Most Common DIYer Electrical Mistake - Don't Let This Be You!

I have seen this type of failure in about half of the homes we have renovated over the past 2 years. This is an extremely common mistake and often one you will not know about until you start to have failures at your light fixtures or smart home light switches. I will show you 2 solutions for this issue and better prepare you for future home improvement projects.

Wago 221 Lever Nuts

Chapters
0:00 Demonstration of Most Common Mistake
1:04 Proper Wire Nut Installation (Stranded and Solid Wire)
5:13 Our Favorite Tools For DIYers
5:55 My Prefered Wire Connector For DIYers
8:37 Example Of The Holding Strength of Wago 221 for Stranded Wire
9:58 Recap

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.

[wkrupper]

My dad worked as a mechanical engineer for Ideal Industries around 1970 and holds the patent for putting the spring inside of the wire nut. As a boy, we had hundreds of these wire nuts that were prototypes. We took a vacation that routed near Connecticut where there was a spring manufacturing plant that made the spring that used a wire that wasn't round but rather had edges to help "bite" the wire. I think of my dad every time I use a wire nut.

[bdemaree]

Glad to see you actually pointed out the real #1 mistake. Not pull testing every connection. Loose connections is probably the #2 cause when I get a call about a light not working. BTW the #1 cause, by an unquestionable lead... the lightbulb.

[haskelzupnick]

To build on your way of stripping, at first try pulling the insulation only about 2/3 off the wire, then twist using this small piece of insulation. This will make a more perfect twist and also prevent finger oils from getting on the wire.

[johnhubbard]

Glad you mentioned "pre-twist" which is probably in the top 3 reasons for connector failure. For DIYers you are correct on the WAGO's they will save your from mistakes made by not having a good feel for the connection. Wagos are fine on federal jobs so they meet code requirements anywhere.

[wmgthilgen]

I'm 73 years old, and in my youth, wires were all solid not braided. One use to wrap the solid wires and cover them with electical tape. With the advent of wire nuts, one didn't have to wrap them, thus saving a bit of time. With the advent of braided wires, experienced professional electrians, always wraped with as you show, the braided being slightly ahead of the solid. But as you stated, the general DIY'ers, who were not trained. Just followed the wire nut manufactues guides.

[trxll.treyyy]

electrical apprentice here. one of the task i have the hardest time with is bonding stranded copper to solid copper on fixtures and ceiling fans etc. this was great my man!! 👍🏽

[steventaylor]

Was having trouble splicing the wires even when pushing the stranded wire up first. Yours is the first video recommending what looks like a much better alternative with the Wago 221. Thank you so much for this information. Don’t want to call an electrician for putting up a couple of wall sconces but also don’t want to risk my inexperience producing faulty work. Thanks again.

[mikeyb]

Nothing beats wire nuts for cost and, as a pro electrician, that's the driving factor. I use thousands of them every year, and replacing them with Wago would be a significant cost increase that I would have no choice but to pass on to the customer. That being said, there is one place I always use Wago: when working overhead. Especially in recessed can fixtures. At 63, the less time I spend on top of a ladder with my hands overhead, the better. Wago is probably not enough faster to mitigate the cost differential, but my body really appreciates them at the end of a long day.

[daveholeczy]

I would like to expand on your warning about the dangers of loose connections. Arcing is a symptom of a loose connection. A short is a zero resistance, high amperage fault which will trip a properly functioning over-current protection device. The real danger with a loose connection is the increased resistance which produces heat; enough to cause a fire. This is coming from a licensed electrician, electrical inspector and retired city fire department fire investigator who has investigated a multitude of electrical fires which resulted from a loose connection. Good information and explanation; especially liked display of the proper screwdrivers. Klein also sells the combination tip screwdriver bit.

[lindahogan]

Thank you!!! The WAGO connector was so wonderful!!! It made it so easy and too the guess work out of it. I'm a 73 year old female replacing a ceiling fixture myself. I tried it once using Marettes and it didn't work because they came apart when pushing the wires back up in the box. I'll never do it again with Marettes.

[thomask]

You covered this very well! Kudos to you mentioning the Pull Test! Just a couple of extra quick tips; Tool Wise, since 1973, if Klein made it, I bought it. Period. I still have original Klein tools in my pouch and I retired in 2015. Also, the largest issue with solid copper I found is that it is smooth. The flexible wire just slides right off. I used to knurl up the solid wire a little with my plier jaws so the flexible wire has something to grab onto. This offered me a superior mechanical bond. I also bear down hard when I twist wire nuts and I never had a failure. Not one! I see too many newbies who don't use enough torque on wire nuts. Crank Em' Down! Cheers!

[NotRyanRoblox-cz]

Great information. I’ve also notice from experience that if you push the stranded higher than the solid wire as to where the stranded catches first in the wire nut it will grab good and won’t come apart.

[kronostico]

Very good. Another wiring nut method that I use when putting stranded and solid wires together is tinning the stranded wire tip with solder before twisting conductors with the wire nut . I think the Wago 221 method should be ok for low current applications because the contact area between the connectors and the connector tabs is not enough. I particularly don't like snap-in connections when handling a high current.

[tmiller]

Kudos to you. I have never looked at my wire strippers and noticed that one side said stranded and the other said solid. So I have learned something today. I thank you for that! I was good with the rest already.

[handimanjay]

Pro tip. If you treat every electrical repair as if the power was still on you can’t go wrong. I’ve had people turn breakers on while I was working on circuits and have turned the wrong circuit off myself. No contact testers are great but again even when I know the power is off I handle wires carefully. You can get feedback voltage through neutrals from other circuits. When in doubt call an electrician. I’ve done many repairs where homeowners did the work wrong or they “had a guy” do it wrong for them. With 40 years experience as an electrician when I try and rush a job is when mistakes are made.

[davemiller]

As an electrician, I see a lot of videos on the internet giving people wiring advice. Many give incorrect or bad advice. The information in this video is correct. I've used the Wago's for years.
They are great. And the advice here about pull testing and leading the solid with the stranded is spot on. Extra points for mentioning the difference in gauge sizes between solid and stranded.

[dl]

I am new to your channel. You are an excellent presenter! Great communication skills with just the right speed pattern in your voice. You also seem to care about teaching your audience and not just rushing through the video to get it done and uploaded. Thank you!

[tatchik]

My boyfriend is an electrician, he was so impressed when I used the wire nut properly! Thanks!

[bjk]

As a tradesman myself I have to say.... bravo!! I am a CNC specialist and I see a lot of things that diy'ers do that I want to correct them on. Not for the purpose of degrading them, but to share information that I have become very good at. That being said, I have a REALLY hard time grasping the knowledge of electrical. I can't remember how I found this video because I put it in my watch later list, but it's made me a subscriber and I look forward to watching the rest of your videos.

[ox]

I'm a licensed electrician myself. Wires don't move by themselves inside walls and ceilings. Not unless you're house is in a tornado or earthquake 😅. I wouldn't worry about this video much. Just make sure everything is secure and safe. When l wire with caps l wrap electrical tape tightly around the caps, wire. 👍