Hi, has anyone used these Wago 221 wire connectors, was thinking of using them for splicing a cable in a db board

I saw them at ACDC lately, I have used similar with great success in other applications, but personally I would be skittish to use them in a DB.

If forced, I might do the light circuits, but would steer clear of Plugs and other heavy hitters.

 

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Riaanh

So what is the best thing to use in a DB?

38 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

So what is the best thing to use in a DB?

I think this is very much an open ended question, there are so much to consider, what is currently in the DB, how much space, amount of wires to be "spliced" Current draw etc, etc.

If some space is available, I would use Distribution blocks, If less space available in DB, but some space on the DIN rail available, I would opt for the DIN Bars, Vertical, alternatively Single Pole Distribution Block in relevant size/connections.

Just my 2c

A distribution block are those blocks of connectors with screws to attach the wires?

58 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

So what is the best thing to use in a DB?

A normal ferrule. Crimp the wire and tape it up. This is the safest and most secure way of doing it. 

One type/Old type

 

Another Type, personally prefer this type;

 

Then for DIN rail,

 

 

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Riaanh

28 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

A normal ferrule. Crimp the wire and tape it up. This is the safest and most secure way of doing it. 

or put some heat shrink on it, I guess.

47 minutes ago, Riaanh said:

I think this is very much an open ended question, there are so much to consider, what is currently in the DB

I think this post was born out of an issue @plonkster picked up in of a previous post by @Shockin where he had joined wires behind the new DB with  normal connector blocks. Suggestions were made to redo the joints for reliability and safety purposes. I guess he is now looking at the best ways re-join those wires.  

43 minutes ago, Riaanh said:

I would use Distribution blocks

I agree.

37 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

A distribution block are those blocks of connectors with screws to attach the wires?

It's a bit better than those "chocolate blocks".

You can also use these (they stack end-to-end with a cap on the last one, so the terminals are not open):

with a busbar:

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by plonkster

1 minute ago, DeepBass9 said:

or put some heat shrink on it, I guess.

Can work as well... Electricians dont normally run around with heatshrink, we are so use to Insulation tape, that we dont think about the other stuff out there. 

31 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

tape it up

I vote for heat shrink. Tape is good enough and quite excellent, but heat shrink just looks the part 🙂

8 minutes ago, plonkster said:

... Tape ...

9 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

... Insulation tape ...

Question: I find that insulation tape gets "gummy" after a few years. Is it cheap tape or what?

1 minute ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

Question: I find that insulation tape gets "gummy" after a few years. Is it cheap tape or what?

I think it is supposed to do that. Otherwise it's not sealing the connection properly (from moisture ingress and corrosion). The really nice heat shrink also has a glue lining, and on the really serious (aka expensive) kinds you can submerge that stuff under water!

2 minutes ago, plonkster said:

I think it is supposed to do that.

Ok, that makes sense but then the end starts peeling. I hate that.

4 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

 Is it cheap tape or what?

There is cheaper ones available lately, Cr%@$# to be honest. I only use Nitto or Hellerman Tyton. 

5 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

There is cheaper ones available lately, Cr%@$# to be honest.

Ok, that makes more sense. Geez my OCD / ADD gets flapping when insulation tape starts peeling. And then when you peel it all off, to make the OCD / ADD to away, it gets worse.

You are left with a sticky connector after removing the tape after the removed tape got stuck to all your fingers and the floor and the roof and the walls!!!

Man, I cannot stress how much I abhor that!

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Guest

I was going to terminate all the neutrals on a busbar behind the db board and just feed one neutral cable to the neutral bar on the front of the db board. Electrician said that in order to get a coc all the neutral need to be easily accessible on the front of the board,

 

1 minute ago, Shockin said:

I was going to terminate all the neutrals on a busbar behind the db board and just feed one neutral cable to the neutral bar on the front of the db board

Okay, that makes more sense now, then i will go with the ones RiaanH suggested, I assumed it was for joining. 

2 minutes ago, Shockin said:

Electrician said that in order to get a coc all the neutral need to be easily accessible on the front of the board,

Correct, but fault finding might be a mission in the future, you will need to swing open the new DB in the event of a neutral fault. 

23 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

Geez my OCD / ADD gets flapping when insulation tape starts peeling

My last thoughts on this, If you use the correct tape that has the correct degree of Elasticity and you have mastered the correct way of applying insulation tape, without over or under stretching it, you will not see any "peeling".  As a matter of fact, you will struggle to even find the end of the tape after I have applied it, and if you find it, good luck in removing it. If I ever have to remove the tape from a joint I have to cut it off. 

LOL, tape and then put some heatshrink over the top! (For the OCDs amongst us)

19 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

If I ever have to remove the tape from a joint I have to cut it off. 

YES!!! I have seen such - had to cut it off. Now I know the difference. Thanks for that titbit.

 

6 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

LOL, tape and then put some heat shrink over the top! (For the OCDs amongst us)

Nope. I have seen how heat shrink started smoking on a UPS battery cable. Battery tested perfect, but had a internal short and under load, bad moyo. Me and Murphy again.

Now I crimp lugs so that you don't need to put on tape nor heat shrink ... OCD's sorted ... IF I get the crimp right that is. 🤦‍♂️

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Guest

Next best think after warm bread with butter is HEAT SHRINK . I head shrink everything and only use tape if i need to. When i started to go in High end audio stuff, and you want to make something look good, then you use Heat shrink and Breaded sleeving. Best place to go is https://www.three-d.co.za/#!items/cable-protection. They got a off-cut bin there where you sometimes can get something for free to if you buy some stuff. "the one in Montague Gardens". There prices is really good compare to other places. You buy of a roll so you pay met meter. 

 

The stock the Crimping ferrules that Jaco is talking about :  https://www.three-d.co.za/contactus.html#!items/cable-terminals

 

1 hour ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

If you use the correct tape that has the correct degree of Elasticity and you have mastered the correct way of applying insulation tape, without over or under stretching it, you will not see any "peeling".

And that thing where people just "tear" it off at the end, that's a recipe for a bad tape job. I actually cut the tape with my side-cutters (good enough and scissors are just overkill), and then I'm careful to not touch that end piece so there's no putting fatty residue or interfering with the stickiness on that last bit (that always peels).