Load Testing DIY Wire Connectors | What Could Go Wrong!

I am a big fan of WAGO 221 lever nuts and have been using them for years on all sorts of DIY electrical projects. A few of the viewers brought to my attention that Harbor Freight is now carrying a Pittsburgh brand lever nut so it is time to do a comparison and put them to the test!

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[EverydayHomeRepairs]

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[maxe]

The Harbor Freight lever nuts are rated for 24-12AWG stranded, but 24-10AWG solid. It says so pretty clearly on the front of the package (see 1:01). The marking on the body of the lever nut is likely specifying the stranded AWG because stranded is slightly larger than solid in cross-sectional area. Stranded 10AWG would likely not fit, so they wrote "12AWG" to be safe.

[person]

One thing to point out is that whatever resistance the material inside wire nuts has is not all that relevant because the electrical connection is between the two ends of the wires themselves. This is not the case for lever nuts, so their materials' resistance is more important to know.

[benellishooter]

Need to test separately, these are so close together, once that wire is hot it could transfer heat to the next connector.

Also putting a piece of electrical tape on each connector will let your IR camera read the same surface since they’re all different.

Thanks for taking the time to put this out!

[johnmckenzie]

I applaud this testing. However, I need to respectfully note that using the Flir thermal imager spot temperate to measure the resistive heat will likely not give you accurate temperatures. The emissivity of the surface being measured significantly affects accuracy. The thermal resolution of the FLIR ONE is relatively low (80x60 pixels), which may not capture fine details needed for precise measurements on small components like connectors.

The spot temperature measurement has so many problems that the NFPA standard has removed it from the TI basic setting on TICs designed for firefighting. Firefighters are still getting injured or killed by depending on the spot temperature.

What you're measuring:
The spot temperature reading is measuring the amount of infrared radiation emitted from a specific small area (the "spot") on the surface you're targeting. The camera then converts this infrared energy reading into an estimated temperature value. If the emissivity setting on the camera doesn't match the actual emissivity of the surface, the temperature reading will be inaccurate.

I hope this is helpful,

[TheWilferch]

As expected the HF version is not junk and tested well, especially vs. price. I will admit I like the smaller size and test port capability of the good

[hotpuppy]

Wire nuts over a pre-twisted connection won't have any resistance caused by the wire nut. It just insulates the connection. If the wires were not pre-twisted, that might be another story as it depends on how many conductors there are under the wire nut and how well they twist as the nut is put on. You should try that with a test. Also try doing an old school installation like they did with knob and tube: twisted wire, soldered and then covered with gutta percha (rubber goo) and friction tape.

[pookatim]

The wire-nut will always win the resistance test because the wire-nut itself doesn't affect anything. The wire is twisted around itself. On the lever-type devices they are actually "connectors". The power passed from one wire to a buss-bar and then to another wire. Anytime you add a connector to a buss-bar then to a connector to a wire there will be a loss of efficiency due to resistance. An interesting study would be comparing an entire house wired with traditional wire-nuts vs the same house wired with lever connectors. How much overall efficiency is lost over time? I don't know if it is significant but it certainly could be especially when relying on solar and/or battery power.

[williamdouglas]

You should run these in a sealed plastic wiring box. Then after some time take the cover off and quickly check the temperature. It would be interesting to observe the impact of a prolonged heat source in a semi-insulated environment. The resistance increases with temperature which in turn, generates more heat. This feedback can result in you reaching the 220 deg mark much sooner then expected.

[thedopplereffect]

Thermal cameras are fun for YouTube, but just measure the voltage drop across the connection and measure the current with an amp meter. You can directly calculate the watts directly.

[LogicalNiko]

The Wago and the Ideal whatever nuts are the only ones I trust. Each has some specific advantages to their design, and has been heavily certified. I’m not sure I would take the gamble on Pittsburgh having done the same level of QA on their production line

[Cobb]

1:42 it says right on the box 24-12 for stranded wire and and 24-10 for solid wire, so the back is probably listing the smaller range of stranded.

[CajunReaper]

As others pointed out there’s nothing confusing about the wire specs as it says on the packaging that each wire size is dependent on the type of wire used, stranded and solid conductor!

[myself]

It's good practice, when using a 3- or 5-position levernut, to put the feed in the middle and the taps on either side, to minimize the distance of busbar that current flows, thus minimize I²R heating. Using only the outermost positions is harmless since there's still plenty of thermal margin as you've seen, but suboptimal. It'd be interesting to repeat this test with two 221-415's, using only the innermost positions on one, and the outermost on the other.

[banger]

Been buying my Wago connectors at Home Depot. Might be a little bit higher, but I get them immediately.

[dorhocyn]

The harbor freight ones look like they would be good to keep kicking around on the workbench near my oscilloscope and other stuff for temporary testing things

[RHort]

Per an email conversation I had with a senior Harbor Freight customer service rep, these arw rated to 41 amps. I find that a bit hard to believe but bravo if so. Far above what they should encounter even with 10s.

[bio-techlarry]

For me, I'll stay with standard wire nuts. Wire nuts hold the twisted wires together making more surface area for contact which equals less resistance. The lever nuts place a separate conductor between the clamp connections. Thus more resistance and chance of corrosion at the spring connectors.

[steventrott]

I don’t think I could ever go cheap on a lever lock connector.

[ElectroAtletico]

Here's a funny surprise - you can't find the "wago" at my local Harbor Freight. All sold out.

p.s. Yeah, I got 3 boxes before they sold out!🤪