milehiwire
Banned
You can just ask your supply house for sales volumes and get a quick answer.
Solid versus Stranded Wire
- Thread starter Alwayslearningelec
- Start date
- Status
You can just ask your supply house for sales volumes and get a quick answer.
i dont know what CR type devices are, but I would think with stranded wire you would be using devices with backwire pressure plate type terminations. Prefer the 5262 type industrial grade receptacles, but BR15/BR20 can be had cheap enough that the labor savings over trying to twist a stranded wire and put it under the screws pays for the device.
milehiwire
Banned
Well Lets say I can buy a CR recept at a buck each. A BR recept will cost me at least $2.50 each............. Show me the savings as I always try to learn something new.
stevenje
Senior Member
- Location
- Yachats Oregon
Personally I don't find solid any harder to pull than stranded. Please explain why you think it is harder to splice and terminate solid wire as to stranded.
jwjrw
Senior Member
With solid wire when you are pulling into bends it tends to stuck easier then stranded. I think the stranded flexes around the bend easier.
jwjrw
Senior Member
It seemed to make it easier even while pulling but you are right when pushing it helps im sure.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Our shop uses only stranded 10AWG. I will never pull 10 solid again.
12 stranded is nice also. With a little practice one can terminate every bit as fast as with solid.
12 stranded is nice also. With a little practice one can terminate every bit as fast as with solid.
? $2.00 recept.?
We use pressure plates per spec. on most jobs; prevailing wage jobs.
Pulling solid is harder, not if you just pull h/n/g, we try to use our pipe to the most cost advantage.
Do you twist your solid splice? We do. Not with stranded. Now push your splice back into the box, straighten the device in the box, faster with stranded.
On the few jobs with devices with out pressure plates, private work, we can wrap a screw just as fast if you know the tricks.
How about motor hook ups? solid to stranded or stranded to stranded. crimps, wire nuts, better with stranded.
We use pressure plates per spec. on most jobs; prevailing wage jobs.
Pulling solid is harder, not if you just pull h/n/g, we try to use our pipe to the most cost advantage.
Do you twist your solid splice? We do. Not with stranded. Now push your splice back into the box, straighten the device in the box, faster with stranded.
On the few jobs with devices with out pressure plates, private work, we can wrap a screw just as fast if you know the tricks.
How about motor hook ups? solid to stranded or stranded to stranded. crimps, wire nuts, better with stranded.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
The last time I bought 5362's they were about $2 each, and this was at Lowes for a P&S device. They were even cheaper than at the supply house. The 5362 is better than a CR or BR 15/20.
cal1947
Member
- Location
- waldorf,md
cal
cal
i rather payout solid wire off reels any day ,less chance of them getting tangled up and makes a better looking job when you are terminate them in a panel
cal
i rather payout solid wire off reels any day ,less chance of them getting tangled up and makes a better looking job when you are terminate them in a panel
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Stranded wire is wonderful and soft as the kiss of a lovely woman. Solid wire is like kiss from your great grandmother with a hairy mole near her upper lip.
milehiwire
Banned
Now that made me laugh!
hardworkingstiff
Senior Member
- Location
- Wilmington, NC
I prefer stranded for pulling, but solid is easier to terminate and make joints. I don't have a problem making joints with stranded (because I take my time to check them) but I've seen electricians not pay close attention and wind up with the wire nut pulling one of the stranded conductors up into the wire nut while pushing others out. If you don't check for this, you can have some nasty intermittent problems.
You certainly get into it more than I do..... that's funny.:grin:
I always use stranded, and I try to utilize the conduit fill as much as is practical. I skin about 3 - 4 inches and cut out half the strands so where I fold them over and hook to the fishtape or rope is no bigger than the rest of the pull.
From my perspective it is more important to be able to easily get an ampmeter around the conductors, than to have them all standing straight like soldiers in a closed panel that few ever see.
For the past few years I've been using the crimp ferrules on the ends of the wires. The crimper is expensive, but it works really well and I am sold on them.
dduffee260
Senior Member
- Location
- Texas
Are you using 3 phase breaker handle ties when you do this?
Our specs call for soild for #10 and down. Most of the time we use solid #12 and stranded #10. They usually do not say anything about the #10 being stranded, but on an Abercrombie & Fitch they did make us pull #10. The panels were a booget to make up. Also if you are using #12 solid and you conduit runs are less than 2 ft and 270 degrees of bend you can push solid wire in the conduit instead of having to use a tape.
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mivey
Senior Member
But grandma's kiss is from the heart and she will always be there for you. Stranded is limp and won't stay where it is supposed to, much like many beauty queens.
milehiwire
Banned
Wow! I read that and had to think............. I think that is a prophetic statement. I could not agree more.
jwjrw
Senior Member
I cant argue with either of the kiss arguements so I will just say....
I think stranded pulls easier
" solid looks better in panel
" solid is cheaper I like cheaper
" stranded pulls easier So I like that the most. Getting wires pulled can be hard enough so on LONG pulls give me stranded.
charlietuna
Senior Member
Many years ago we used strictly stranded. Then we started spec jobs requiring solid conductors on #10 or smaller --reasoning was the conductor damage during wire pulls. After a while we realized solid was the way to go. It's easier pulling if you were by yourself!! But wire pulling is a two man operation --and if they know what there doing --solid is easier. Much easier to terminate. And makes panel trim outs neat . End result is a better and safer installation.
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