Are Wago lever nuts approved for industrial use?

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SceneryDriver

Senior Member
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NJ
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Electrical and Automation Designer
What else do they approve of using?
Spring cage clamp terminal blocks (PT series from Phoenix Contact) and "chocoblock" terminals.



They really like the spring cage clamp terminals, as they don't need preventative maintenance and retightening. Ships vibrate, even big ones, and that can cause terminations to loosen over time.


SceneryDriver
 

paulengr

Senior Member
Spring cage clamp terminal blocks (PT series from Phoenix Contact) and "chocoblock" terminals.



They really like the spring cage clamp terminals, as they don't need preventative maintenance and retightening. Ships vibrate, even big ones, and that can cause terminations to loosen over time.


SceneryDriver

Anything on a ship generally has to meet IL and whatever the “local” Code is such as ABS which is positively one of the most frustrating Codes out there because a lot of it is unwritten and very political although the written Codes are generally free and public domain. Finding approved products will drive you up the wall.
 

romex jockey

Senior Member
Location
Vermont
Occupation
electrician
i've been at it for 4 decades, there is no way on God's green earth anyone is going to have me subscribe to these lame a** 'wago's'.....thx ~RJ~
 

SceneryDriver

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Electrical and Automation Designer
Anything on a ship generally has to meet IL and whatever the “local” Code is such as ABS which is positively one of the most frustrating Codes out there because a lot of it is unwritten and very political although the written Codes are generally free and public domain. Finding approved products will drive you up the wall.

Agreed. We always try to have a talk with the Chief Electrician beforehand, if we can. Making nice with the CE goes a long way; he or she is ultimately responsible for all electrical onboard, so keeping them happy and in the loop is paramount. They also don't really get what we do sometimes. Entertainment is always a bit of a mystery to them :) They tend to be happy to be included in the conversation.


SceneryDriver
 

wallyworld

Senior Member
Cost of wagos vs wirenuts plus labor to install them . Any savings going with wagos?

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Todd0x1

Senior Member
Location
CA
Cost of wagos vs wirenuts plus labor to install them . Any savings going with wagos?

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Much faster, especially when using an automatic stripper. And even moreso when using lever nuts with stranded wire vs trying to get a wirenut to work.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
Years ago Wago were the first to champion "spring clamp" type terminal blocks. My partner in our panel shop at the time fully embraced them because he felt it cut down on shop labor time. We built a bunch of panels for Boeing using them and I had to go out on site and make a bunch of field changes, I HATED them and vowed to never use them again. Boeing also promptly banned them from their projects as well. It was not for performance issues, it was because of how difficult it was to make changes. The spring clamp would "dig in" to the copper and even when you used the special tool to release them, the little burr on the copper made by the clamp would prevent the wire from coming out without breaking either the terminal block or the wire.

When Wago came out with these to replace wire nuts, I lumped them into the same general category. But out of desperation last year, I had to use some and I have to say, I liked them. From an industrial use standpoint however, there is no specific code for industrial vs residential vs commercial, yet some industrials have their onw internal standards. I know a number of industrials that do not allow wire nuts on anything other than office lights and plugs. I know others that disallow crimped butt splices. So I'm sure there are some that will say "No lever clamp or spring clamp splices" too.
 
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SceneryDriver

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Electrical and Automation Designer
Years ago Wago were the first to champion "spring clamp" type terminal blocks. My partner in our panel shop at the time fully embraced them because he felt it cut down on shop labor time. We built a bunch of panels for Boeing using them and I had to go out on site and make a bunch of field changes, I HATED them and vowed to never use them again. Boeing also promptly banned them from their projects as well. It was not for performance issues, it was because of how difficult it was to make changes. The spring clamp would "dig in" to the copper and even when you used the special tool to release them, the little burr on the copper made by the clamp would prevent the wire from coming out without breaking either the terminal block or the wire.

When Wago came out with these to replace wire nuts, I lumped them into the same general category. But out of desperation last year, I had to use some and I have to say, I liked them. From an industrial use standpoint however, there is no specific code for industrial vs residential vs commercial, yet some industrials have their onw internal standards. I know a number of industrials that do not allow wire nuts on anything other than office lights and plugs. I know others that disallow crimped butt splices. So I'm sure there are some that will say "No lever clamp or spring clamp splices" too.

I agree the first generation of Wago spring clamp TBs had troubles with releasing wires. The ST series from Phoenix Contact did/does too sometimes. Did you use ferrules on the wires you had trouble releasing?

A few years ago, our shop switched to the PT series from Phoenix Contact, and my shop techs love them. Easy to just push ferruled conductors in, and a reliable release by pressing the orange release button with a small screwdriver. They're cheaper then the ST series too!


SceneryDriver
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
I agree the first generation of Wago spring clamp TBs had troubles with releasing wires. The ST series from Phoenix Contact did/does too sometimes. Did you use ferrules on the wires you had trouble releasing?

A few years ago, our shop switched to the PT series from Phoenix Contact, and my shop techs love them. Easy to just push ferruled conductors in, and a reliable release by pressing the orange release button with a small screwdriver. They're cheaper then the ST series too!


SceneryDriver
I'll be honest, I never gave them another chance. I'm like that. If someone gets me to try something new, it had better not piss me off or I'm done with it. Fortunately that didn't carry through to women, otherwise I'd be a bitter lonely old man (instead of just bitter and old...)
 

romex jockey

Senior Member
Location
Vermont
Occupation
electrician
Years ago Wago were the first to champion "spring clamp" type terminal blocks. My partner in our panel shop at the time fully embraced them because he felt it cut down on shop labor time. We built a bunch of panels for Boeing using them and I had to go out on site and make a bunch of field changes, I HATED them and vowed to never use them again. Boeing also promptly banned them from their projects as well. It was not for performance issues, it was because of how difficult it was to make changes. The spring clamp would "dig in" to the copper and even when you used the special tool to release them, the little burr on the copper made by the clamp would prevent the wire from coming out without breaking either the terminal block or the wire.

When Wago came out with these to replace wire nuts, I lumped them into the same general category. But out of desperation last year, I had to use some and I have to say, I liked them. From an industrial use standpoint however, there is no specific code for industrial vs residential vs commercial, yet some industrials have their onw internal standards. I know a number of industrials that do not allow wire nuts on anything other than office lights and plugs. I know others that disallow crimped butt splices. So I'm sure there are some that will say "No lever clamp or spring clamp splices" too.

Every good spark should have one of these in their library Jraef>
1621679959796.png
this is where codes end, and technique begins
~RJ~
 

ramsy

Roger Ruhle dba NoFixNoPay
Location
LA basin, CA
Occupation
Service Electrician 2020 NEC
i've been at it for 4 decades, there is no way on God's green earth anyone is going to have me subscribe to these lame a** 'wago's'.....thx ~RJ~
Last 20yrs, Lever-locks were a necessity for wires in back of box, too short for wirenuts.

Rarely needed, but never got a callback, never seen them fail at convenience outlet, but also never checked the listing, until last year.

found out lever locks are not listed for North American aluminum branch wiring, Apparently different from European aluminum branch wiring.
 
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