Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

wrote in news:175c3cca-f7ae-4993-b394-
:

Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!


They are generically called "wire nuts".

You need to twist the stranded wire with your fingers to make it similar to
a solid wire, next lead off with the stranded wire before putting on the
wire nut. That is, put the stranded wire higher than the solid wire, then
twist on the wire nut.


Here is a similar description with a photo.

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/37173/

wrote in message
...
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

I believe the French word for wire nut is merat. You twist the stranded
wires around the solid wire in a clockwise rotation then twist the wire nut
on. Be sure you are using the correct size nut for the connection

"RBM" wrote in :


wrote in message
.
..
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to
copper wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite
easily.

Thx!!

I believe the French word for wire nut is merat. You twist the
stranded wires around the solid wire in a clockwise rotation then
twist the wire nut on. Be sure you are using the correct size nut for
the connection




Marrette® is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like calling
a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either way, people
will know what your talking about.

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:06:21 +0000, HaLiGoOn wrote:

"RBM" wrote in :


wrote in message
.
..
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

I believe the French word for wire nut is merat. You twist the stranded
wires around the solid wire in a clockwise rotation then twist the wire
nut on. Be sure you are using the correct size nut for the connection




Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.

franz fripplfrappl wrote in newsJxxj.59326$Pv2.28649
@newssvr23.news.prodigy.net:

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:06:21 +0000, HaLiGoOn wrote:

"RBM" wrote in news:47c6a109$0$15195
:


wrote in message
news:175c3cca-f7ae-4993-b394-733aef4a7122
@x30g2000hsd.googlegroups.com.
..
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to
copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor
hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to
connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection
does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite
easily.

Thx!!

I believe the French word for wire nut is merat. You twist the
stranded
wires around the solid wire in a clockwise rotation then twist the
wire
nut on. Be sure you are using the correct size nut for the connection




Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

wrote in message
...
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.



The best way is to twist the wires together with a pair of pliers so that
they make a tight connection before you screw on the wire connector. For
multiple wires twist each wire one at a time. It is also important to have
the correct size wire connector. Trim back the tip of the splice with wire
cutters if it is too long.

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:57 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:

franz fripplfrappl wrote in newsJxxj.59326$Pv2.28649
:

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:06:21 +0000, HaLiGoOn wrote:

"RBM" wrote in news:47c6a109$0$15195
:


wrote in message
news:175c3cca-f7ae-4993-b394-733aef4a7122
.
..
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to
copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor
hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to
connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection
does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite
easily.

Thx!!

I believe the French word for wire nut is merat. You twist the
stranded
wires around the solid wire in a clockwise rotation then twist the
wire
nut on. Be sure you are using the correct size nut for the connection




Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

You don't remember his brothers Brazil and Pea?

HaLiGoOn wrote:
wrote in news:175c3cca-f7ae-4993-b394-
:

Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!


They are generically called "wire nuts".


Not round here they're not. They're called "marrets".

a

HaLiGoOn wrote:
wrote in news:175c3cca-f7ae-4993-b394-
:

Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!


They are generically called "wire nuts".



Not round here they're not. They're called "marrettes".

a

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:57 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:



[snip]

Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

Where'd you come up with THAT?

Anyway, it's still funny.

Interestingly, there have been a few things in the local paper about
people getting electrocuted when trying to steal copper wire. Could
those be the "wire nuts"? :-)

Harry wrote in
:

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:57 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:



[snip]

Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is
a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name.
Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

Where'd you come up with THAT?

Anyway, it's still funny.

Interestingly, there have been a few things in the local paper about
people getting electrocuted when trying to steal copper wire. Could
those be the "wire nuts"? :-)


"These are all eponyms"

I had to look that word up.

"An eponym is a word derived from someone's name."

wrote:
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?

Yes, someone knows.

This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

Wire nuts. Smallest size that will hold a 14 ga solid wire.
ighly twist the strands of the stranded. Then using serious linesmens'
pliers,
twist the stranded and the 14 ga feeder, then wire nut the two.

"Harry" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:57 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:



[snip]

Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name. Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

Where'd you come up with THAT?

Anyway, it's still funny.

Interestingly, there have been a few things in the local paper about
people getting electrocuted when trying to steal copper wire. Could
those be the "wire nuts"? :-)

Certainly applies to a guy around here who was found fried on top of a
transformer in a distribution transformer station. The power went out, when
the service people arrived they found him on top of the transformer, he was
trying to steal copper from the live high voltage equipment and electrocuted
himself.

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:01:04 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:

Harry wrote in
:

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:27:57 GMT, HaLiGoOn
wrote:



[snip]

Marrette is a brand name of wire connector. Actually "Wire Nut" is
a
brand name also, Ideal owns the trade name wire nut... It's like
calling a snowmobile a "ski-doo", ski-doo is a brand name.
Either
way, people will know what your talking about.

These are all eponyms.


There was a person named "wire nut"?

Where'd you come up with THAT?

Anyway, it's still funny.

Interestingly, there have been a few things in the local paper about
people getting electrocuted when trying to steal copper wire. Could
those be the "wire nuts"? :-)


"These are all eponyms"

I had to look that word up.

"An eponym is a word derived from someone's name."

Headline:

EPONYMS STEAL COPPER WIRE

:-)

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:08:39 -0800, edbedb wrote:

wrote:
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?

Yes, someone knows.

This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

Wire nuts. Smallest size that will hold a 14 ga solid wire.
ighly twist the strands of the stranded. Then using serious linesmens'
pliers,
twist the stranded and the 14 ga feeder, then wire nut the two.

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent
force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov

"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message Wire nuts.
Smallest size that will hold a 14 ga solid wire.
ighly twist the strands of the stranded. Then using serious linesmens'
pliers,
twist the stranded and the 14 ga feeder, then wire nut the two.

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
--
Mark Lloyd

Wire nuts are usually rated for a range of conductors and their size. The
ones I use do not require twisting the wires first. just lay them side by
side and screw the wire nut on .

It is no problem to put 3 or 4 wires in the same wire nut if it is the
proper size.

Mark Lloyd wrote:



What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?


is there an intelligent or intelligible question somewhere in Mr.
Lloyd's post?

wrote:
Does anyone know the best way to connect a multi-strand wire to copper
wire?
This is for a recessed light in the ceiling of our top floor hallway.
Therefore the housing for the light is going in the attic/roof. The
housing itself includes the multi-strand wire, that I have to connect
the copper wire to that is fed in from the light switch.

Right now, I have used the screw on cone shaped type connectors (I
forget what they're called ... merriates????) but the connection does
not look that good - the multi-strand wire seems to fray quite easily.

Thx!!

This is what I do: Strip and/or clip the solid wire so that the exposed
wire is short or about 1/2 the length of the wire nut. I strip the
stranded wires a bit longer maybe full length of wire nut. (I am using
the yellow color/size wire nuts.). I then use lineman or needle nose
pliers and bend the ends of the solid wires a bit so that the wires have
a bit of a ripple. Then wrap stranded wires around the solid wire and
twist on nut as normal.
I never use the small wire nuts that come with the fixture.

Kevin

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:30:32 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message Wire nuts.
Smallest size that will hold a 14 ga solid wire.
ighly twist the strands of the stranded. Then using serious linesmens'
pliers,
twist the stranded and the 14 ga feeder, then wire nut the two.

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
--
Mark Lloyd

Wire nuts are usually rated for a range of conductors and their size. The
ones I use do not require twisting the wires first. just lay them side by
side and screw the wire nut on .

It is no problem to put 3 or 4 wires in the same wire nut if it is the
proper size.


Too simple for you?

I was asking about connecting TWO stranded wires to one solid one
using a wire nut.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent
force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov

"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:30:32 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message Wire nuts.
Smallest size that will hold a 14 ga solid wire.
ighly twist the strands of the stranded. Then using serious linesmens'
pliers,
twist the stranded and the 14 ga feeder, then wire nut the two.

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
--
Mark Lloyd

Wire nuts are usually rated for a range of conductors and their size. The
ones I use do not require twisting the wires first. just lay them side by
side and screw the wire nut on .

It is no problem to put 3 or 4 wires in the same wire nut if it is the
proper size.


Too simple for you?

I was asking about connecting TWO stranded wires to one solid one
using a wire nut.


Twist each stranded wire over the solid one at a time using pliers. Get the
first layer good and tight before twisting on the next one.

EXT wrote:


Certainly applies to a guy around here who was found fried on top of a
transformer in a distribution transformer station. The power went out, when
the service people arrived they found him on top of the transformer, he was
trying to steal copper from the live high voltage equipment and electrocuted
himself.

An obvious candidate for the "Darwin Awards"

--
bud--

Mark Lloyd wrote:

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
..
Doesn't sound like that much problem. I use wire nuts with a 'live
spring'. The spring doesn't have plastic right behind it and deforms
over the wires making a more secure connection (IMHO). If you take a
wire nut off that has been tightened you can see the deformation. (Far
as I know these don't exist in a size smaller than yellow.)

Use wire combinations the manufacturer indicates are in the capability
of the wire nut. As suggested elsewhere I extend stranded wires slightly
past solid.

IMHO 2 #12 solids and a stranded #18 is a bigger problem - the #18 can
sit in the 'valley' between the solids. I twist the solids and keep the
smaller wire straight.

--
bud--

"bud--" wrote in message
.. .
Mark Lloyd wrote:

What if you have a copper feeder, and TWO stranded wires?
.
Doesn't sound like that much problem. I use wire nuts with a 'live
spring'. The spring doesn't have plastic right behind it and deforms over
the wires making a more secure connection (IMHO). If you take a wire nut
off that has been tightened you can see the deformation. (Far as I know
these don't exist in a size smaller than yellow.)

Use wire combinations the manufacturer indicates are in the capability of
the wire nut. As suggested elsewhere I extend stranded wires slightly past
solid.

IMHO 2 #12 solids and a stranded #18 is a bigger problem - the #18 can sit
in the 'valley' between the solids. I twist the solids and keep the
smaller wire straight.

--
bud--

A nice tight wire nut connection has always worked for me even with a
mixture of solid and stranded wires and I've taken the connections apart
several times afterward to make sure there was good contact area. I agree
that pre-twisting the solids helps. In earlier days, I just soldered the
bundle and put a wire nut over the top for insulation.

TKM