I see
Wow - they come with a 1 year guarantee I think I'll stick to crimps.
I won't use those either.
I use WAGO connectors all the time for light fittings.
They do a 1 cable to 1 flex, ideal for switch live, a 2 cable to 1 flex, ideal for neutral, a 3 cable, ideal for the lives - but they don't do a
3 cable to 1 flex for the earth.
Why not? Just asking.
I've mentioned these before which, IMO, are easier to use enclosures than Wago:
Haven't compared prices recently but they were selling Wago and Line before Screwfix got in on the act and the all-in offers seemed like a reasonable deal the last time I did any major rewiring.
But really anything that reduces the buggeration factor of traditional junction boxes and their piddling, easily cross-threaded screws in a dirty, badly lit loft is worth paying a premium for.
Electrickery. It'll never replace gas lamps. ;-)
I assume you mean the line enclosures? The details are not very clear, how do they manage strain relief? I agree that the wago boxes seem a bit crude and sometimes need a bit of forcing, but (having just had to re-visit one to replace a downstream item) they are growing on me.
+1 to what you say about buggeration factor. I'm getting better at crimping but it can still be a fiddle if you are constrained by an existing layout.
Cable ties through the holes at either end of the enclosure.
It's a terrible website and the entirely generic name "line junction box" makes it hard to find in searches but the product actually works.
Agreed. And the speed these things can be fitted is another + imo.
Saw a uTube vid on those wago boxes and they suggest bending the box open at the cable entry to insert cables rather than pushing cables in the "fin" retainers. Seems to work too - easy. + there are those black inserts in there for extra grip.
That's how I do it too, and you can usually get all the lid clips to engage. I have, on occasion, when using 15 amp "flex", found it necessary to remove the black inserts on one side altogether. It seems a bit crude (though not as bad using traditional round, four terminal junction boxes without nailed in cable grips. And we never do that, do we).
Ah yes, they do look useful. I have a job coming up where the fact that they have a 20 mm thread at either end will make them ideal. (Junction is concealed under flooring but I'd like flexible conduit coming out to an immersion heater).
I can't see a Wago or back-stab connector lasting the 50+ years I expect the inaccessible parts of a wiring installation to last. They cannot have enough contact pressure over a large enough area to maintain a good contact for a long time.
I tried out some Wago's on their stand at the Screwfix trade show. You could pull the wires out without much difficulty. I had already said to the guy on the stand that I mostly use crimps. After he saw me pull the wires out, he said "You wouldn't pull on a crimp like that, would you?" I replied, "always."
It's not that I'm not so worried about the cable pulling out (although that's not good), but the fact that it pulls out is a strong indication that there's a combination of poor contact pressure and poor contact area - that's not good at all. I want a gas-tight metal to metal bond of a good surface area. That way, the join won't heat up, and therefore won't deteriorate and will last a long time.
I haven't seen the insides of the backstabs, but I just can't imagine I can use one at 30A and not have it burn out. A 30A connection needs to be very tight over a significant contact area to be gas-tight and last.
I stick to the 16th edition rules - inaccessible connections must be crimped, soldered, or brazed, and as far as I'm concerned, all connections need to be gas-tight, i.e. one of the above, or screw terminals/clamps where accessible.
In message , Andrew Gabriel writes
I have pondered this on and off. (having used crimps in the old house, and Wago connectors and boxes under the bathroom floor here).
I do note that to meet the Maintenance Free standards both Wago and Line (not looked at Ideal) say that you have to derate the connectors. eg. IIRC a 32A Wago connector is rated 24A in these circumstances
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