Shoutout to the guy who showed me how wrong I was about wire nuts

I was on a job last month over in Maplewood and this older sparky pulled me aside while I was twisting a bunch of 12s together. He said I was putting too much torque on them and risking wire fatigue. I thought he was just being picky but he showed me how to strip just the right length and twist them by hand first before capping. Turns out I've been cranking them down so hard I was probably weakening the copper near the cut. Now I see guys on other jobs doing the same thing I used to do and I want to say something but I don't want to be that guy. Has anyone else had a basic habit like this totally flipped by someone with more experience?

3 comments

3 Comments

fionat5515d ago

I get what you're saying about not wanting to be that guy, but the thing that really jumped out at me is the part about "risking wire fatigue." Copper is softer than people think, and cranking those nuts down like you're tightening a bolt on a car engine is actually bending the wire inside the cap. I saw a video once where a guy cut open a bunch of connections that failed inspection, and every single one had those little cracks near the insulation where the copper had been stressed too much. The real trick nobody talks about is that you should be able to wiggle the wire after you cap it, and if it feels stiff or locked in place, you've gone too far. It's not about being picky, it's about the fact that a weak connection will heat up over time and start a fire in some attic where nobody will notice until it's too late.

zaranelson15d ago

Seems like overthinking it. I've cranked plenty tight and never had a fire.

black.oliver15d ago

Wait, are you saying I should be able to wiggle the wire like a loose tooth? That feels... wrong. Ngl, my dad taught me to crank them down until you hear the plastic start to groan. Maybe that's why he lost power in one room for a week.