Connection of electrical wires - 8 best ways

Existing methods of

The following connection options are considered to be the most popular and effective:

• use of terminal blocks;
• installation of spring terminals( wago);
• fixation with PPE( plastic caps);
• crimping;
• soldering;
• twist;
• installation of "nuts";
• using bolts.

Consider the essence, advantages and disadvantages of each of the ways!

box Use of the

terminal blocks Terminal blocks are plastic products with a brass bushing inside which is a screwed screw on both sides.

In order to connect the two wires together with the terminal block, it is necessary to insert on each side at the end of the product and tighten them with screws( with force).This method of connection is most often used in junction boxes, as well as installing a chandelier, switches and sockets.

We draw your attention to the fact that the terminal blocks come with a different inlet suitable for a particular section of the core.

Advantages:

• low price of terminal blocks;
• fast and convenient assembly of products;
• good bonding quality;
• can connect aluminum with copper.

Disadvantages:

• Very often terminal blocks are of poor quality, which is fraught with a breakdown of the connector during installation.
• The ability to connect only two conductors to each other.
• Terminal blocks are not recommended to tighten aluminum and stranded products. This is due to the high brittleness of aluminum and the fineness of the strands of the stranded wire: when tightening the screws, the contacts may be damaged.
• When using soldering, the reliability will be much higher.

Spring terminals

The wago spring terminals appeared on the market relatively recently and undoubtedly became the most effective and safe connectors.

The difference between the terminal blocks of the wagon from conventional terminals is that a special mechanism is used to connect the electrical wires, and not a screw. This lever-type mechanism allows you to carefully fix the product without damaging it. In order to independently carry out bonding with the vagami, it is necessary to peel the insulation and insert the veins into the hole.

We draw your attention to the fact that there are disposable and reusable terminal blocks of Vago. The first option assumes a one-time connection, and it is impossible to restore it when repairing the wiring: it will be necessary to cut off the wagon, repair the problem and install a new terminal strip. Reusable wago terminals are more expensive, but with their help you can easily disconnect the contact if necessary.

Advantage of wago:

• the possibility of absorbing aluminum and copper conductors;
• possibility of connecting several cores simultaneously( more than two);
• wago clips allow to fix a thin multicore wire without damage;
• terminal blocks are very compact;
• work does not take much time;
• good bonding quality;The
• terminal block in the wagon has a special hole that allows you to monitor the operation of the electrical network using an indicator screwdriver.

The only drawback of is the high cost of the terminals.

Installation of caps PPE

PPE is deciphered as connecting insulating clips. The products are ordinary plastic caps having inside a special spring, which holds the wires.

Most often, these caps are used to connect the cores in the junction boxes.

Advantages of using these products:

• low cost of PPE;
• caps are made of non-flammable material, so self-ignition of the wiring at the place of twisting will not occur;
• quick installation;
• caps have a wide range of color shades. For example, if the wires are not color-coded, using PPEs, you can mark the phase, zero and ground( using a white, blue and green cap).

Disadvantages:

• is a relatively weak quality of insulation and fixation;
• can not connect aluminum with copper.

Crimping with special sleeves

Crimping is one of the most reliable options. Its essence lies in the fact that bare wires are placed in a special tube - the sleeve, and crimped with effort. After crimping, the sleeve is carefully insulated using a heat-shrinkable tubing( cambric) or electrical tape.

Conductors can be routed from different sides of the tube or from one side. At the first variant their joint should be approximately in the middle of a sleeve, in the second case the cross-section of all veins( total) should not exceed a section of a sleeve.

Advantages:

• quality connection and insulation;
• shells are of low cost.

Disadvantages:

• Single-use sleeve( non-detachable).If repair is necessary, the sleeve must be cut and discarded, after which a new one must be installed.
• A special tool is required for the connection: press mite and pipe cutter( to shorten the sleeve if necessary).Also, you can use a special tool to remove the insulation, which has a compact crimping device.
• The aluminum and copper wires can be crimped with only a special sleeve, which is not often seen on the market.
• Electrical work will take longer.

Soldering or welding

This method is the best quality of all. In order to connect the two wires to each other in the junction box, it is necessary to carefully clean their ends, twist and dip into molten solder. Further, the veins must be immersed in the soldering bath. After that, they must cool down and, in the end, be insulated with the help of a cambric or electrical tape.

We draw your attention to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to cool the soldering in cold water, becausein this case, the quality of binding significantly deteriorated( due to the appearance of microcracks).

The advantage of the soldering method is excellent connection quality and reliability.

Disadvantages:

• the need for a special tool - soldering iron and, accordingly, the ability to work with it;
• labor intensity of work;
• all-in-one soldering;
• limitation in the application conditions according to the PUE;The
• solder resistance increases over time, which affects the voltage loss and electrical conductivity.

Proceeding from this, soldering is recommended to be avoided using more modern fastening methods.

It should be noted that there is also a connection of electric wires by welding. The process is similar, but requires the use of a welding machine instead of a soldering iron, and, consequently, skills in welding operations.

Twisting and insulation

The old "grandfather" method consists in twisting the cores between each other. The essence of the work is that the conductors are cleaned and carefully twisted pliers, after which the place of twisting is isolated.

Advantages:

• simplicity of electrical work;
• lack of material costs.

Disadvantages:

• poor bonding quality;
• is not allowed to connect aluminum and copper products.

Most often wire twisting is used for the installation of temporary wiring. It is recommended to use cambrics for insulation. According to the PUE, this way of connecting the wires in the junction box can not be used in rooms with high humidity and in a wooden house.

Nut clamp

"Nut" is a cable clamp with two special plates and four screws in the corners, as seen in the photo below. To connect the wires with a nut, it is necessary to peel the two ends of the wire and fix it in the plate, then put on the carbolite shell.

wiring Advantages:

• low clamping cost;
• the process of installing the "nut" does not cause any difficulties;
• can connect copper and aluminum conductors;
• is quite good insulation.

Disadvantages:

• it is necessary to tighten all screws periodically;
• dimensions of the "nut" are not suitable for its installation in a junction box or other compact places.

Using a bolt

A simple, but nevertheless effective way to connect electrical wires to each other - with a bolt. All you need is to have a short bolt, 3 washers and a nut at hand.

The washer of the bolt is put on the washer, then the stripped conductor is wound, after which another washer - the vein - washer is put( as shown in the diagram above).In the end, the bolt is carefully tightened with a nut and insulated.

Advantages:

• simplicity and minimum cash costs;
• can connect aluminum and copper conductors.

As regards the shortcomings, they are as follows:

• low fixation quality;
• needs to spend a lot of isolation;
• dimensions of the bolt do not fit into the junction box.

With the existing methods of connecting the wires in the box sorted out, now consider the remaining, important issues of this topic.

What if there are several wires?

When you connect two contacts, problems usually do not occur. But what if you need to combine three, four or more at the same time?

terminals In this case, it is recommended to choose the following connection options( from best to worst):

• using wago terminal blocks;
• crimping;
• soldering;
• twisting with the use of siz;
• twisting and winding electrical tape.

The procedure for connecting the wires for each of the methods is discussed in detail above. We strongly recommend that you use the first option.he refers to the most modern and effective. At the same time, the cost of the VAG is not too great, and the wiring is more than 30 years old.

What if the cores have different cross-sections?

For connection of conductors of different cross-sections in the junction box it is recommended to use all the same terminal blocks of the wagon, or a cheaper option - conventional terminal blocks. In this case, it is necessary to carefully tighten the wires with a screw or fix the flag, and all, the work is finished.

We draw your attention to the fact that if the wires are made of different materials, then it is necessary to use special pads with paste inside that will prevent oxidation of the veins. Such pads include wago products.

Also, cores of different sections can be fixed by soldering.

Combining multi-core and single-core products

The connection of solid and stranded wires separately does not have any special features, so you can use any of the methods listed above.

In order to carry out bonding, you must choose one of two options: VAGO terminals or soldering. Here everything depends on your preferences, the advantages and disadvantages of each method we provided.

How to carry out work in water and land?

During electrical work, there is often a situation where it is necessary to connect the wiring under water or in the ground. Now we will briefly consider the features of each of the cases!

In water( eg when installing a submersible pump), the following technology is recommended. To begin with, the ends are soldered, after that the place of soldering is carefully insulated with a hot-melt adhesive, on top of which the heat shrinkage is put on. If everything is done qualitatively and on conscience, the joint will be airtight and safe. Otherwise, a short circuit and a power outage can occur.

To connect the electrical wire in the ground( for example, after its mechanical damage), it is recommended to use the method given above( hot melt and heat shrink), but it is better to secure yourself and use the following procedure. Clamp the ends of the cable with a terminal strip, install a sealed junction box, and then carefully fill the box with a special silicone sealant. We draw your attention to the fact that the track under the ground must be additionally placed in a pipe or a box to ensure reliable protection from rodents!

It is also recommended to combine the damaged ends of the wiring in the ground with a special cable box, as in the photo below!

That's all I wanted to tell you about this issue! If any nuance has been missed, we advise you to look through visual video lessons. We hope that now you know what kind of connector it is better to use for different application conditions.
Also read:

• How to find the wiring in the wall
• How to find the junction box in the wall
• How to make the hidden wiring
• The height of the sockets according to GOST