects also said the same!
one big issue tho - someone thinks crimping is a good idea so they choose a crimp, its slightly too big, gets a poor crimp, the screw grips the crimp but the wires fall out of the crimp. very important to get the right crimp for the cable csa
Great videos guys... anyone who occassionally listens to the radio will surely recognize the voice of Danny Kelly here... has anyone ever said that before?
I would make 2 comments here, which may have been addressed in other comments or videos, but no harm in repeating them. Firstly you should always make sure that the conductor strands reach the full length of the ferrule and secondly that crimping is only suitable for stranded conductors.
You don't really need to put a ferrule on solid copper wire anyways. The purpose of a ferrule designed specifically to make the stripped ends of stranded wires mimic the properties of solid ones.
Hi John, You can get ferrules in the NA market. When I worked in NJ we used to get them from Digikey - www.digikey.co.uk/en/product-highlight/a/american-electrical/crimp-wire-ferrules - listed in AWG Cheers *Gordon
Hi. Your video was super useful. I have an arcade joystick to keyboard connector block and the cables are super thin and this tool will do the trick. Many thanks.
Would you use ferrules on hard (non-flexible) wires, if not what would you use? Is using ferrules or other crimping connectors needed for solid (non-stranded) wires?
Never saw a sixteen sided crimping tool, I have a four sided in the same style and an old school one with the two faces pressing into each other. Would you say one with more pressing sides (basically making the surface more round I guess?) Is better than one with less pressed sides like a two ore four sided one? Greetings from Germany ✌
Haven't seen on comercial sites that someone are using them, although it is a must. Totally mess on the electrical installations on sites even it is passed testing and certification, who will do the maintenance is gonna cry
I tried using ferrules on the 3 pin plug. Since the wire, especially the neutral wire has to turn 180 degrees, there is a kink when the wire comes out of the ferrule. Should ferrules be used for 3 pin plugs?
@@efixx Thanks, that's what I use as the insulated ones are too long to fit. However, the edge of the flute is still very thin and fairly sharp so over time, it may cut or nick the wires though the cord restrainer will help movement to a certain extent. Regardless, thanks for sharing. Appreciate your videos.
i use ferrules everywhere i can get them in they’re the best back of light switches where you’ve got one cable going into the terminals or in a consumer unit on circuits where it’s only got one cable for the terminal i wish they’d design one so you could somehow put two conductors in so i could use them on rings and where you’ve got 2 or sometimes 3 cables going into a point
Great video! We use ferrules all time using the single wire connectors similar to what is showed at 7:33. Looking at your example, I can see some of the barrel of the ferrule poking out not allowing the shoulder of the ferrule to butt up against the connector. I like to cut off the end of the ferrule so that none of the barrel shows and the shoulder (the plastic part) is butted up against the connector (if that makes sense). My question is if that is good practice or not to cut the end off? or if you know what the standard is. Any info would be appreciated.
Good vid, one thing missed is that a lot of times the screw in these terminal blocks quite often cuts a few strands, that can then end up in very undesirable places. It's a pity ferrule's are not stocked by hobbyist style electronics shops, you have to go to larger electrical suppliers that can be a tad hostile to hobbyists. (they can be trade only, need an account, and only talk big $$$ sales orders)
you could, but its more likely to crack, and would take longer if there is lots of wires. but if that's what you have to hand to do the job then it works.
DIN 46228 is the german standard for them, not only for the colour of the collar, also for the material and sizes. The french standard is NF C 63-023, canadian standard is C22.2 NO. 291-14. Also there's a UL listing (UL 486F) for these ferrules. The ferrules themself are made of 0.15mm thick copper of high purity (electrolytically refined copper, 99.99%). In most cases they're tinned to prevent corrosion. But there are also silver or gold plated ones available. But in most cases the tin plated are used. The collar is made of polypropylene or PA6.6.
Yes you can use them. But you shouldnt with wagos at least. You will actually get a better connection with stranded wire without a ferrule because of the way wago terminals are holding the wire. Most wago terminals have actually a higher current rating with stranded wire compared to solid wire.
It's fine. The holes are round, but the screw that is tightened is only hitting one side anyway, so it doesn't make much of a difference. I have seen hexagonal crimps before, but for the most part, square is standard as far as I know.
@@brijlal973 if you search ratcheting crimp tool the ones shown crimp round in the bottom of the die and flat on top an almost perfect match for a screw in a round terminal and much cheaper than fancier square crimp
Great vid, I have been connecting wires all my life the old way, I will start using this system now. I had to keep laughing when inserting the wire you kept saying , ( like so ) I will have to say that to the wife tonight.
KNIPEX do ferrule crimp pliers and are a lot easier to wield than those ridonculous ratchets which are totally unnecessary. I also think that the ferrules can bend and snap more easily, probably best to use an uninsulated, shroudless style. However, the booted ferrules are better in terminal blocks as it stops screwing onto the insulation rather than the conductor as you can't push it in that far.
I’m not a spark, but I’ve fitted enough 2g sockets with 2.5mm on a final ring. Always made sense to me to join the ends of the two wires to a ferrule first before attaching to the faceplate. It means the common failure of one of the two (N, L or E) wires coming out and thus the ring is no longer a ring.
it would be better to use UNinsulated ferrules though, because the plastic sleeve will cause the bend radius to be too large for the tight corners in the plug! Also the screw clamps are not very deep, so you might need to snip off a few mm of the ferrule after crimping.
N V yes, but not in vibrating environments - e.g. cars and boats. There will be a peak stress point behind the solder that can over time break under vibrations.
So, the question I have, on the double ferrules: If I have 2x 2.5 square mm wires, do I use a 2.5 square mm double ferrule? Is the barrel bigger to account for the 2 wires? Or do I go for a 4 square mm double ferrule? This may seem obvious, but it's just not.
Where did you find it for £105? The cheapest I found was £120, the knipex ones are around £125, I always spend good money on quality tools but can’t bring myself to pay those prices
In my opinion the cheap ones do the job just fine. You can get some from chinese brands for like 15 bucks, not that expansive. Yes i know quality tools and such are nice, but to be honest i dont notice much of a difference using the 15$ one from china vs my 120$ knipex in terms of how good of a crimp they make.
We buy ours from trusted electronic distributors - RS - Farnell / CPC - Rapid electronics - beware of the stuff you see on Am**** if it isn’t branded from a recognised brand.
No youre assuming the 200lb gorilla on the other end is competent enough to check that the ferrule has been crimped correctly. My plant has multiple EU chiller units where i have found on many occasions the wire pulls out of the ferrule.
@@johnku888 I'm not an electrician, but I think that is not right. Low melting temp solder melts at 140C. If your home electrical wiring is running over 100C, I think you have other issues.
@@johnku888 there are different types /purposes ie some solder is for electronics (not acid core if I recall) and some is for plumbing. Might be other purposes aswell
NEVER solder stranded wire ends. The solder changes the properties of the copper in the heat effected zone adjacent to the solder/copper interface. In a static application it could be considered acceptable but not good practice. Wherever there is movement or vibration it is a complete NO-NO. The termination WILL fail at SOME time just where the solder ends. Rigid heatshrink over the joint is good but is usually impractical in switchboard assembly. Furthermore there is the issue of stress risers at the end of the rigid heatshrink.
efixx To be honest usually 2.5 or 4mm ring final lsf circuits and 1.5mm twin and 3 core primarily. Such a horrible cable to strip and wanted to know if there was a better tool out there than sidecutters with it!?
@@alanmarriott9216 I like the Stanley FatMax automatic wire strippers that I've been using for a while (FMHT0-96230). Not sure of the largest size of twin & earth they work with but they've been good for doing 2.5mm when I've done it, both the outer sheath and the cores themselves.
Great video, thanks. How about putting two equally sized solid conductors into a double ferrule? Say, two 1 sq.mm solids? Could be very useful in some situations e.g. heating controls.
It depends on the shape of terminal its going into. Under a screw the flat square crimp is preferable. In a terminal in say a RCBO with angled plates the hexagonal is better. Flat || plates the square crimp is better.
They are made of tinned copper so they're a good idea. The thing I don't know is if the materials they are made of is regulated in order to prevent mass produced imports made of cheaper, less efficient materials via some online market places. I could see this being a problem if there are a thousand available for £3 somewhere online and they're not made of copper 🤑😵. It would be interesting to know if anybody has an insight into this stuff. The only slight concern I would say is: how much effect does it have on CSA of conductors? Negligible, I would say and it's only at the point of termination, but therein lies the question because terminations within consumer units are subject to requirements of torque and the added ferrule should be a consideration, albeit, a small one. Any thoughts? 🙄💭👍
@@kendoknackersackee I'm interested in knowing that too, it sound like a good idea but if it's not copper it will add resistance, even if at terminals only it doesn't matter it will add resistance in series which makes it more resistive than the average copper wire even if it's a slight resistance, maybe the ones who use them don't care because the resistance added is very negligible
@@prockershamian3980 I'd have to say, ferrules have been used for many years outside of domestic installations and are fitted by a lot of manufacturers as standard on terminals inside a great many plug tops on appliances. As long as they're made of copper and securely crimped onto the conductor, jobs a goodun. 😊👍
For a general use it doesn't matter. Only audio or data u can see the negative effects. It is mostly the length of the wire that is the problem with resistance per material. (sorry if the English isn't correct, not a native speaker). But it's a good question
