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itselectric

I'm a bit of a dinosaur. so I can remember these cable connectors which were generally used on lead wiring in the metal junction boxes. I never had occasion to use them but stripped plenty out during rewires. For those younger sparks who have never come across them, they were porcelain and shaped like a thimble. I mention these because in my apprenticeship days I was told they were banned from use because of unsafe connections and in some cases the fell off due to vibration under floors, thus being a fire risk and possibly the cause of some electrical fires I walked into C.E.F the other day and on the counter was a modern version of these. they are not made of porcelain but plastic with a sprung wire insert. My question is, is this a step backwards or have these new ones got a better grip. Apparently they have passed a safety test. Why can't I start paragraphs on this site.:confused5:
 
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They're supposed to work by loosening/tightening the spring over the cables without twisting the cores, does not tend to happen in reality

I was given a load and use then to keep ends clean

And given they cost about the same as push-ins which are superior in every way.....what's the point?
 
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Don't touch them a flaming menace in more ways than one.

As an apprentice I refused to use them and I’ve never used one since. They were the porcelain ones then.

Garelco porcelain connectors were my choice back then.
 
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In the US they call them wirenuts and they are still one of the most common methods of jointing. US companies like Ideal Industries who are one of the major makers of better quality wirenuts are probably trying to sell their products in wider markets in these days of globalisation. They might have a home market for them for many years to come just through inertia, but like fin170 I can't see the point of promoting them here given the alternatives available. People are creatures of habit, so the UK likes its double-screw choc block just like the Europeans like single-screw, the Americans like wirenuts and have got used to how bad they are!

FWIW the original UK-made ones were called Scruits (not Screwits) and they came in 'normal' and 'midget' sizes. Midget were OK up to a few 3/.029s but more than that called for a normal size. People often tried to cram too many wires into too small a Scruit leading to hopelessly bad connections.

There have been some damning reports on the the wirenuts sold in the US for pigtailing onto aluminium cable, sorry... aluminum... where the oxide on the cable often stops the cables making direct contact with one another. Contact then only occurs where the spring cuts into the core, so all the current goes around thin spring steel wire like a little heating element. Crazy!
 
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Garelco porcelain connectors were my choice back then
Click to expand...

Will these do Tony? Stock item here. Mind you so are Scruits, both sizes on the shelf along with Tenby tinplate boxes round and square, horses for courses....

Lucien

[ElectriciansForums.net] screwits[ElectriciansForums.net] screwits
 
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You would have to see the size of some of those Yank wire nuts to believe it!! lol!! Put it this way, you just wouldn't get more than two into a UK single 35mm back box... It's just so easy to twist that little too far and snap one of the conductors which could lead to a potential fire causing high resistance joint!!!!

Know to be either the main culprit or a major contributing component into the majority of electrical domestic house and light commercial building fires!! Best left well alone, in the realms of British history!!
 
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Engineer54 said:
You would have to see the size of some of those Yank wire nuts to believe it!! lol!! Put it this way,
you just wouldn't get more than two into a UK single 35mm back box
Click to expand...
... It's just so easy to twist that little too far and snap one of the conductors which could lead to a potential fire causing high resistance joint!!!!

Know to be either the main culprit or a major contributing component into the majority of electrical domestic house and light commercial building fires!! Best left well alone, in the realms of British history!!
Click to expand...


two's enough at your light switch '54; one for your cpc's and the other for your neutrals!
 
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