Twist on wire connectors/wire nuts?

[eveares]

Just wondering why they are not legal/non complaint in the UK. Are electrics in the US dangerous because of the use of them? They do seem like a poor ans risky way of joining wires I have to say.

For those who don't know what I am talking about, I mean this:

 

[PBC_1966]

Nothing wrong with them, so long as the correct size for the conductors is chosen, they're good quality, and they're installed correctly. They've been in widespread use here for over half a century, so if there were any serious concerns I think they would have been abandoned long before now.

Obviously there can be problems where somebody tries to use one which is much too large or too small, doesn't prepare the wires properly (the preparation in your selected photo doesn't look great), or just doesn't tighten it down properly, but the same could be said for almost any type of connector, including the common British "choc block" types.

 

[ericmark]

For stranded cable they seem to work well. For more solid cable the spring may not be strong enough to ensure good contact.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Just wondering why they are not legal/non complaint in the UK.

Just wondering why you think they are not.

 

[eveares]

Just wondering why you think they are not.

Because I have not seen anywhere in the UK sell them (excluding ebay) that are rated for LV mains.

Also this post suggests they might not be complaint with our regs and also that they are not ideal for solid cable: http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=226&threadid=3659

 

[PBC_1966]

Also this post suggests they might not be complaint with our regs and also that they are not ideal for solid cable: http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=226&threadid=3659

There are a lot of references there to the old British "Screw-It" connector, which while superficially similar was not quite the same thing. American wire-nuts contain a coil spring which bites down onto the conductors when tightened; the old "Screw-It" connector did not have that feature.

While there are now plenty of different types, including those with "wings" which are intended to make tightening easier, I still prefer this more traditional range:

http://www.idealind.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=wire-nut&div=0&l1=twist-on&l2=wire-nut
(See the spec. sheet PDF for details.)

There is also another type of connector, not nearly so widely used, which after installation looks similar to the wire-nut but is actually a set screw terminal with a screw-on cap:

http://www.idealind.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=30-222

 

[Iggifer]

Just wondering why you think they are not.

Because I have not seen anywhere in the UK sell them (excluding ebay) that are rated for LV mains.

Also this post suggests they might not be complaint with our regs and also that they are not ideal for solid cable: http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=226&threadid=3659

Screwfix sold them, but have stopped, through lack of sales I would imagine. They claim to be 7671 compliant.