Wire Nuts

[rjh1]

Im wondering if someone can help resolve a wire nut question. What voltage and amperage are tan twister wire nuts good for?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Im wondering if someone can help resolve a wire nut question. What voltage and amperage are tan twister wire nuts good for?

I believe they are 600 volts. They are not rated in amps just volts.

Click here for the info

Go to Model 341 in the chart

 

[Dennis Alwon]

It also says that they are rated a 1000 volts in fixtures and signs

 

[rjh1]

So If i took a 40 amp feed (#8s) to a motor and tie on to # 10 at the motor, this would be ok?

 

[rjh1]

I guess Im asking, is it correct by saying whatever the wire is rated for that you are twisting together, Thats what the wire nut is good for?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I guess Im asking, is it correct by saying whatever the wire is rated for that you are twisting together, Thats what the wire nut is good for?

Not exactly. Each wire nut has a max. size you can use. The tans have a max of 3 #10. It will also take a #8 but it does not say exactly. Look on the box and it should tell you the combos that you are allowed.

 

[iwire]

So If i took a 40 amp feed (#8s) to a motor and tie on to # 10 at the motor, this would be ok?

If I was going the wire nut route for that connection I would use an Ideal 454 blue.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If I was going the wire nut route for that connection I would use an Ideal 454 blue.

I agree the blues would be a better fit.

 

[ZZZ]

If the motor had a VFD we would use split bolt connectors. For some reason wire nuts tend to burn up on variable freq. drives. We put 17 drives on ahu's in one building that had mostly 5 and 7.5 hp motors and immediately the problems started. The wire nut connections were not touched in the vfd install and had never given us trouble before. I think it is the constant changing of current and temperatures, expansion and contraction.

 

[76nemo]

:-? Who's twisting???? 17 drives????

 

[ZZZ]

:-? Who's twisting???? 17 drives????

I don't know if this was a question. We installed over 200 drives on this campus in a years' time as part of an efficiency upgrade. The wire nuts in the motor j-boxes were preexisting and not disturbed until they started failing.

 

[MichaelGP3]

The wire nuts in the motor j-boxes were preexisting and not disturbed until they started failing.

How exactly did they fail? Melt? Metal spring corrode? Loosen by themselves? Some VFD's use the Buchannan 500 series European style terminal blocks for field connections; I've not yet heard of a failure when using these.....

 

[ZZZ]

How exactly did they fail? Melt? Metal spring corrode? Loosen by themselves? Some VFD's use the Buchannan 500 series European style terminal blocks for field connections; I've not yet heard of a failure when using these.....

They pretty much melted the plastic, the wire insulation was charred, and the copper wire and steel coil spring was melted. Corrosion would have led us to beleive that something other than the drives were the cause. I suspect they loosened, as is typical in situations where expansion and contraction are a factor. We were told by several of the drive manufacturers that this can happen, along with motor failures for older style motors. This is probably dependent on a lot of different factors, but the owner wanted a guaranteed permanent fix to the connection problem, hence split bolts.

 

[JacksonburgFarmer]

wire nuts + motor = tremendously bad!!!!

wire nuts + motor = tremendously bad!!!!

I am not a big fan of wire nuts terminating motors...Not saying i dont/wont. 7.5 hp and less i will wire nut. Bigger than that, NO. either rubber coated lugs (NSI makes em) or double barrell lug or split bolt. Have fixed to many "el ka booms" from wire nuts on motors. Seen big blue wire nuts on #4 thhn feeding a 20 hp motor once. Single phased and fryyyyyeeedddd!!!! Costly costly!!!

 

[electricalperson]

some motors ive worked on come with pan terminal lugs that you bolt together with a screw lockwasher regular washers and nuts and you tighten it down like no other and you use rubber tape and electrical tape. those were pretty good and i never had any problems

 

[twoelk]

So If i took a 40 amp feed (#8s) to a motor and tie on to # 10 at the motor, this would be ok?

If this were me, I would not use wirenuts to terminate these, I would use the bolt and tape method.

 

[peter d]

If this were me, I would not use wirenuts to terminate these, I would use the bolt and tape method.

Bolt and tape? Yuck...Use some "polaris" style connectors instead.

 

[electricalperson]

Bolt and tape? Yuck...Use some "polaris" style connectors instead.

bolt and tape is old school. i dont mind doing it that way at all. but polaris or ilsco connectors of the same design are easier and faster. either way works just as well. i still show my helpers how to make up burndys with rubber tape and electrical tape even with the invention of the insulated tap connector

 

[rustyryan34]

bolt and tape is old school. i dont mind doing it that way at all. but polaris or ilsco connectors of the same design are easier and faster. either way works just as well. i still show my helpers how to make up burndys with rubber tape and electrical tape even with the invention of the insulated tap connector

What do you mean by "burndys" i have never heard that before?

 

[peter d]

What do you mean by "burndys" i have never heard that before?

"Burndy" is a slang term for a split bolt connector, and also the inventor and manufacturer of the split bolt connector and many others.