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What else can you do with a wire nut ?

robogary

Wire nuts are pretty handy for holding wires together. 

What else can they be used for ?  

image

  • in reply to cstanton

    Attached is a brochure for the product. Great pictures to see how they work.

  • in reply to cstanton

    Barrel Ferrule crimpers seem to be an essential tool for EU handymen and handywomen. 

  • in reply to dougw

    Ah yes I remember where I've seen these used now.

    Telecommunications, they're typically used in phone line junction boxes in the UK, likely because they're low voltage.

  • in reply to cstanton

    The wire nut has a spring inside that you screw onto the twisted wire. It does a good job of accommodating different twist geometries and the spring is made of strong enough wire that you can twist it on tightly. It acts like a multi-layer noose that gets tighter as you twist, ending up with continuous force squeezing the twisted wires with even more conductive wire, and it won't spontaneously loosen off. The plastic thimble provides grip to twist and insulation for the joint.

  • in reply to colporteur

    What happens in a wire nut? Do you simply twist the cables together and put the wire inside the wire nut hoping it doesn't separate?

  • in reply to colporteur

    Pretty much almost always screw terminals, like these ones which are part of a ceiling light fitting. They come in plastic encased blocks too.

    image

    Plastic blocks that can be cut to the desired length:

    image

    The plastic blocks above are nowadays less popular, most electricians here now prefer Wago connectors like the one shown below, which is Wago 221. They are pretty awesome, handy to keep some for quickly assembling cables without soldering or screwing, its just a plastic lever that locks or unlocks the wire. They are reusable too.

    image

  • in reply to shabaz

    image

    So what is used to connect AC wiring if wire nut is not used?

  • in reply to shabaz
    shabaz said:
    Wire nuts are as rare as 4-leafed clovers in the UK.

    Apparently for good reason, they used to be ceramic and were dangerous with 240v, so were ultimately banned. I'm not sure about newer types of wire nuts.

  • in reply to shabaz

    Had to Google that Relaxed.  I've used wire nuts forever with romex in my house wiring (3 houses so far) - so it's almost second nature to me.  I didn't realize they weren't used in the UK.  I have to admit that I've been horrified by some DIY wiring and seen the effects of not using them properly.  My son bought a fixer upper last year and we ended up replacing all of the outlets and switches.  I was surprised at how bad the previous wire nut connections were.

  • in reply to shabaz

    They work way better than any description would suggest. I was highly skeptical when I started my summer job as an electrician's helper, but they are really quick and seem to work well for at least 20 years.