Barndog
Senior Member
- Location
- Spring Creek Pa
a coworker and I got into a discussion about twisting solid wires together in a Junction box before you put them in a wirenut.
what is your opinion
what is your opinion
Do you twist your solid wires together before you put them in a wirenut.
- Thread starter Barndog
- Start date
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tryinghard
Senior Member
- Location
- California
I don't, onezy-twozys might be tollerable but hundreds or thousands na.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
No choice for 'sometimes'.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
Well, when I do twist them, I like to take the ends out of the junction box before I twist them. It's easier on the knuckles.
weressl
Esteemed Member
Twisting them before will provide you with a larger area of direct surface contact between the wires that will be further reinforced by the twistlock's design. No I would NOT twist them together when using the Wago type connectors
.http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=in-sure&div=0&l1=push-in
muskrat
Member
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
didn't vote-2 solid or 1 solid to 1 stranded=no
3 or more solid=yes
3 or more solid=yes
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
I see that you are a maintenance electrician. If you are doing work where you may have to come back and repair even years from now I think twisting connections is definately worth the time.
I'm old school and I twist but I have worked for companies that thought it was a waste of time so it being their nickel I did what I was being paid to do.
Steviechia2
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
Solids always! Stranded No.
Barndog
Senior Member
- Location
- Spring Creek Pa
I like to twist my solids together but when you have to take part of the connection out. it can be a pain to break them apart. We dont use alot of soild here other than metal flex mostly. but one of the buildings here was wired in the early 70's and its all solid wire.
slick 50
Senior Member
- Location
- 6 super bowl ring city
nuts are designed to insulate and isolate live bare conductors and are not designed to make a connection....in my opinion anyway.
fishin' electrician
Senior Member
- Location
- Connecticut
Without pre-twisting, you should have a similar pain trying to break them apart. The wire nut is supposed to do the twisting for you.
klineelectric
Member
- Location
- FL
- Occupation
- electrical contractor
wires should be mechanically secure before putting wirenut on.
1-3 #14 - 12's I don't pre twist. I use a the 5/16 open end of a Klien 10in one driver to twist wirenuts.
(I only work with solid wire on residential with romex. If they made stranded romex I would buy it. Especially a #10-2 romex with a red and black and green stranded.)
(I only work with solid wire on residential with romex. If they made stranded romex I would buy it. Especially a #10-2 romex with a red and black and green stranded.)
hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
If that was so we wouldn't be require to put wire nuts on EGC's (yes I know there are other methods)
But as for the OP, I have no problem of not twisting before installing a wire nut, as long as the wire nut is twisted to the point a twist shows where the wires enter the cap, the problem is it takes allot of hard twisting to achieve this and I see many times this is not done as per instruction of the wire nut manufacture, But with my week wrist, I'll keep on twisting before wire nut, much easier with lineman's then with nut.
Kind of funny, I was working at a restaurant this week because of lost power on several circuits and every one of them was a bad connection under the wire nut, and the wires was straight as an arrow, never twisted or the nut turned until it twisted the wires, Ideal state right on the bag, pre twisting is not necessary, but you are to twist the connector until at least 3 turns in the wire is visible outside of the cap, or something to that effect.
Try doing that with 4 #12s or 2 #10s not going to happen.
jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
I feel that the wirenut should just be a protective covering and a security to the mechanical connection. I understand you are not required to and some manufacturers instructions tell you that you don't have to. I just think it's better.
There are two occasions where I may not (but still sometimes do) twist before putting on the wirenut:
1: Very short wires in box when replacing old devices
2: Temporary splices for livening up a circuit for lights for the plasterers and painters where I may be terminating the wire on a device later.
There are two occasions where I may not (but still sometimes do) twist before putting on the wirenut:
1: Very short wires in box when replacing old devices
2: Temporary splices for livening up a circuit for lights for the plasterers and painters where I may be terminating the wire on a device later.
Twoskinsoneman
Senior Member
- Location
- West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
- Occupation
- Facility Senior Electrician
??? would you expound on this thought? And are you implying that twisting a wire around another makes it mechanically secure?
Twoskinsoneman
Senior Member
- Location
- West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
- Occupation
- Facility Senior Electrician
It is my feeling that the NEC is counting on the nut to make the connection.
look at the verbage in 110.14(B) "...joined with splicing device..."
Just twisting wires does not secure them mechanically or electrically... Otherwise the ol twist and solder would still be okay.
readydave8
re member
- Location
- Clarkesville, Georgia
- Occupation
- electrician
I strongly disagree
- Status