Push in wire connectors

[Mark Lloyd]

Some people seem to consider "not necessary" to mean "can't".

[Chris Lewis]

According to Eigenvector :

I note that they're both UL and CSA approved.

I'll also note that push in terminals on outlets are also (still) approved by UL and CSA, and all of the device connection failures I've _ever_ seen were push-in. Most of them with aluminum wire (where push-in has never been legal), but still, some were copper.

When it comes right down to it, given the right tools[1]/workmanship for installing on screw terminals or wirenuts, push-in doesn't really save you much. And I _much_ prefer the higher clamp pressure and solidity of a screw termination or a good solid wirenut.

For screw terminals my wire stripper has a strategically placed hole that makes making a small loop at the wire end very easy. A pair of needle nose pliers works in a pinch.

The proper set of linesman pliers makes quick work of doing the twists for wirenuts. Some wirenuts are rated _without_ pretwisting.

Note that these devices aren't intended for stranded wire. Only solid.

[emailaddress]

You might have the opportunity to use these push in terminals real soon again. Once you burn down your house, you can do it all over again.......... and again ............ and again...................

[CJT]

Not if you want the strongest possible connection.

[joshers17]

I just used them in a junction box for my bathroom remodeling project...seemed very secure and i liked the fact that they wires were easy to tuck back into the box.

I did dissect one of them and it seems it is beefier and more secure than a stab-lock fixture might be...there is a hump that the wire has to ride over which increases the contact with the "fingers"

I bought a halo new construction lighting can to go over my shower (with a shower trim, of course) and when I opened the J-Box on the can lo and behold...push in wire terminals.

I do like the fact these have a port on them for checking continuity.

I dont forsee an immediate problem with these connectors...

funny story when i was learning house wiring in electronics I had a teacher who would yank the wirenuts on our connections VERY hard..and if ONE nut gave..he cut all the wires and said "DO OVER".

Now in my home wiring I am just about as anal about tight conenctions...I tighten those damn nuts up so tight that a few times the plastic has seperated from the cone...these are Buchannan wire nuts I am talking about here...

Well I did the same "Yank Test" on these push on connectors and those damn things didnt budge...irregardless if it was 12 or 14 guage wire.

I feel pretty confident using them..

Josh

[Eigenvector]

I guess in asking I wanted to make sure I wasn't turning my house into the next "aluminum wire back stab connector" of the next century. I don't know the history of aluminum wire or back stab connectors but it seems like they probably received the same approval before everyone found out just how bad they were.

[Tekkie®]

Steve Barker LT posted for all of us...

HMMM, not all manufacturers list them that way; so it can't be imperative....

[lwasserm]

Not always, it depends on the design of the wire nut.

Here is a brief excerpt from an Ideal Industries wep page. They are one of the oldest and biggest manufactures of wire nuts (I believe they have the trade mark on the name)

from

* Five Color-coded models accept from #22 to #8 AWG wire * Fixed, Square-wire spring * No pre-twisting required * UL Listed and CSA Certified * Reusable * Shell rated for 105° C * Flame-retardant polypropelene shell

[Tekkie®]

Eigenvector posted for all of us...

Eigen lost his vector I couldn't have said it better myself.

[David Combs]

But a few posts later, someone said that it's *imperative* that you *do* twist the wires *before* inserting into the wire-nut.

PLEASE -- which is correct?

(And why?)

Thanks!

David

[Phillip Devoll]

Do not twist the wires before you put the wire in the wire nut according to code and do not use the push in terminals on the plug and when you put the wire on the screw wrap it around the screw and pinch the wires tight together....

[gfretwell]

the "code" only says follow the manufacturer's instructions and most manufacturers (Ideal, 3M )say "it is not necessary to twist" They do not say "don't twist". It is really up to the installer. You can get a good connection or a bad one either way. That is where skill and experience come in.