Before You Use Wago Wire Connectors

The details I have found out about them and why not to use them

[Baryogenese]

Very interesting, we only use Wagos here for decades in every job side. They are rock solid and very safe.

[surferdude]

Wago 222 and the newer 221 are fine for commercial use and for 20 amp circuits with 12 gauge wire. What you said is nonsense. When it comes to wire nuts, which I also like, it's more important to fold your wires as neatly as possible in an unstuffed box than to be concerned with the orientation of wire nut.
The 3m wire nut is called a performance plus and gets good reviews from what I've seen.

[ped]

The WAGO "LEVER-NUT" connectors are UL rated for 20 amps. There is a new version that supports 30 amp and 10AWG and that is UL rated as well. They use a spring that keeps constant pressure on the wire pushing the wire against a Alloy coated copper bus bar. The standard wirenut is a screw device which is a wedge. Wedges have constant pressure to release. Unlike a spring which keeps constant pressure on the wire. Also in a over current situation the wire expands, when it cools it shrinks. The spring in the LEVER-NUT keeps the pressure on the connection and the wirenut does not.

[rickjans]

Interesting spinning and the small contact point
i was thinking on using them on a ceiling fan receiver
connection maybe not - the wires is very thin

[ArkamasRoss]

A comment that I found on a Wago vs wire nuts video which I’ll post here as well:

"I've been an electrician for almost 4 decades. Industrial, commercial & residential. I'm just an old guy with an opinion, but I've seen a lot. I've opened many j boxes, troubleshot tons of circuit failures, and have seen hundreds of wire nut failures. Here's my opinion, do what you want with it. Due to the thermal expansion and contraction cycles present in electrical systems, over time wire nuts work their way loose and even fall off. I used to blame the previous electrician for not tightening the nuts, but eventually realized it's the wire nut at fault. A twisted splice inside a box is so rigid that it puts more strain on the connection, prohibiting this natural movement. The connection is the weak link, hence the failure point. I use the push in versions exclusively as I believe that the levers could be accidentally popped open when packing the j box. These spring loaded connectors don't loosen up, allow the conductors to swivel and flex easily within the box, eliminating the tension on the wires. You can feel the difference when packing the box too, so much easier, no stress on the conductors. These are not the same as the push in connections on cheap 50 cent receptacles, those are junk and should never be used under any circumstances! I have used WAGO products in the worst industrial chemical processing environments, along with residential applications, since 1994. They hold up better than anything else. I was extremely reluctant and skeptical early on as to their durability, as wire nuts were the gold standard in a trade with rigid beliefs of what works and what doesn't. Now I use them in every application that I can, with no hesitation whatsoever. I keep in touch with my customers, no callbacks ever. I am not an electrical engineer, I just play one in real life!" - Dave Nag

Some other points on theses:
• doing a bad job either way gives poor results, and there seem to be plenty of electricians out there like this.
• budget electricians will say wire nuts because wagos are more expensive.
Either of these cases have obviously tainted the data to make a lot of it unreliable. I see issues on both sides and one application may be better suited to one vs the other.
Some other points:
• Mixing solid wires with stranded in a wire nut is just bad all around from what I’ve seen. The stranded get twisted around the solid, potentially getting damaged and breaking strands in the process and dominating the connection between the nut and solid wire, allowing the nut to slip off with the stranded more easily than any push connector.
• With enough time wire nuts can lose friction and have as much as a push connector or lever connector. They’re both friction fit.
• Based on the point of swiveling from the quote above - as far as solid wires are concerned - I think it can be problematic as far as the application of pigtails where there's too much movement allowed, primarily if used only with a double push/lever connector, however that movement is better controlled with more wires from the box. This allows for enough flex with the wires - more so than twisted wires with wire nuts - but not too much to work their way out of a connector.
• Wire nuts and twisted wires Carry the problem of wearing down conductors which can be especially problematic if the conductors inside a box have been cut too short because of poor work.
• Push connectors can help preserve wires against this problem.
I think a lot of it comes down to the need of the application as well as common sense on where either connector should or should not be used. Either way I think there needs to be more open-mindedness because there are master electricians on either side of the fence and simply taking one or the others word for it and making reasonable considerations for yourself. Don't get me wrong, the opinions of professionals it's important, but they shouldn't be considered strictly. Use common sense.

There’s a discussion on this comment thread which I copied from here if anyone is interested in providing additional experience/opinion there.

[FleshWound]

they come in different sizes and ratings, use the wago 221 connectors

[runbuh]

How much "spinning" are you going to get once you have more than one wire inserted into a Wago connector? You'll twist the wires before you spin the wires in the connector. Sure - they may move around while you're cramming everything into the box, but, there is less cramming as these connectors are a better use of space (just my opinion). If you're going to use Wago connectors, it seems like the new clear version would be better as you can visually verify the insertion.

[leemobai]

Electricians don’t like them because DIYers won’t need their services.

[lukejohnson]

Wago connectors are much more expensive than wire nuts therefore cut into the profit margin of professional electricians. I never trust anyone's opinion when it is influenced by profit.

[sjay]

At 06:15 you solve your forestated issue, with the lever style Wago.
As at 06:15, when using a WAGO, you need to wrap the unconnected wires first, then slide each of these wires in to the WAGO connector. The WAGO no longer spins on the wire(s).

[SatelliteGalaxy]

In Europe, Australia, and Japan, wire nuts are completely unknown to most electricians.

[eyehear]

"dont use em if you want your house to burn down" say the people who use wirenuts who have been shown time and time again to burn houses down

[vincentstouter]

Analysis Questions:

Is the amp rating based on the wire/connector size?

Does WAGO make 20A devices? (WAGO 221 Lever Lock connectors are rated for 20A, 300V)

If unsafe, did UL make an error in certification?

Do insurance companies forbid WAGO connectors? I recall the issues and controversy of with mixing aluminum wiring to copper connectors in the mid 80’s.

What are the odds of creating a bad connection with a WAGO Lever Lock compared with wire nut connections?

If one pulls apart on a wire nut compared to a Lever Lock, which will part first?

If one places a FLIR camera on a properly terminated WAGO connector vs a properly terminated wire nut, which connector will be hotter under high load?

Is there a difference in rating between these connectors for high vibration or marine applications?

Note: the new style WAGO “Push-to-connect” connectors are removable (“twist-and-pull).

All food for thought. 😎

[mellowthion]

Really! How many connectors of any description would you use on a single cable - ‘look, it rotates on the wire’. How much do you think it will rotate with two, three or 4 wires?

[dlrmi]

Where does it say you can’t use them commercially or on a 20 amp circuit?

[Sammy-ofuv]

I'm a retired contractor...done a lot of electrical and plumbing... when the shark bites first came around i was very hesitant... they would spin around but they never leaked. As far as the Wagos I would use them always over wire nuts. Wire nuts are more like horse and buggy. They never worked well when mixing solid and strand wire. Just my opinion... wish I'd invented them!

[shanebibby]

these connections are fine even in commercial unless your inspector says otherwise I've never had a an issue with these they serve a general purpose short wires in a home great I don't use em for general stuff cuz there expensive I use the tan red wire nuts by 3m

[thpxs]

John ward ( channel) did extensive testing on these connectors in comparison with other types and the Chinese copies of wago.
Wago and the wago copies out performed the required standards by a factor of 5X . They took 150 amps at 240 volts before the plastic melted but the connectors stayed solid. Most UK houses only have an 80 or 100amp main incoming fuse, There’s no possibility that a domestic circuit can overload one of these connectors, even the push in type. The trip on the board or the old style wire fuses would blow long long before the wago melted. I’ve fitted hundreds of them, I’ve never seen even heard of one failing. Maybe wago is a threat to who ever makes the wiring nuts that are used in the USA. Once you’ve used these on a job you won’t go back to anything else. Of course they should also go in the correct wago box as well, you shouldn’t just leave them not enclosed.

[reichlichanonym]

Well. The Wagos connectors are primarily designed for European Setups which have twice the Voltage and half the Amps. In this case you can't overload them in household setups, but you easily can in the US, where you would frequently exceed the allowed amps of the connector even in household settings. The Connectors would only start melting when the regular house fuses (the ones behind the counter not the distribution fuses!) would have already been tripped.

In Germany probably 75% or more of all houses and office Buildings would exclusively use one of their clamp types. They have been proven to be extremely reliable and with their self readjusting clamping Design are much safer than nearly everything else in use. And because you can pull out individual wires fixing something, extensions, rewiring etc is extremely simple.

The schools you have to visit during the apprenticeship to become an electrician all use Wago for education, because it's the de-facto standard.

The clamps for the lights (224) are one of very few clamp types which are approved for solid, braid, conductor sleeves and even tinned braid wich is extremely problematic in nearly all available clamp systems. And they are very longtime stable due to their self readjusting clamping design which keeps contact pressure stable even, when the material starts to.



So they may be used in the US only with care to make sure that you don't exceed the allowed amps, but in Europe they are perfectly safe and in use by nearly every professional master electrician company, as they are very fast to use, easy to fix and extremely reliable.

So all in all this review goes against the nearly universal professional wisdom in Europe...

Mike

[mullema]

HAHAHA, some of the high voltage conectors on power stations i have worked on has 1cm cubed surface area and suportes 3000A. Stop thinking and feeling about all things. Let the labs test the products and come to a conclution, they got more knowlage and know how to certify products. And one more think. You dont twist the wago 5 times in to a j-box, you jam them in there. A wire nut is more likely to get loose by that!