I think this may be quite close to the recent thread on Junction Boxes but I wasn't *quite* clear what was being described there.
I very often need to connect multiple wires to one circuit (well, more likely multiple pairs/T&Es ) and 'ordinary' junction boxes really aren't very well suited to this.
Are there any junction boxes that come equipped with three/four/five terminal 'mini busbars' to make it easy to connect multiple wires together?
Definately MK series on this page.
I don't like the others, the wires either jump out when ye are fiddling with it and when ye tighten the screw enough to stop that, the brass sides give way (if unsupported by plastic) and the whole lot jumps out.
Or something like that.
Or perhaps it's just me.
Wago connectors go upto either 6 or 8 way.
If you want to be posh, din rail and RS din terminals with a commoning bar.
When I rewired the heating controls at my old church in Twickenham I located connectors that fitted on a DIN rail which I put in a large insulated box. Each connector had six male 6.4mm spade (Lucar) blades all connected, three at the top, three at the bottom, whole thing about 12mm wide. I needed about 30 in total (two boilers, several stats). It made for a nice easy and tidy job as each core could be connected in turn.
Sorry I can't find a web reference - will be buried in Farnell or RS site somewhere. Perhaps someone else can help.
Ah, I'd not spotted those before, just what I'm after.
No, it's not just you! :-)
I already use the lucar connectors where they are appropriate but they don't really lend themselves to wiring in the equivalent of junction boxes.
Wago connectors. More compact than choc block, easier to fit, more reliable and they're great for commoning.
I used a big CU-sized insulated box so lots of room. Even put a list of what was what on the underside of the lid to help the next guy
Yes, where I have used them there's lots of space, but it's not appropriate in a situation where there's really only space for an ordinary style junction box or something similar.
Yes, as recommended by someone else as well, they look like just what I need. It's especially true in one application (on boat) where I'm using round arctic cable and can anchor the cables with nylon glands as they go into suitable boxes.
One needs to take account of the cable anchoring requirement but, apart from that, they look excellent (and pretty inexpesive).
Better still, if for marine use or anywhere you're concerned about damp or corrosion, you can strip the cable and then liberally coat it with silicone grease. Stuff it the hole and the spring clip will scrape off the grease where it makes a connection. You can also fill any empty holes in the Wago block with silicone grease.
Buy it off Ebay for best value.
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