Connecting Stranded to Solid Wire

Merry Christmas
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MAC702

Senior Member
Location
Clark County, NV
Assuming the combination is using the correct size wirenut, you lead the stranded one slightly longer than the solid one. This helps keep it from sliding down while twisting the nut on. No pre-twisting.

It should actually say this in the instructions that come with the wirenuts.
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Be sure the stranded wire is fully twisted into a round shape; if more than one stranded wire, twist them together into one thicker twist. Additionally, you should hold both wires tightly as the wirenut is screwed on, so the stranded wire is neither jammed into the end of the wirenut nor pushed down the solid wire. The tips of both wires should be grabbed by the spiral insert.
 
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Eddie_T

Member
Location
Southern mtns near eastern continental divide
Occupation
PE (retired)
MAC702 said:
Assuming the combination is using the correct size wirenut, you lead the stranded one slightly longer than the solid one. This helps keep it from sliding down while twisting the nut on. No pre-twisting.

It should actually say this in the instructions that come with the wirenuts.
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Thanks! I guess my wirenuts are too cheap to have instructions. I know for solid to solid to do a good twist but I wasn't sure what to do with stranded. I have essentially been doing as you say with dimmers and smaller heaters but wanted to be correct as this one will be handling approx 16 amps.
 
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kaiser

Member
Location
los angeles, ca. USA
MAC702 said:
I did that, too. Then I'd refer to something by its name on the box. None of the journeymen knew what I was talking about until I learned their lingo.
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I had the same problem when I became an apprentice. I had spent a year as a driver and three years as warehouse manager for the largest independently owned electrical contractor west of the Rockies and I pulled orders from foreman on about 30 or 40 jobs a day and we had a warehouse that had so much material all set in rows and rows of bins and racks shelving and then another whole warehouse justbfor tools and a tool repair shop. I helped set up this warehouse because it was a brand new building and the company moved in about six months after I started working for them.
I new every piece of material by manufacturer catalog number and name and when I became an apprentice I had to learn what they were called in the field and I also found out what they were used for. Then when I moved from SoCal to NorCal they used different slang for a lot of material so I had to learn again. Just thought I'd share that.
 
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winnie

Senior Member
Location
Springfield, MA, USA
Occupation
Electric motor research
kaiser said:
I new every piece of material by manufacturer catalog number and name and when I became an apprentice I had to learn what they were called in the field and I also found out what they were used for. Then when I moved from SoCal to NorCal they used different slang for a lot of material so I had to learn again. Just thought I'd share that.
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Wow. Periodically we have questions along the line of 'I want a dohicky to connect to this whatsis'. I bet you will know them all.

-Jon
 
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