Wire Nuts.. First Timer

[gouda]

hello there

I'm getting someone (they call themselves an electrician', although i think they are just general thai builders ) to do the electrical wiring in the house, and am going to use wire nuts to join the splices.

However i have never used wire nuts before...(don't laugh, never seen them in the UK).

now my question is, what sizes should I buy and use, I am thinking I will need to join up to 4x 2.5mm (13AWG) and 4x1.5mm (15AWG) splices

do wire nuts in thailand follow the colour size standard? or do I just take some cable to the shop and try them out? I'd prefer not to ask the staff as most of them don't seem to be very knowledgable

btw the electrician didn't know what wire nuts are so I will have to show them..

Wire Nut Colors and Wire Sizes

1. Big Blue
   

1. #10 and Larger
   

1. Gray
   

1. #14 and Larger
   

1. Red
   

1. #14 and larger
   

1. Big Tan
   

1. #14 and larger
   

1. Yellow
   

1. #18 and larger
   

1. Big Orange
   

1. #18 to #14
   

1. Little Orange
   

1. #22 and to #14
   

1. Little Blue
   

1. #22 to #16
   

1. Small Tan
   

1. #22 to #18
   

[gouda]

ooh.. i forgot..

what's the proper way to use them

(1) twist the wires together first and twist on the wire nut

or

(2) leave the wires straight and twist on the wire nut

will be taping these up afterwards.. cheers

[Mrjlh]

Wire nut sizes don't always fit the wire size you are using when you are splicing several wires together at one time. Wire nut "sizes" are based on splicing "two" wires the same size together. So, if you are splicing three together you may need to go to the next size up and it depends on the manufacture of the wire nut. So have an assortment...a large assortment. What if you are splicing different sizes together? Same problem. You don't need anything smaller than the smallest wire you use.

My suggestion is if you have never used them before you should practice first. They are quite simple to use but it takes a little practice to use them. One assembly tip is to use small "nylon wire ties" to hold the bundle together. Don't twist the wires together, that the job of the wire nut. Place the nylon tie around the two or three wires you are splicing about 1/4-1/2" below shielding. Make all the ends even. It helps hold the bundle together when screwing on the wire nut. Then just leave them on, it also helps to take away any stress when putting the wires back into the electrical box or enclosure.

First safety rule: Make sure the power is "OFF"!

Second safety rule: Never splice more than "THREE" wires together. Use a jumper of the same size between if you need to tie four. (three and three-get it?)

Next: strip and trim the wires to approx the same length. Make sure no bare wire is exposed below the protective cap. 220V has a bad habit of arching. It might also help to wrap with electrical tape for the larger wire sizes but not required.

Wire nuts are simply a spring which is coiled tightly so it screws the wires together. Tighten the same direction as screwing in a light bulb.

One other thing that is missed here in Thailand. Make sure the "wire sizes" you use are correct for the "wattage/amperage loads"! Have a water heater? How many kilowatts is it? Then what other outlets are on the same line? All this info can be found on the Internet if you search for it. That's really the responsibility of the architect if you use one.

And use a "GROUND" everywhere if you can. Ground plugs in the long run are not that more expensive.

I mention all this because after moving into a rented house, I've spent the last two months fixing all the electrical problems left behind by the previous tenant and I'm still not done. Example: He added extra lights and plugs but didn't follow common electrical guides. On one 20 amp circuit, he had no less than 8 outlets, 2 fans with (4) 75 watt lights, (4) 50 watt spots on a dimmer in the ceiling, and (4) 32 watt florescent lights. Not one was grounded. Plus all the plugs were wired backwards (load and neutral backwards).

Also, pay attention to the wire colors. Try to use the same colors all through the project if you can. Educate yourself to what the colors mean. Thais don't seem to follow the rules on wiring.

Good luck... I hope this helps.

[longball53098]

Check out this site and the info here may help you.

Ideal

[Crossy]

Wire nut sizes don't always fit the wire size you are using when you are splicing several wires together at one time. Wire nut "sizes" are based on splicing "two" wires the same size togethe............... Try to use the same colors all through the project if you can. Educate yourself to what the colors mean. Thais don't seem to follow the rules on wiring.

I can add nothing to this comprehensive post, thaks

[Rimmer]

When I was in the trade many years ago I remember they were made from white Porcelain and we called them Screwits!

I don't think in those days they had a wire thread in them just a screw thread moulded into the porcelain.

The color coded wire threaded nuts available now are great and much easier to use

[gouda]

thanks everyone

i bought a box of red ones, the shop only had a selection of 4 sizes, teenie, small, medium and extra large, i bought some red medium ones going as they looked approx the best size and the guide on the back of the box didn't havent any markings for AWG #13 anyway.

practiced using these on some 2.5mm2 cable and to me it seems twisting the wires before screwing on the nuts are better, maybe cos I bought the wrong size??

anyway, the nuts are hard to pull off, but unscrewing them is a doddle , should that be the case? I've screwed them on pretty much as hard as I can without burning up my hands too much..

ps : they are US made

[Crossy]

There is no real need to twist the wires first, but it helps hold things together and will do no harm so long as you don't over do it. Keep turning the nut until there are a couple of twists in the wire to act as strain relief

From the manufacturers website:-

I note that many of the suppliers do a fitting to go in your electric screwdriver to do these nuts up, great if you're doing a lot