Wire Connectors - Electrical 101

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Electrical 101

Wire Nut Info

Blue Wire-Nut Good choice for ballast wire connections.

Orange Wire-Nut Commonly used with light or fan fixtures for connection to switch wire(s).

Yellow Wing-Nut Commonly used to connect 2 #14 or 2 #12 wires.

Tan Twister Commonly used to connect 2 to 3 #14 or #12 wires.

Red Wing-Nut Commonly used to connect 3 to 4 #14 or #12 wires, or 3 #10.

Data Phone Wire Butt Splice Connectors

Data and phone wires are very small in diameter at 22 to 24 AWG. These wires are used for telephone, computer data, and garage door opener wiring and are to be used for low voltage only. Butt splice connectors are used to connect two or more wires together.

These wires are stripped (or not, see instructions) and inserted into the connectors. A pliers or crimping tool can be used to squeeze the top and bottom of the connector together to make the connections.

The image to the right is of garage door opener wiring connected with telephone wire butt splice connector.

How to Install Twist-on Wire Connectors

Turn power off.
Strip wires, usually about ½ inch for two wires. Strip about ¾ to 1 inch for more than two wires. Lead stranded wire(s) beyond the solid wire(s) by about 1/16 inch(1.6mm).
Align frayed strands and conductors.
Hold wire ends together evenly.
Insert wires into the connector and screw on clockwise until the connector stops twisting.
Lightly pull on each wire to ensure the wires are secured inside of the connector.

The connector should stop twisting after step 5. If it does not stop twisting or if a wire comes loose when pulling in step 6, undo the connection and start over again. Another size connector may be needed to make a proper connection.

Push-in Wire Connectors

It is very easy to connect wires into push-in connectors, but are a major pain to disconnect. They should only be used in light fixtures. Light fixtures use 18 AWG wires which are easy to remove from these connectors by pulling and twisting the wires.

Never use push-in connectors in an electrical junction box. If the wires in a junction box with push-in connectors need to be modified, the wires in these connectors will probably need to be cut and reconnected with twist-on connectors.

IDEAL Industries first wire connector was called wire-nut®, and had become the trade name for any twist-on wire connector. IDEAL Industries provides information on their wire connectors including connector color coding that indicates size. Connector colors and sizes are not the same within the industry, but they are similar to IDEAL’s connectors. Find WireNuts

Twist-On Wire Nuts

Wire connectors are used to connect two or more wires together. There are many types of wire connectors, the most common are twist-on. IDEAL Industries brand twist-on wire connectors are the most commonly used and will be featured in this article. Twist-on wire connectors are available in many different color-coded sizes to allow for different wire gauges and number of wires.

Ideal Wire Range Chart - A two page quick reference for matching wire size, number of wires, and wire connector color code.

Ideal Wire Connector Brochure - A complete guide of their wire connector products.

Types of Wire Connectors

Wire connector size depends upon the wire gauges and number of wires connected together. Wire connectors packages show the minimum and maximum wires and sizes allowed. Avoid using the minimum and maximum sizes and numbers.

Twister® - IDEAL considers this the most common wire connector for residential projects. This is also very commonly used for commercial construction. They are available in three sizes. The shell expands when tightening to ensure a secure connection. If you need to remove this wire connector, it should be replaced with a new wire connector because of the expansion.

Wire-Nut® - the original wire connector, available in five sizes.

Wing-Nut® - these have contoured wings to provide a secure grip and extra torque. They are available in three sizes.

WireTwist® - an economical connector similar to the Wire-Nut.

Wire-nut

Wing-nut

Twister

Wing-nut