wirenuts and NFPA79

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wireday

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Master electrician
Are wire nuts allowed inside control boxes of portable equipment, If not is there a suitable alternative like wago connectors ?
 
I wanted to know if the wirenut is allowed, if not maybe the code reference
I know it says about motor make up somewhere.
 
IMHO, if a splice is allowed in the box, then wirenuts are allowed since they are listed wire splicing devices. To give you a better answer, can you be more specific about the box?
 
Splices (NFPA 79, Sec. 16.1.4). You are required to run conductors and cables from terminal to terminal without splices. However, an exception allows you to install a splice in leads attached to electrical equipment, such as motors and solenoids,

This is why I am asking about wire nuts, I wanted to come into junction box with power and divide it up into 4 wires using wire nut for components of junction box. This NFPA79 makes it sound like I should daisy chain from terminal to terminal.
 
wireday said:
Splices (NFPA 79, Sec. 16.1.4). You are required to run conductors and cables from terminal to terminal without splices. However, an exception allows you to install a splice in leads attached to electrical equipment, such as motors and solenoids,

This is why I am asking about wire nuts, I wanted to come into junction box with power and divide it up into 4 wires using wire nut for components of junction box. This NFPA79 makes it sound like I should daisy chain from terminal to terminal.
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Is that a "lead attached to electrical equipment"? It sounds like a lead dividing into four circuits.
 
I can't speak about electrical code, just not my area. I'm a maintenance guy in a hospital setting. I offer the following FWIW.

I have never seen a factory wired panel with wire nuts. Wiring is always brought to terminal strips. If ten jumpers are needed on the hot so be it. If something like a solenoid is wired in, and leads aren't long enough, I always see crimped butt connectors used (or molex connectors).
 
You can get terminals with "combs" that you use on one side to jump together however many you need.No splices means no splices. Codes do generally get so specific as to making a list of prohibited components, they are always going to generalize.

As was said, if the 4 leads are going DIRECTLY to the end devices, then maybe. But if I bought a machine from you and when I opened it up I saw a bunch of wire nuts, that would be the last one I would buy from you.
 
Jraef said:
But if I bought a machine from you and when I opened it up I saw a bunch of wire nuts, that would be the last one I would buy from you.
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Because they are inferior or because you don't ordinarily see them on something manufactured?

Any termination is only as good as how well the installer followed instructions. Sure a wire nut may have higher probability to fail, but a properly installed wire nut likely has less chance of failure than something not properly installed.

I'll admit if I see wire nuts in something that was factory assembled - it is usually a sign someone has modified something though.
 
Kwired, I was about to say something similar......like tacky/unprofessional......but held my tounge.

Biggest advantage of the terminal strip arrangement is the ability to disconnect one thing at a time for troubleshooting. Hard to do that safe and easy with wire nuts. Quality labels and color coded wiring are two things that score points with me.

A well done panel should make it easy to discern neutrals/commons, constant hots, switched/switch leg hots, and ideally what switch/relay it came from. And all without having to cut a hundred wire ties and yanking on wires. Just my opinion from years of working on them.
 
kwired said:
Because they are inferior or because you don't ordinarily see them on something manufactured?

Any termination is only as good as how well the installer followed instructions. Sure a wire nut may have higher probability to fail, but a properly installed wire nut likely has less chance of failure than something not properly installed.

I'll admit if I see wire nuts in something that was factory assembled - it is usually a sign someone has modified something though.
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The only time I would use a wire nut on a piece of machinery is if I was out in the field with no parts making a "bush fix". So when I see them, I think of that and assume someone has bush fixed it. The exception would be an end device, like a solenoid valve or small cooling fan motor, where the manufacturer used flying leads and there is a small j-box for making the connections so there is no room for a TB.
 
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