name of this connector ?

[ktnwin]

I like to buy the blue connector shown in the picture below to pigtail wire.
I do not know its name and could not find it at local Home Depot.
What is this type of connector called ?

 

[Megawatt]

he needs wago 221 connectors, 3 port.

View attachment 63389

That’s exactly what we have over here thank you @telectrix

 

[7029 dave]

Scotchlocks were used on BT old style dropwires

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The traditional Scotchlok 560 as on the OP's ceiling and its different size variants, are an older, basic design of insulation displacement connector that IMO has been superseded by newer, better technologies. But they were very popular in their heyday when there wasn't much else to match them and retain their place in the market. Many people cite reliability concerns but there might be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy: They are relegated to rough-and-ready applications such as exterior vehicle wiring, are poorly installed by inexpert users with incorrect cable sizes and exposure to salt spray and cable movement, where even a more substantial connector might also suffer reduced reliability.

As some have mentioned, we have never used them in premises wiring in the UK. In the US I believe they are more commonly found in manufactured products, but are accepted for some applications in premises wiring. I find them for example in AC power wiring within US-made large exterior displays. There have been times when I have found a bunch of Scotchloks and been annoyed that they all worked fine, despite vibration, moisture etc, and hence failed to support my argument that they were an inadequate type of connector.

Important factors to note are that they must not be used with aluminum wire, only copper strictly in their approved gauge range (which is sometimes different between the tap and the through cable.) Importantly, their permitted current flowing across to the tap connection may be lower than that of the wire itself. This is a sneaky limitation that one should always check for with any connector, as once it is installed, future alterations may fail to locate any under-specced connectors that have been used and overload the connectors even while correctly observing the ampacity of the wiring.

 

[Pete999]

I like to buy the blue connector shown in the picture below to pigtail wire.
I do not know its name and could not find it at local Home Depot.
What is this type of connector called ?
View attachment 63377

It's Jim the connector Mate

 

[pirate]

I'm not a fan of the Scotchlok, nor is JW...however...

 

[telectrix]

the only thing labelled scotch should be 40% ABV.

 

[ktnwin]

Scotchlocks appears to be the correct name. I search the Web for this name and yes, the picture matches.
Here is a better one, taken by standing up on a ladder.

In my 40+ yrs old home, almost all outlets have this kind of pigtails instead of using wire nuts except the last one in the circuit. They are used to continue line feeding to the next outlet / switch box. And the pigtail (really look like a tail) connects to the receptacle or switch. I have seen this kind of connectors in many previous homes that I lived in.
My guess this pigtail connector is used as the tail wire continues in the same direction AND it does not require wire stripping to install it and uses less space in the box too.
I liked it as of yesterday, but change my mind today as this connector simply clips hard on the wire, breaks the insulation to make connection. I will stay with wire nut on twisted wires to secure the connection. Time is not an issue for me as a retired person.
I will leave them alone.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

JW's test was similar to my experience: as much as we object to Scotchloks in principle, they can actually work OK within sensible limitations. I'm not even sure if those were genuine Scotchloks or clones. IIRC with that size cable the rating of the connector itself is 15A, he pushed them to 30 which means four times the temperature rise and the cable was giving out while the connectors remained intact.

An IDC connector with a through-slot does also have the advantage that where a low-current tap is being made in a high-current main run, the high current doesn't pass through the connector. E.g. tapping a 1A load into a run carrying 11A, using a 3-hole Wago you have one connection carrying 1A, one carrying 11A and one carrying 12A. With a correctly-used Scotchlock tap you have just two connections each carrying 1A. Even if the contact resistance of the Scotchlok is five times higher than the Wago, the heat dissipated would still be over 13 times higher in the Wago than the Scotchlok.

Now the installation shown in the OP's pic completely fails to utilise this advantage. The incoming cable goes through to the fitting, and the tap carries on to the next point (or vice versa). Therefore instead of the Scotchlok bridge carrying just the local fitting current, it carries either everything else or the total circuit current.

One place I have seen this done well is in our big US-built trailers that have dozens of running lights and marker lights along the sides and ends of the body. The tail light circuits are run down the sides of the vehicle with branches to low-level lights and the ends, and every branch and individual light is correctly picked up from the tap of the Scotchlok while the run carrying the heavier current passes through unbroken. I can't fault that logic.

 

[RED~SIX]

We call these 3go’s..

only realy use 2go’s, 3go’s and occasionally 5go’s.

 

[moose]

Get out of here. Is that conduit and singles running through your house. Great old job that not seen one for 22 years.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

He's in the US, they put boxes in the ceiling there. Not necessarily conduit.

 

[pirate]

2go's
3 go's
5go's

don't think they make 4 go's
I mean, why would they?

 

[telectrix]

they do in push fit, but not in lever type.

 

[pirate]

They do indeed, Tel! 2,4,6 and 8 in push-fit...but space permitting, i like a lever, and try to leave a spare way for future use (not for "live" working, obviously...)

 

[RED~SIX]

(I don’t do it) but I have seen 4-5 cables in a 3go!.
especially the 221 series the opening is larger that the older series.