Terminations for #14 stranded?

F

fastline

Senior Member
Location
midwest usa
Occupation
Engineer
About 3 apprentices have screwed up some OH light terminations by over tightening wire nuts to a point of nearly breaking the wire. Hanging on just enough that the light works, but later fails due to overheat. In short, ever single termination they touched has to be redone.......

Is there is a specific wire nut or alternate termination you prefer for #14 stranded? This is already a mess so I was debating on something like Wagos but just not sure.
 
fastline said:
About 3 apprentices have screwed up some OH light terminations by over tightening wire nuts to a point of nearly breaking the wire. Hanging on just enough that the light works, but later fails due to overheat. In short, ever single termination they touched has to be redone.......

Is there is a specific wire nut or alternate termination you prefer for #14 stranded? This is already a mess so I was debating on something like Wagos but just not sure.
Click to expand...
A lot of people over tighten thinking it is somehow better.

It might be that you should get the instructions for the wire nuts in use and have them read them. Perhaps an open book quiz is appropriate after the read it.
 
I suggest sitting down with them with some wire scraps and teaching them.

Be sure to include unscrewing them and looking at the wires for damage.

Show them why small stranded wires don't need the same pressure as #12s.
 
You should also demonstrate how to cut the tip of twisted wires blunt so as to not allow thin strands to be drawn into and fill the tip of wire-nut, nor to be pushed down when attaching to solid wires.
 
Like another poster asked are they using a cordless driver to tighten them. We used #16 stranded for controls, solenoids, relay coils etc. Often had to tie in 5 or 6 #16 stranded wires together inside a 1900 box. Always stripped the wires 7/8" long then pre twist and trimmed ends before installing wire nuts. Even in areas that had vibration never had strands break like that.
 
If I have full-size wires to join, I twist each stranded one individually and then join them like solid wires.

If I have a mix, I twist smaller stranded wires into one larger one, then add them to the full-size wires.
 
If you're joining stranded to solid, you have to leave the stranded a little longer than the solid before putting the wirenut on. Just leave it 1/16", or a little more, longer.

I use the same brand wirenut as infinity but never heard them called Scotchloks. I think that is a different product by the same mfg. The 3M wirenuts have the best grabbing feature of any brand that I've used. Ideal tan twisters are a close 2nd.
 
fastline said:
About 3 apprentices have screwed up some OH light terminations by over tightening wire nuts to a point of nearly breaking the wire. Hanging on just enough that the light works, but later fails due to overheat. In short, ever single termination they touched has to be redone.......

Is there is a specific wire nut or alternate termination you prefer for #14 stranded? This is already a mess so I was debating on something like Wagos but just not sure.
Click to expand...
Wago Levernuts would be ideal for this.
 
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