BIGGEST DIY Mistakes Joining Cables

Common mistakes joining cables, and how to address these issues.

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[errolmagill]

The Wago's are an amazing invention, safe and simple for domestic electrics.

[MultiVogon]

I bought that exact same ferrule set last year - I've been guilty of using stranded wires in screw connectors in the past... I have changed my ways 😀

[milanvarenika]

Wait a sec, you want to teach somebody about connections, showing in your thumbnail phot that Wagos (perfectly safe and strong) are bad, and then showing NOT EVEN CONNECTED terminal block as "worse".

[Kteknik.]

The twisting of solid core wire is not that bad as presented in this video, of course it have to be done correctly which it was not in this case. The right way is to strip about 10 cm of wire, twist the cores tightly together for 7-8 cm, cut the excess wire off, put a sleeve over the twisted part and bend it on the middle (this is to keep the sleeve from falling off and the wire from untwisting).
When I first was introduce to this method outside my native country I was chocked "How can they use such a terrible method to connect wires ?", but it had been proven to me a few times that it, if executed correctly, gives a lower transition resistance than the resistance that actually is in the cable itself, second concern is long time stability, and I have seen decade old installment that are still showing no signs of bad connections. So far so good.

So why do I almost always replace these connections to wago's when I see them ? Well first of all they take up a lot of space in a box, then it is a pain in time and work to do fault finding on a circuit that is made this way, and you may not have the needed wire length to redo the connection.

There is different ways to evaluate "what is a good connection of wires ?", some think it is ease of use, other think time is money, others again think that low transition resistance is king, others look at the total cost, as long at you follow the local law/code/etc. any method is good enough if executed correctly. In this video there were a few methods (the once that the author do not like ?) that was executed very badly, that is not fair to the methods itself. I know that exaggeration promotes understanding, but in this case, where you, to a certain extent, compare different methods, then this exaggeration is not useful.

[foogod]

Your explanation of the ratings on the WAGO connector are wrong. The ones on the left (next to the "UL" logo) that say "450V/32A" are from the IEC and apply for both *Europe and the US.* That's why the same side also lists the wire size in both mm² and AWG (American Wire Gauge). The rating on the right side is from the JET (Japanese Electrical Safety and Environment Technology Labs) for the Japanese market.

(However, note that even though the _connector_ is rated to 32A, the maximum wire size (14 AWG) is only rated to 15 amps for building wiring in the US, so this connector can only be used on up to 15 amp building circuits according to US code (otherwise the wires would be too big). However, if you are using it for other applications (for example open-air chassis wiring inside an enclosure) you could potentially take advantage of the full 32A of the connector in some situations.)

[jamesgoddings]

I replaced a bunch of screw terminal junction boxes in my own home with Wago boxes. They were all at least 12 years old. Some of the older boxes had loose screws and even evidence of arcing where connectors were loose. The problems are; the connectors are brass with brass screws and these are relatively well self-lubricating metal on metal contacts and the copper single core wire is fairly soft and deformable, especially compared to the brass. Often these boxes are in lofts or roofspaces where temperatures fluctuate considerably (+/-15-30oC), cold in winter/at night and warm in the summer/day. The fluctuating temperature cycles over a number of years expand and contract the wire trapped by the screw, loosening the screws grip on the wire by a combination of compressing the wire more and loosening the well lubricated screw. Eventually the wire is barely held by the screw. Wires under any tension can be pulled out of the terminal altogether. What makes things worse is when someone has put 3, 4 or even 5 wires under one screw! Wago levers are a sprung fixing, so there is some give and positive pressure capturing the wires, in theory they should last indefinitely, however plastics do deteriorate with heat cycles and UV exposure so worth making them inspectable and checking them periodically.

[xknlsbz]

I’ve been using terminal connector blocks for years with absolutely no issues, using bootlace ferrules with these types of connectors makes a perfect match too. It’s nice to see other products available though and I’m sure they will have their use.

[rayc]

30A juntion boxes are designed for ring final circuits. They were commonly used and still are to extend cables. Each leg of a ring is desinged to pull at max of 27 Amps at fault. So a 30 Amp jnc box in situe is perfectly acceptable as long as it's accessible for inspection. We tend to use wago and ideal connectors in Maintenance free boxes so we don't have to worry about inspecting them.

[wisteela]

Very informative. I like the idea of putting those ends one stranded, and using them in a Wago.

[TheEulerID]

The current rating of that screw terminal connector is going to be way higher than 5 or 6 amperes. I would say at least 15 amps. It is, after all, as larger as the screw terminals on a typical socket, which are rated for 32A. What is more, the conductive metal cross-sectional area is more than a Wago type. The danger is a poor connection, not the rating of the connector in that case unless you use it on something like a shower circuit.

Cable ties in the Wago box are nothing to do with IP ratings, they are there to meet the requirement that it requires the use of tools to access the live conductive parts.

[nicbendyman]

Haha. Apparently it's a miracle no house I've ever lived in has burnt down.

[ArcanePath]

I've never seen the ferrules before. The times I've needed these! Pretty much used everything else in this video. Thanks for the info.

[markkennard]

All depends on the load. Wago for light circuits but I'm with screw down connecter strip. It's not what you got, its how you use it.. :)

[jensschroder]

Last week I took a connector out of the circuit because it failed after 50 years. The screw had pressed on the copper and flattened the spot. The sparks caused a layer to form on the oxidation insulation. And this deposit had become conductive. This led to short circuits between two hot conductors.
I now only use WAGO terminals. Installation is easy and the contact is secure.
I change screw connectors for WAGOs.

[TheFenrirulfr]

Electrician here, please keep doing what you guys do. It keeps guys like me employed!

[vtfifzk]

It's interesting how locale influences what we consider safe. In North America, almost all connections are done by twisting wires together (and covering with wire nuts.) When I heard about British ring mains, my first thought was, "why aren't there more fires there?" Of course, your plug has a fuse, to compensate.

When licensed electricians make twisted connections here (Canada) the resistance of the connections are lower than for Wago connectors (not that I would hesitate to use Wagos.)

[sharonmc]

Really helpful video. I'm just about to try Wago for the first time for some loft lights, having seen them recommended. I was a bit misled by your thumbnail though as it made it look like the Wago was a bad option, hence why I clicked to see why. I have seen some shocking (excuse pun) wiring in houses I've lived in. 70's and 80's builds seemingly had barely any regs so it seemed. I had mains wiring running diagonally behind my kitchen wall and a spaghetti junction of cables above my light fittings. These Wago's look good and am looking forward to trying them out! Thanks

[xcoder]

Not that tape a replacement for an enclosure or ever considered a permanent solution but if you use the correct tape for the job, it won't deteriorate as the correct tape if self-amalgamating adhesive tape, that is tape that is not held together by glue but the layers of tape will weld together and form a single solid. You won't be able to remove such a tape by pulling or just "unrolling" it, the only way to get rid of that tape is to cut it off. It's also perfectly waterproof and heat resistent and these are permanent properties. Such a tape even works under water and it's the only kind of tape you should ever use for temporary fixes that guarantees long lasting properties until a better fix is possible. It's also pressure resistent and an even fix water leaks on pressure pipes and that while there is pressure on the pipe and the water is currently leaking. And there are situations where you need a fix right now and a better fix isn't possible until two years later as it requires huge amounts of renovations which cannot be done over night.

[michaeldawson]

WAGO in my opinion is the route to take. Very capable and a safer design. Good for 32A too.

[MarkUKInsects]

You showed the wago boxes, which are great. But I now use the Quickfix Junction Boxes for Wago's, much better! neater and suit UK wiring better