Funny story, I had access to a tensiometer machine a few years back and we tested a wago 222 connector. We wern't supposed to but we had a play on it during our lunch break. We used a bit of tinned 1.5mm multicore wire and clamped it into the wago connector. We then put it into the tensiometer and let her rip. We applied 80kg of force to the wire before it finally let go! That's like hanging a washing machine from it! very impressive.
I've been using wago 221's for the last few years and wouldn't go back to anything else. The amount of time they save easily outweighs the extra cost. Great video as usual
I couldn't agree more, I rarely get into doing electrics but when I do, the Wago 221's are excellent for all the reasons you've stated. Lets be honest they aren't even that expensive. £20 for a box of 50 3-ways. The amount of time you'll save faffing around with the screw in type connectors is well worth the extra expense. Plus it actually makes a job enjoyable, rather than a pain. Not a fan of the push connectors because you can't undo them.
Most professional electricians in North America hate them, and I love laughing at them... "the NEC doesn't approve or disapprove of individual devices just practices " it comes along with a helping of toxic masculinity, which is always fun to play with.
Just installed a new outdoor circuit and patio light Plus switch, Used Wagon levernuts for the first time what a breeze .I bought a big assortment thinking of I didn't like them I can return them , Well I'm keeping them along with hundreds of different size wire nuts.LOL . Thanks for the tutorial DIY GUY.
More often than not, the plastic used for choc blocks is soft and does not snap. This soft plastic is also more likely to become very brittle over many years and can simply fall off the inner metal joint.
Hi, just want to add, for stranded(flexible) cables, only the 221 are suitable as is. For the screwed terminal blocks and most connectors with screws(there are some exemptions) you really need wire end ferrules for a good secure connection, or soldering for direct connection to printed circuit board and such. The 2nd type connector you showed are really just for solid wires.
I used two 5 gang Wago lever connectors on my motorbike to wire in accessories. I used a switched live to one block and earth terminal to the other block. They are low profile making them ideal for wiring in accessories under the seat on a motorcycle. I think they are fantastic.
Excellent idea about wiring under the motorcycle seats I have some of these I'm going to work on my wife's trike, she needs some cleaning up under there
I would not use the lever wago connectors if you can't see into them more than half the diyers would strip back the insulation short and the connection would be half on the insulation holding the connection up of the copper which would create a loose connection arcing a fire hazard but I do like the transparent wago connectors with the flexes which could be a heavy load which can't be loose and causing heat Cheers keep up the good work and always use the AFDD protection if possible
I installed three Sunco 4 Inch Ultra Thin LED lights in my kitchen above the sink. The light units only last several months before they radically dim. It was a pain to replace all three lights the other day because the one in the middle has 2 sets of 4 wires under wire nuts. I want to thank you for your video because it shows you can release the lever if you need to pull a wire loose. This will make it so much easier to replace the lights in the future.
Excellent video, need to remove piping and cut electrical wires ready for my steel beam to go in then re route and join again. This really helped me 👍🏼👌
Fantastic video, I am beginner at electrical, but my old man is an electrical engineer, I feel like a pain in the ass calling for his help so finding something like this really helps. I recently bought 4 x10w floodlights from amazon with the intention of connecting as many as I can per plug, I couldn't visualise how it was done until I seen this. For the record the lights are being fitted above aquariums. And will eventually all run off a timer.
I might be old school but electrically, for cables above 1.5 I think that two cables both long enough to have 2 screws biting down on them in an appropriate size connector block is a better connection. This way you end up with copper against copper which must be better than copper-wago spring-wago spring-copper. I'd welcome feedback on this.
Just FYI: the Spring in the Wago Connectors is never designed to carry current, it is purely to provide the necessary tension to push the wire against the bus bar (which is made from Copper afaik) also screw terminals screw up the wire. especially if you over-torque them.. (if you torque them to maximum compression and have temperature cycles you might end up with a loose connection: when the connection expands it has to shove the material to the sides, and since it was compressed to the maximum before the copper lost its elasticity so when it cools down and shrinks you now have a tiny gap)
I found out the hard way that twisted wires don;t engage in the push fits on the job. I wish screwfix mentioned this on their sales page and saved my money.
Learning loads from your channel - you explain things really clearly and always cover the topic thoroughly. Will get some of these in the DIY arsenal as they will come in handy. You have given me the confidence to give electrical tasks around the house a go - keep up with the great videos, look forward to more. Thanks 👍🏻
Stranded wire in the bus bar type should have a ferrule crimped on the wire before putting it in the terminal and tightening the screw. The push in Ideal and Wago's style connectors are also reusable. Twist back and forth while pulling on the wire. It will come out. The thin stranded wires can be tinned with solder and they will push in easily.
There's something about the wago connectors that most people seem not noticing. It is: when you intend to test their terminals for voltage, it's almost impossible to do this, when the terminals are possibly live.
every wago connector has at least one hole specifically for inserting test probes (they just provide accass to an voltage carrying part, but dont clamp down on the test leads) For the 222s is is the rectangular hole above the Levers, for the push-ins there is a round hole on the opposite side where the wires are inserted. In case of the 221s they have at least two test lead holes - one is next to the holes for the Wire, and the other is on the opposite side
I used wago connectors when I replaced my mates bathroom light. Never again will I have to stand on a ladder connecting up wires in chocolate box connectors and wishing I had a third hand. The only annoyance is having to make the hole in the ceiling bigger to take the junction box.😊
Brilliant video, really helpful. I am fitting an in-line extractor fan in my attic, which I need to connect to my lighting circuit, I was dreading fitting a connector block as they are hard t to to, I have just ordered these off the back of your video, thank you 🙏
- It is often not clear what the current carrying capacity of the screw terminals is. This is often only 1 or 2 amps. - Push fit connectors are not approved for flexible wires. The wire can be removed by twisting. - With lever clamps, a rigid wire can be inserted without opening the lever. If the wires are flexible, the lever must be opened. But the disadvantage is that these are only suitable up to 4mm ² and 32A. There is also the larger 221 variant up to 6mm² and 41A
you forgot about the Copper Bus Bar.. the springy bit of Steel is only to push the wire against said bus bar but it is not intended to carry the current. And how long is long term for you? cause we are currently at almost 50 Years since Market Introduction of the original Wago 273
The grey lever connectors are my favorite, they clamp harder than the transparent ones and can tollerate more moisture before they fail. I use these a lot in the automotive work since they can and will be outside a vehicle in boxes under the cars etc, even inside a caravan during winter you will get a lot of condensation during winter and I never needed to replace a grey one but many times the transparent ones. however both are good and beyond if you compare to a sugar cube or even just flat pin connectors as they often use in the HV terminals as well inside these vehicles. caravans are a complete jungle of standards when you compare to houses and everyone uses everything they get their hands on for the cheapest price without a care in the world
I’m not sure if the 222 Wago does this but I know the 221 have a nice feature where you don’t even have to lift the lever to insert your cable. You can just push solid core in and they’ll lock and only release with the lever. Love this feature.
@initial post the 222 does not have that feature. you must open the Lever for every type of Wire. @@IAmThe_RA The Manual for the 221 specifiaclly states that you can use them like push-in connectors for solid Wire (but only for these)
The stranded wire should be used with ferrule. If the ferrule is used then there is no problem using a stranded cable with Wago PushWire connectors like 773 or 2273.
So for example, let’s say I want to create a socket a meter above my current one, I’d have to use 3 wire connector, and just plug “main”live and two “new” lives, and that too for neutral and ground?
At least for Wago they are reuseable. Just pull the Wire you want to remove and twist it in alternating directions. Though the amount of reuses is limited (i wouldnt reuse one with unkown history) it does work. (obviously only works for solid wire, not for stranded, but the push ins are only intended for solid wire anyway)
I have a 3 gang light switch. There's so many wires back up in there. Can I use a wago 221 5pin connector to, for example, utilize 1 single neutral wire into it, and 3 wires out of the wago 221 into the 3 switches? Same with 1 ground going in, 3 grounds coming out to the switches? And same with the hot? 1 in, 3 out? If I can, what do I do with the old wires in the box?
Terminal strips do need to be used by adults because there is always access to live conductors via the screw holes when in use. Other than that they are cheap and cheerful and have been in sucessful use for years.
If you were changing a light fixture and using the wago connectors, is it safe to just tape them as you would with a traditional junction, or do you need to put the wago connectors in the wago box? Just seems like the wago box would be huge and i’d need to cut a hole in my ceiling to put it in!
Have you guidance on the most effective solution for splitting 1 to 4 for stranded for cables in a rack (not inwall)? I've a task that needs a splitter cable as a distribution panel will not fir. I definitely agree on the issues with screw down on stranded. Still need screws on the plug terminations however at least I can twist and then bend double for those.
I have to say the lever Wago connectors have to be the only one. As I’m sure I saw that the metal conductor is exposed on the side of the push fit version.
Nice wago ad, while i agree that screw connectors are not as convenient as plugins, yet you deliberately used twisted wire without lugs, to make them look insecure, properly managed screw connector will be much durable and safer on long run, than spring-like mechanism used in wago, there is a reason why in electrical switchboards there is no plug in clamps.
The only reason UK consumer units have screw terminals is because cage clamp technology is newer and hasn’t been fully adopted yet by the manufacturers and the regs. In Germany push-in consumer unit circuits are commonplace. Nothing special about screw terminals, more prone to installation error if anything through over or under torquing. The UK will catch up eventually.
That's not how we use the terminal connectors in Spain, here, we use a much bigger connector than the section of the cable that we need to connect, for example if you're connecting 3 2,5mm2 cables, then you would use a 16mm2 connector. You simply twist the copper of the cables together and you put it in the connector, but you must make sure that BOTH screws are holding the connection in place. And of course, once the job is done, you give it a tug, and it should not be loose, and of course, there should be no copper strands loose... Considering the price, I think the "chocolate" connectors are the best, obviously, when used properly, and primarily for threaded cable. IMO.
Is it allowed to use wago in UK? He in Brasil it bacame so popular then soccer. I have some untrustness on this connector wago, its main piace that hold the wire in place is a sprim. My fear is to pass of time this sprim may fail and cause fire deal a loose conection.
Wagos demonstrate how little force the is needed for a solid electrical contact, I've come across terminal blocks where the wire inside is squashed almost flat!
The lever WAGO's are the best for lighting because at a light fitting you often have solid core and multi strand cable of different sizes so you can easily terminate a 1.5 mm and a 0.75mm in different terminals within the same connector block
Russian standards and regulations imply using only three types of connections in a maintenance-free soldering box (behind the ceiling, for example): soldering, welding and compression with a metal sleeve. the remaining options are acceptable only for connections that are available for maintenance.ble
Push fit connectors have two fatal flaws. One, it is very difficult to remove them. You have to yank and twist and that damages the spring teeth. Secondly, the surface contact area is minimal at best. That creates high resistance which then creates heat. Take a temperature reading with a laser thermometer or an infrared camera. You will have hot push connectors. The only point of contact for the amperage is a knife edge worth of spring. That is how they bite. A tiny knife like edge bites it. That not only damages it but provides almost no contact area. The first time I used them for lights I was installing, I was getting problems within a few days. Flickering then going off. Took voltage readings and the voltage was low. Got rid of all of them and redid everything with wire caps. Problem solved.
not sure which spring connectors you used, but it was certainly not wago ones, more like ultra cheap knockoffs at best. Because the Spring in Wago connectors is never designed to carry current, thats the job of the bus bar where the Wire is pushed into by the Spring. Also if you have such a huge distrust for Spring type connections you should get rid of all Outlets and Hard-wire everything. Because these are technically also Spring type connections...
