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Dean Hoffman[_12_] Dean Hoffman[_12_] is offline
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Default Wire nuts versus

On 7/6/20 5:46 PM, TimR wrote:
I've lived in Europe where wire nuts are prohibited, and always thought a screw terminal, chocolate block, etc., was probably more secure.

Today I experimented, wiring a new light in my shed and using Alumiconns instead of wire nuts.

Well, they work. They're very secure. they cost $3.50 each instead of 9 cents. They don't save any space in the box; actually they take more, because they have to be oriented to not interfere. And while on the bench they look dead easy to install, up on a ladder inside a ceiling box it was a different story. I had a heck of a time getting everything lined up just right with stiff solid wire that had to be stripped to precisely 5/16 inch. It took at least 5 times as long as to wire nut them, maybe more. Of course you'd get faster with practice. But I don't think anyone could afford to lose that much time in a production setting.

I vaguely remembered the box was missing a cover. So of course the one I bought didn't fit.

I repair center pivot irrigation systems. Regular yellow wire
nuts have been used to wire the motors since day one. They work fine if
the basic rule of open end down is followed.
Day one is back in the later 1970s when they began to be popular in
Nebraska.