BIGGEST DIY Mistakes Joining Cables

The Wago's are an amazing invention, safe and simple for domestic electrics.

I bought that exact same ferrule set last year - I've been guilty of using stranded wires in screw connectors in the past... I have changed my ways 😀

The twisting of solid core wire is not that bad as presented in this video, of course it have to be done correctly which it was not in this case. The right way is to strip about 10 cm of wire, twist the cores tightly together for 7-8 cm, cut the excess wire off, put a sleeve over the twisted part and bend it on the middle (this is to keep the sleeve from falling off and the wire from untwisting). When I first was introduce to this method outside my native country I was chocked "How can they use such a terrible method to connect wires ?", but it had been proven to me a few times that it, if executed correctly, gives a lower transition resistance than the resistance that actually is in the cable itself, second concern is long time stability, and I have seen decade old installment that are still showing no signs of bad connections. So far so good. So why do I almost always replace these connections to wago's when I see them ? Well first of all they take up a lot of space in a box, then it is a pain in time and work to do fault finding on a circuit that is made this way, and you may not have the needed wire length to redo the connection. There is different ways to evaluate "what is a good connection of wires ?", some think it is ease of use, other think time is money, others again think that low transition resistance is king, others look at the total cost, as long at you follow the local law/code/etc. any method is good enough if executed correctly. In this video there were a few methods (the once that the author do not like ?) that was executed very badly, that is not fair to the methods itself. I know that exaggeration promotes understanding, but in this case, where you, to a certain extent, compare different methods, then this exaggeration is not useful.

I’ve been using terminal connector blocks for years with absolutely no issues, using bootlace ferrules with these types of connectors makes a perfect match too. It’s nice to see other products available though and I’m sure they will have their use.

I've never seen the ferrules before. The times I've needed these! Pretty much used everything else in this video. Thanks for the info.

i was looking for this video the other day and now i've found it! Thanks for posting l! Going TS now to collect my wagos and casing! 😊

Very informative. I like the idea of putting those ends one stranded, and using them in a Wago.

Your explanation of the ratings on the WAGO connector are wrong. The ones on the left (next to the "UL" logo) that say "450V/32A" are from the IEC and apply for both Europe and the US. That's why the same side also lists the wire size in both mm² and AWG (American Wire Gauge). The rating on the right side is from the JET (Japanese Electrical Safety and Environment Technology Labs) for the Japanese market. (However, note that even though the connector is rated to 32A, the maximum wire size (14 AWG) is only rated to 15 amps for building wiring in the US, so this connector can only be used on up to 15 amp building circuits according to US code (otherwise the wires would be too big). However, if you are using it for other applications (for example open-air chassis wiring inside an enclosure) you could potentially take advantage of the full 32A of the connector in some situations.)

30A juntion boxes are designed for ring final circuits. They were commonly used and still are to extend cables. Each leg of a ring is desinged to pull at max of 27 Amps at fault. So a 30 Amp jnc box in situe is perfectly acceptable as long as it's accessible for inspection. We tend to use wago and ideal connectors in Maintenance free boxes so we don't have to worry about inspecting them.

Thank you, i have always used "choc box" connectors, but i have just ordered the Wago type you mentioned to give a try!

I enjoy your posts 👍 keep on doing them my friend

You showed the wago boxes, which are great. But I now use the Quickfix Junction Boxes for Wago's, much better! neater and suit UK wiring better

Last week I took a connector out of the circuit because it failed after 50 years. The screw had pressed on the copper and flattened the spot. The sparks caused a layer to form on the oxidation insulation. And this deposit had become conductive. This led to short circuits between two hot conductors. I now only use WAGO terminals. Installation is easy and the contact is secure. I change screw connectors for WAGOs.

All depends on the load. Wago for light circuits but I'm with screw down connecter strip. It's not what you got, its how you use it.. :)

Excellent, thank you !

I was looking at my training documents from the seventies where we had chock blocks, twist connectors and fabric insulating tape. It does mention twisting the earth and didn't require sleeving!! the term CPC hadn't been discovered then!!

Thanks for the explanation man :) cheers!!

Nice overview - thanks

I replaced a bunch of screw terminal junction boxes in my own home with Wago boxes. They were all at least 12 years old. Some of the older boxes had loose screws and even evidence of arcing where connectors were loose. The problems are; the connectors are brass with brass screws and these are relatively well self-lubricating metal on metal contacts and the copper single core wire is fairly soft and deformable, especially compared to the brass. Often these boxes are in lofts or roofspaces where temperatures fluctuate considerably (+/-15-30oC), cold in winter/at night and warm in the summer/day. The fluctuating temperature cycles over a number of years expand and contract the wire trapped by the screw, loosening the screws grip on the wire by a combination of compressing the wire more and loosening the well lubricated screw. Eventually the wire is barely held by the screw. Wires under any tension can be pulled out of the terminal altogether. What makes things worse is when someone has put 3, 4 or even 5 wires under one screw! Wago levers are a sprung fixing, so there is some give and positive pressure capturing the wires, in theory they should last indefinitely, however plastics do deteriorate with heat cycles and UV exposure so worth making them inspectable and checking them periodically.

The current rating of that screw terminal connector is going to be way higher than 5 or 6 amperes. I would say at least 15 amps. It is, after all, as larger as the screw terminals on a typical socket, which are rated for 32A. What is more, the conductive metal cross-sectional area is more than a Wago type. The danger is a poor connection, not the rating of the connector in that case unless you use it on something like a shower circuit. Cable ties in the Wago box are nothing to do with IP ratings, they are there to meet the requirement that it requires the use of tools to access the live conductive parts.