[chrisg9265]

I'm looking for a general consensus on the joining of two stranded wires...I've been doing electrical work for a good couple of years. I started a new job and in the last month I've found three people that believe that you should twist the wires (with your Klein's) prior to making a wire nut joint. I'm personally appalled!!!!!! I believe I've been well trained and I was always told your Klein's should never touch the copper prior to joining the joint. What's your thoughts???

 

[wildleg]

hi cletis

 

[hardworkingstiff]

I've tried both ways, and IMO, pre-twisting stranded wire has a much higher pull out rate than not pre-twisting. (I always hold the wirenut in one hand and give a tug on each individual conductor after installing the wirenut to check for a loose connection that will allow a conductor to be pulled out).

I just about always pre-twist solid to solid, but not solid to stranded nor stranded to stranded.

 

[Kryptes]

2 stranded wires + wago = problem solved

 

[bkmichael65]

Western union splice and solder. All other methods are hack

 

[drumnut08]

I'm looking for a general consensus on the joining of two stranded wires...I've been doing electrical work for a good couple of years. I started a new job and in the last month I've found three people that believe that you should twist the wires (with your Klein's) prior to making a wire nut joint. I'm personally appalled!!!!!! I believe I've been well trained and I was always told your Klein's should never touch the copper prior to joining the joint. What's your thoughts???

. There's absolutely no reason to ever do this . As long as the wire is stripped long enough ( so it doesn't bottom out on the insulation ) and the wire nut is tight , you'll never have an issue . I rarely pre twist solid . I almost always use ideal twisters and have the screwdriver that drives them .

 

[MHElectric]

2 stranded wires + wago = problem solved

Im a big fan of wagos, but after a lighting Reno job where I was using them on stranded, I decided to stop. I didn't have any failures, but I really didn't like the connection that stranded made in a wagos.

Maybe I stripped to much insulation off, maybe i didn't hold my tongue right, who knows. But until I find a way to use stranded in a wagos and not feel shaky about the connection, im gonna have to stick with wire nuts.

 

[chrisg9265]

By no means do I question my wiring methods...and yes I twist solid...but not stranded...and I always pull on my joints if i question the connections...I'm kinda feeling out what others were thinking on the subject...I don't think I've ran into three people in my whole career that twist stranded prior to wire nutting a joint...now three in on one job within a month =/

 

[chrisg9265]

. There's absolutely no reason to ever do this . As long as the wire is stripped long enough ( so it doesn't bottom out on the insulation ) and the wire nut is tight , you'll never have an issue . I rarely pre twist solid . I almost always use ideal twisters and have the screwdriver that drives them .

right...me too

 

[Kryptes]

Actually I meant the wago lever nuts for stranded not the push in, oops

 

[220/221]

Solid wires twist around themselves better than stranded.

I twist the hell out of my nuts and I once returned to a job I did and had a wire nut pretty much fall out of a JB I opened. Since then I don't trust stranded connections as much as solid.

I wouldn't have thought it could have ever happened to me. It left me wondering if the stranded wire wants to untwist or something.

 

[chrisg9265]

It's streetscape and we're mostly using wp Polaris lugs...but wire nuts in the smaller poles in the above ground handholes. The line we're using inline fuses and wire nut'n the neutral and ground

 

[lapseofmind]

If the stranded wire isn't hot, I'll hand twist it then put the wire nut on. If it is hot, I'll just let the wire nut do it's job. I'm not a fan of wagos except for solid wire. Currently I use only stranded wire for what I do and hand twisting them together seems to give a good, solid connection.

 

[varmit]

If I am splicing with wirenuts, I always twist the wires whether they are solid or stranded. I have seen way too many of the popular wirenuts fall off of untwisted connections. I have found that the old style Ideal 73, 74 and 76 wirenuts seem to make the most durable connections. Yes, I know that everyone believes that what they use and that their methods are the best.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

I have found that the old style Ideal 73, 74 and 76 wirenuts seem to make the most durable connections.

X 2 :thumbsup:

 

[five.five-six]

Western union splice and solder. All other methods are hack

How many people here even know what a western union wrap is?

 

[lapseofmind]

How many people here even know what a western union wrap is?

As an apprentice I had an old timer show me. That's a one heck of a solid way to tie wire together. If I remember correctly, the wires cross then fold back on each other and twist, so that there is two separate twists, one wire twisting on the other. I don't know if I said that well enough.

 

[Legacyelectric]

Im a big fan of wagos, but after a lighting Reno job where I was using them on stranded, I decided to stop. I didn't have any failures, but I really didn't like the connection that stranded made in a wagos. Maybe I stripped to much insulation off, maybe i didn't hold my tongue right, who knows. But until I find a way to use stranded in a wagos and not feel shaky about the connection, im gonna have to stick with wire nuts.

Same here man. Must just be us. Everyone else seems to love those things

 

[MTW]

I've never pre twisted stranded wire in my life. I hold them parallel and put the wire nut on.

 

[five.five-six]

As an apprentice I had an old timer show me. That's a one heck of a solid way to tie wire together. If I remember correctly, the wires cross then fold back on each other and twist, so that there is two separate twists, one wire twisting on the other. I don't know if I said that well enough.

I actual got caught doing one by a juryman when I was apprenticing, he asked: where did you learn a western union wrap? I had just made it up on the spot, it's fairly intuitive.