wire nuts

[Seamus J. Wilson]

Is it permissible to secure several solid and stranded #14 wires with wire nuts? Any preparation necessary? Thank you, Seamus J. Wilson

[dpb]

Strip to length recommended per wire nut instructions and stay within the numbers for which the size of nut is approved (also on the box). If that's close to upper limit I'll go to next larger size.

Generally, strip the stranded longer than the solid so have adequate length as they wrap.

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[E Z Peaces]

It should work fine. Sometimes stranded conductors will start to twist away when I start to screw on a wire nut, making a less secure connection. If the stranded conductors are bundled with solid conductors, all straight, the solid conductors may keep the stranded ones from twisting too soon.

There's a big difference in wire nuts. The first twist-on connectors contained no metal. Threaded ceramic thimbles are still used. The first ones called wire nuts had no insulation. They were springs that would expand around the conductors as they were screwed on.

I prefer the kind where the spring has plenty of room to expand. The connection feels very secure, and one size nut is approved for a wide range of bundle sizes. The box should tell you if a wire nut is approved for what you want to do.

[RBM]

Sure, I would twist together the solid conductors first, then the stranded on top, then the nut. If they're in a damp location, squirt some antiox paste into the wire nut first.

[John Grabowski]

*I agree with this method. Use your pliers to twist the wires together.

[E Z Peaces]

Is antiox paste approved for copper? There are special wire nuts approved for damp or wet locations.

I have a box of Ideal 71B, a box of Buchanan B2-1, and a box of GB

10-086. All say to hold the conductors together without twisting. Two combine solid with stranded conductors, two say the ends of the stranded should be slightly ahead of the solids. The Buchanans say this is necessary only with 16-gage or smaller stranded conductors.

Holding untwisted conductors together to put on a wire nut can be tricky, but I like the way a wire nut feels as it screws down on conductors that haven't been pretwisted.

[E Z Peaces]

To combine.... Darn!