Maintence Free JBs (MFJBs)

[Pete999]

Just read an interesting article in Octobers "Professional Electrician and Installer" (PE&I). Probably going to get my --- ripped to shreds over this, "You should have known better Pete"

How ever many of you now use Wagos, I don't cus I'm retired, according to the article and I quote "" It's important to note that the connectors and the enclosure do NOT qualify on their own as Maintenance free accessories, This is because an Accessory is defined as the whole equipment and may comprise of two products-the connectors and the enclosure-both have to be certified for use together, and installed according to the manufacturers instructions"".

It made me think of how many Domestic Electricians put these Wagos in a, say for example a CU extension box and call it Maintenance free, or in an adaptable box under the floor? made me think, what do you lads still on the tools think, am I making something out of nothing? shall I just shut up and drink the red stuff,? or am I onto something?

I await the backlash of abuse but I don't give a damn

 

[Pete999]

A few months ago I had a bit of to-and-fro with WagoFolks to understand what they had actually certified MF now.
Tin Hat On and Here goes : 2 types of Wago connector are currently certified as MF (BS5733) and ONLY when enclosed in their MF marked Wagobox. That's the 222 and 773 connector ranges. And only if the connectors are all lined up nicely in the retaining area of the Wagobox. And the current ratings change for MF as well. This is because they give them a real hammering in the test. The 773.104 is MF rated at 20A and this is ok for extending 2.5mm 32A RFC (from Reg 433.1.204) when used in the MF marked Wagobox. So that's what I use when I want MF. It doesn't mean other combinations of adaptable boxes or back of CUs won't work, it's just they were not used during Wago's certification tests. I hope that helps. Cheers, David.

Thanks Wilko, appreciated

 

[Dan]

Crikey I get my post edited for not swearing, I need to get a life and curse a bit more

Circumventing the swear filter is still just swearing. Please don't waste the time of moderators who's time is better spent helping members, rather than keeping them in check.

 

[The Ghost]

It must bear the MF mark or it aint Maintenace free. My friend had annual visit from Torquemada of the old NIC who went blue in the face when he found out he had used wago in a high (inaccessible) location. He told him where to get off !
I am looking at a 773 right now cant see MF mark though

 

[Wilko]

Here's a fine pic of a 3X2.5mm jb - built from all MF marked or certified Wago bits. But the end result is not MF. That's cause I couldn't fit CPC into the end containment of the box. Ha. Only good thing was I worked it out before Inspector.

 

[Leesparkykent]

For maintenance free connections with 3x2.5mm t&e like wilkos pic I use a hager J803.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

AFAIK the Wagobox is not made by Wago GmBH themselves but by Connexbox Ltd. in the UK, who are a Wago reseller. Now while Connexbox may have been instrumental in obtaining MF certification for their assembly of box and connectors, the connectors themselves are designed and manufactured to be used without the Wagobox, indeed in their native Germany they were probably used in everything but the Wagobox. Therefore this might be a situation where an equivalent or superior level of performance could be demonstrated by an alternative enclosure, provided it is suitable for the application at hand, without onerous type testing.

Personally, I like Wagos but not the Wagobox. There are a number of specific points I dislike about it, although I have little use for them anyway as I never install T+E and they're not much use for MI. Nor do I usually require MF certification as most of my work is on show, or at least accessible.

 

[Midwest]

If ever I get taken to account about the suitability of the Wago connectors & Wago box (connexbox) as a MF JB and/or combination, I would use (as per Lees link) as evidence, that I had done all that was reasonably practicable, by using the said combination;

(from Connexbox)

'The Wagobox enclosure is a multipurpose maintenance free junction box designed for use with the Wago 773 and 222 series Pushwire and Cage Clamp Connector blocks.

BS EN60670-22: Compliant
BS 5733: MF accessory compliant system when used with Wago 222 and 773 connectors used as directed in BS5733 instructions
Ingress Protection: IP2X
Dimensions: 39mmx44mmx108mm
Weight: 46g (each)'

 

[westward10]

Here's a fine pic of a 3X2.5mm jb - built from all MF marked or certified Wago bits. But the end result is not MF. That's cause I couldn't fit CPC into the end containment of the box. Ha. Only good thing was I worked it out before Inspector.

Not liking that oversized green/yellow sleeving though.

 

[Wilko]

Re my big spaghetti fettish, some folks prefer the fuller figure you know

 

[westward10]

Re my big spaghetti fettish, some folks prefer the fuller figure you know

Bit bored so I thought I would be picky. Still annoys me though oversized sleeving, 2.0mm bore sleeving fits all T&E cpcs up to 6.0.

 

[freddo]

It's strange, every time I come across something at work, a thread pops up about it!

I spent most of today fault finding a 1 year old installation (not done by me!) That had these wago things installed everywhere. The faults I was looking at was missing or intermittent power, all the faults were poor connections at these things. I hate them so much!

Not liking that oversized green/yellow sleeving though.

Just right for shoving several CPCs in so you can stick them in the same push in terminal hole like I saw last week!

Not to mention the installation that had 50% of the CPCs sleeved with insulation stripped from 10mm g/y wire.

 

[Wilko]

Awright awright, I'll get some more appropriate sleeving and give up my baggy pants look

 

[Lucien Nunes]

all the faults were poor connections at these things.

This is not normal, I don't recall ever seeing or making a faulty connection with one. Are they genuine Wago (there are counterfeits and look-alikes about), correctly fitted and of suitable sizes for the cables?

 

[Silly Sausage]

But the end result is not MF. That's cause I couldn't fit CPC into the end containment of the box.

Eh? You'll have to explain that one to me!

 

[Richard Burns]

This is not normal, I don't recall ever seeing or making a faulty connection with one. Are they genuine Wago (there are counterfeits and look-alikes about), correctly fitted and of suitable sizes for the cables?

IF the connection is made correctly with the correct sixze of cabel then ti woudl be OK and I woudl not expect it to fail.

However as said above putting multiple cables into one port, not pushing the cable home, cable sonly jsut clipped by the lever action ones, having stranded cable with strands bunched up outside the connector are all causes of failure that I have seen.
In effect poor workmanship can cause failures but I am never sure how one can get such poor workmanship.