Taped Wirenuts

[wbalsam1]

I dont want anyone to be upset, but I never understood why people take comments so hard here?

I should have put a couple of these :grin: :grin: in. Oops!

 

[220/221]

You mean you could possibly assume when you see tape, someone just put together two wires, capped them without twisting them and then taped???

Thats the first thing I think when I see tape bacause I have seen it a hundred times done by homeowners and handymen.

If I ever come across a good junction/splice that is taped, I'll know it was you.:grin:

 

[iwire]

You mean you could possibly assume when you see tape, someone just put together two wires, capped them without twisting them and then taped???

YES, YES, YES and YES

I have found all sorts of bad splices being covered with tape.

As a matter of fact I find very few good splices under tape.

Look, it is just a personal preference, and basically just another little step on MY work ethic.

It is a personal prefrance, and there is no harm in it at all. If it makes you happy and your paying for the tape and time then go for it.

I just want to know why or how a good splice is made better by the use of tape?:-?

Tape, or no tape, "THANK YOU GUYS/GALS for ALL of your services. Great forum, great group, good insights!!!!!

I agree, great members.

 

[brian john]

Look, it is just a personal preference, and basically just another little step on MY work ethic.

I have no problem with taping from a better than average connection insulation so it is an improvement?

My issue is as noted taped wirenuts are often seen on poor quality installations, and the GOOEY MESS, from a trouble shooting stand point it is a PIA.

I am all for safety, better installations, NEC plus, higher ideals, personal ethics. I JUST SEE NO BENEFIT.

 

[amptech]

I don't like to see taped wirenuts or receptacles. I don't tape either. Having said that, I have seen wirenuts unscrew over time due to vibration on a machine at one of my customer's industrial sites. No matter how tight you twist the wirenuts, they will come loose in a short time. You even have to use Locktite on the disconnect cover screws on this machine or they will fall out in about 3 days of machine operation. That's why I use crimps instead of wirenuts in machine applications or anywhere else that has a vibration issue. If I thought I needed to tape a wirenut to keep it in place I would use a more secure method for making the connection.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Jeez, see what the mention of tape can do here...

Taping of wirenuts is performed for many reasons.

Remember there was a day when "bugs" were tapped. Some of those same guys (they were damn good at tapping bugs) also tapped wirenuts, as they did not like wirenuts to begin with. They were/are "damn good" at tapping wirenuts. They passed down this method, and the practice has made its way to present day work. So, some ELECTRICIANS tape wirenuts based on that premise, and they are good at it, regardless of the quality of the splice in the wirenut. And, there are some people who do electrical work who could not do any of it well at all...

Marc's post about how we post and that we are not necessarily good at providing the proper wording for what we are really trying to post, is right on the money. So give the guys/gals a break when reading what they post.

 

[iwire]

They were/are "damn good" at tapping wirenuts. They passed down this method, and the practice has made its way to present day work. So, some ELECTRICIANS tape wirenuts based on that premise, and they are good at it, regardless of the quality of the splice in the wirenut.

Pierre you are correct. :smile:

Now can you answer the question why they continue to?

It (IMO) adds nothing to the quality of properly made splice contained in a proper enclosure.

It does make the system tougher to work on later....that much is certain.

 

[newtronical1]

Wow, what did I start here???

Thanks everyone for those insightful opinions. As stated earlier, I am in an industrial atmosphere and seeing taped wirenuts doesn't freak me out as it is just a matter of preference as posted earlier. I have seen both the good side and bad side of doing this.

Yes they tend to get gooey if it is a hot climate and water seems to get in where the splice is at. A pain in the mess. cant never get all that stuff off the fingers.

I have also seen where you have four or more stranded conductors and for some reason, the middle one always seems to not twist in with the others and poof, it pops out of the wirenut when you go to put the splice back in the box. Taping them at keast holds all the wires in the same place until you remove the wirenut.

There is really no right or wrong answer to this. Its just a matter of how you do your job and what you leave for the next electrician to deal with that comes behind you.

JMO

 

[wbalsam1]

Electrical tapes, including vinyl, rubber, mastic and varnished cambric, are code approved and conform to UL 520, ASTM D1000 and CSA 22.2.
The question has been asked "What benefit is there"? Vinyl, rubber and mastic all exclude moisture from the connection and provide electrical insulation.
Why does a conductor have insulation? Fairly simple answer here. So when a conductor is joined with another conductor by use of a wirenut, the exposed portion of the connection up under the actual wirenut does not have the protection for the bare stripped wire that it could have by simply insulating this connection with tape covering.
Stretched and overlapped taping provides a good insulation to a connection.
Vinly taping over the final connection serves several important functions:

• electrical insulation
• abrasion protection
• corrosion resistance
• UV resistance
• protection from chemicals, alkalis and acids

The general rule of thumb calls for a tape thickness of 1.5 times the thickness of existing wire or cable insulation.
Useful applications:

• luminaires
• receptacles
• switches
• insulating motor lead connections
• inline splices
• split bolts
• bus bar connections
• providing long term effective insulation to a variety of connections

Electrical tapes are versatile, suited to a multitude of tasks and when installed properly, provide an effective insulation.

"Many electricians today may not possess the taping skills that once were such an important part of their predecessor's work." (quoted by Bob Goodman and Rodney Brown of 3M in an article Electrical Taping Skills: A Lost Art? in EC&M Jan, 1st, 2006.)
:smile:

 

[76nemo]

Worse Case Scenario

Worse Case Scenario

This discussion is beyond any head-scratching and smirks. I'll try to end this discussion with this.

http://www.flukecommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2389&page=1&pp=10

Wouldn't you rather have them taped? He did not pull out the wiring to find the lost neutral, that is how he came on to site to find this condition.

Let's leave this discussion alone. We all have our points. Brian John, iwire, I see your point. I don't need tape either. I just try to isolate the conductor one step further. Therefore, this was the first and best pic that came to mind. If you're using your own tape, and on your own time, and do it properly, than no harm done.

Let's let this dog die,............

 

[brian john]

wbal:

If the splice is properly made the tape is not required, correct?

If the splice is not correctly made, a basic skill every apprentice should master in the first few weeks in the trade, maybe the installer is in the wrong profession?

If the wirenut has the potential to work loose the installer has not reviewed the requirements for the job at hand properly, and needs to update their skills.

Not slaming tapers just STILL WAITING FOR A NEED?

 

[76nemo]

My need is to keep any pivot away from the joint itself, and try to keep it encapsulated. IT IS JUST MY preference. How long will this thread go before it's closed?

 

[stickboy1375]

Never, this is thread is a lost cause. :grin: We can argue this till the cows come home.

 

[wbalsam1]

wbal:

If the splice is properly made the tape is not required, correct?

If the splice is not correctly made, a basic skill every apprentice should master in the first few weeks in the trade, maybe the installer is in the wrong profession?

If the wirenut has the potential to work loose the installer has not reviewed the requirements for the job at hand properly, and needs to update their skills.

Not slaming tapers just STILL WAITING FOR A NEED?

Yes
Yes
Yes
Best I could come up with....

 

[wbalsam1]

Never, this is thread is a lost cause. :grin: We can argue this till the cows come home.

76nemo talks about letting the dog lie, you're talking about the cows coming home.....I think this conversation has driven you to the funny farm.....:grin:

iwire is one of my favorite moderators on this site because he stirs us (me anyways) to examine our beliefs and habits and I love to take the other side from time to time to draw out as much of the argument/debate as I can, because I gain tremendously valuable insight through this process.:smile:
At the end, I always feel so warm and fuzzy....just like a little orange wirenut all snuggled up in a half roll of 33+. :grin:

 

[dlhoule]

I don't know; but I think if you put enough tape on a poorly made connection with wire nut, you might melt the wire's insulation before you burned through the tape and then you can say it must have been faulty wire.

I prefer no tape.:grin:

 

[iwire]

Never, this is thread is a lost cause. :grin: We can argue this till the cows come home.

Shoot.....did the cows get out again. :grin:

 

[paul]

I agree, but take note of this instruction below. It would be a 110.3(B) violation, I would think, to not tape them in the face of such an instruction:

If I'm not mistaken, the directions say to start 1 foot below the wirenut. I'll be danged if I'm going to leave 1 foot of conductor in a fixture box, but for grins and giggles, I'll start taping the connections.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Pierre you are correct. :smile:

Now can you answer the question why they continue to?

It (IMO) adds nothing to the quality of properly made splice contained in a proper enclosure.

It does make the system tougher to work on later....that much is certain.

I think you would need to ask them that question.:smile:

 

[dlhoule]

If I'm not mistaken, the directions say to start 1 foot below the wirenut. I'll be danged if I'm going to leave 1 foot of conductor in a fixture box, but for grins and giggles, I'll start taping the connections.

Good work, Paul. I never noticed the 1 foot. Now to me that is just a wee bit too time consuming.