Crimped connection - what do YOU do?

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Crimped connection - what do YOU do?

  • Leave it alone - it was working when I got here

    Votes: 8 12.1%

  • Put new tape back on - it was working when I got here

    Votes: 5 7.6%

  • Remove the crimps and install new wire nuts

    Votes: 51 77.3%

  • Worry all night 'cause the rest of the house is the same way

    Votes: 2 3.0%
  • Total voters
    66
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Minuteman

Minuteman

Senior Member
Location
The Sooner Nation
So, your doing a small bath remodel and a couple other things. In the bath, add three cans, replace duplex with GFI, replace three switches. All devices Almond.
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In the 3 gang box, you find tapped connections and the tape is loose. Pull the tap and find Crimp Sleeves.
 
If everyting else in the box was leagal, and the crimp was done right, then I would put a listed wrap cap boot on it. Done deal, up to code, and your not changing anything, just adding to it.
 
I dont carry a wrap cap boot..I carry wire nuts and they are in my pouch..ten m inutes and your done and no one knows or cres but you..problem solved and I can get a cup of Java between jobs..
 
I wire nut everthing in the boxes where I'm working because it's the fastest and easiest way to deal with it. I also would not worry about the rest of the house. If it's dangerous then it's shouldn't be a legal method. There are still a few electricians ( very few ) that like to use crimp connections for some reason.

I have never had any problems with wire nuts. I think that some others don't use them because they have seen problems when they were not used properly, not tight. Looking at the picture I don't like the way that guy installed his crimps, it doesn't look as if he twisted properly before crimping the blacks.
 
Looks like a HO upgrade to me... Anybody else notice the gap between the second and third gangable boxes? Lokks like the original wires were twisted...
 
When I started in the trade, I worked for a guy that used Buchannan crimp sleeves and snap on caps.
While working in some of the older houses I saw the crimp sleeves with rubber caps and a red retaining ring. Alo a rubber cap with a tab that looped under the splice and between the wires and hooked to the top of the cap.
We always used the Buchannan 4 way crimper. I still have it somewhere.:smile:
 
I work in an major Metro area that has building stock "of a certain age" that, at the installer's choice, was made up with crimp sleeve splices.

Anecdotely, I find fewer of these splices failing than I find wirenut splices failing.

My Poll selection is not listed: Replace any splice I open up with a new listed splicing connector of my choice.

One of the tacky shortcuts I see, in j-boxes worked on by others, other than the original installer, is: When adding a conductor to a crimp sleeve splice, to avoid actually re-doing the splice, one conductor will be cut and the new conductor wirenutted in. . .think 5" tail cut in half, stripped, and the new conductor wirenutted in.
 
iwire said:
It is not a violation to use crimps on the circuit conductors.
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Well, not a NEC violation anyway. I've gone through this on another forum. To each their own, but I would never crimp anything solid. Crimps are designed for stranded so it mashes to form. That's how I was taught anyway, and how I feel. Never crimp solid or stranded that has been tinned.
There again, to each their own:cool:
 
76nemo said:
Well, not a NEC violation anyway. I've gone through this on another forum. To each their own, but I would never crimp anything solid. Crimps are designed for stranded so it mashes to form. That's how I was taught anyway, and how I feel. Never crimp solid or stranded that has been tinned.
There again, to each their own:cool:
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I did electrical maintence at a wastewater treatment plant that was built in 1964. All No. 12 and No. 10 solid conductors were Anaconda durasheath type RHW and were tinned copper. There were probably thousands of T&B PT-60M sta-kons used. In the 36 years I was there not one failed even in underground locations sometimes submerged for long periods. Do I trust them and use them? Yes! Use wire nuts too.:)
 
electricman2 said:
I did electrical maintence at a wastewater treatment plant that was built in 1964. All No. 12 and No. 10 solid conductors were Anaconda durasheath type RHW and were tinned copper. There were probably thousands of T&B PT-60M sta-kons used. In the 36 years I was there not one failed even in underground locations sometimes submerged for long periods. Do I trust them and use them? Yes! Use wire nuts too.:)
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I knew I would get a hit on that;) I just said I don't like the method. If you were going to build a new home or shop for yourself, would I catch you with a crimper in your hands?
 
Crimps are designed for stranded so it mashes to form.
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The UL White Book says otherwise. The following is from the white book guide for
Wire Connectors and Soldering Lugs (ZMVV)

Wire stranding ? Unless clearly marked "Solid," "SOL," "Stranded" or "STR" for a given wire size, wire range or wire combination, conductors in the range 30-10 AWG are both solid and stranded, and 8 AWG and larger are for stranded wire only. Connectors additionally rated for metric conductor sizes are marked with the letter "r" for rigid solid and rigid stranded conductors, or the letter "f" for flexible conductors.
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don_resqcapt19 said:
The UL White Book says otherwise. The following is from the white book guide for
Wire Connectors and Soldering Lugs (ZMVV)
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Thanks Don, that's interesting. The white book never got brought up before in my previous discussion.

Guess I should go back and say,..."In my eyes, crimping is for stranded conductors...............". Just personal preference. We're all entitled, eh?;)
 
I use these same type crimps (and the locals call them BUCCANANS) on bare grounds with romex. And I have saw them on the other conductors plenty of times before. Even some with the rubber caps.

This time, the crimps were loose in this 3 gang box. (Oh and the ganged boxes where kinda far apart.)

However, I did loose some sleep.
 
This is almost all I use for small motor leads. They seem to hold up great to the vibrations and the maintenance guys don't screw with them.
 
76nemo said:
I knew I would get a hit on that;) I just said I don't like the method. If you were going to build a new home or shop for yourself, would I catch you with a crimper in your hands?
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I have a well used one in my pouch.:smile:
 
electricman2 said:
I have a well used one in my pouch.:smile:
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Me too, very well used, but never on solid. You dodged my question though,...I think. Would you be crimping or nutting in your new home?
 
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