ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Re: New product

Wago connectors have different current ratings depending on the national listing. Wago 273-105:
UL 600V 18-12AWG solid
CSA 600V 20A 18-12AWG solid
VDE 400V 24A 2.5mm2
OVE 400V 24A 2.5mm2
S 400V 2.5mm2
KEMA KEUR 400V 18A 0.75-2.5mm2
and so on.

I'm reading 20 amps through those?

that's hard to believe, but a listing's a listing Ranger

usually I nip off the ones that come with recessed lights, and use a wirenut, but that's just me

i wonder what connector method really does work best, seems i talk to other countries sparkies who all swear by those connector blocks like Trumpy describes

~S~

Yes, you can.

UL may not gather many Nobel prizes, but they're not completely without a clue. They assemble the things per instructions, then amp the hell out of them- among ither tests.

Tex verified what I saw in the White book. U/L only seems to list these by voltage and temperature (90 vs 75)
There may be more in the listing standard but they aren't bragging about it

personally, i think you get what you pay for with all these 'quicky' connection devices on the market

i mean, we all have anecdotals from the field

~S~

Well here Wago connectors are used regularly for general purpose circuit splicing, so they often do get loaded to at least 16A and withstand that without failure. Since they can take up to 2.5mm2 they could end up in circuits fused up to 25A (which slightly exceeds the European 24A rating). I doubt 2.5mm2 is fused at 25A very often though.

In the earlier days, various screw connectors were used, such as this:
http://www.elektrofachmarkt-online.de/Media/Shop/200005.jpg

or this:
http://www.electrotrade.at/contents/media/EDK1.jpg

or this type (commonly used for connecting light fixtures, in Austria also for in-circuit splices)
http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/00/36/97/400_F_369715_RmAxl4EAyGh0fyGZVJFhq9fym4EA7Q.jpg

I've seen far more loose screws and overheating with those connectors than I care for!
In one case I can testify that the connection was tight originally since I made it myself. About 5 years later it had worked loose enough to overheat, arc and melt the connector! Apprently (even if some people deny this) copper does suffer some cold flux which makes screw connections loosen over time, especially during heat/cool cycles. BTW, the circuit in my case was only lightly loaded, a few 100W maximum (incandescent lights and perhaps a computer). In my uncle's apartment the kitchen circuit blew out due to such a connection while he used the microwave.

Wire nuts properly applied on solid wires are considerably sturdier I think, but Wago connectors are much easier and faster to usw, and as long as the wire is straight and the right length there isn't much you can do wrong. There are even transparent ones where you can visually check the proper seating of the conductors.

A few years ago I redid all splices in a place with old Eastern German aluminum wiring. It doesn't get used much and only with a 40W incandescent bulb, so I can't really tell how well the connections fare under high load, but if it ever gets a bigger load I'll open the boxes and have a look for you!

I've seen those here on equipment Tex


I guess there's a few differences across the big pond, iirc our magnitude is greater @120 than yours, then there's your differentials vs. our afci's to mitigate it all

I'm unsure if any indepth electrical study detailing the statistical viablity of connectors as a whole exists

Electrical forensics , at least here, are a tad nefarious in my humble opinion.

In fact last i heard the entity in charge of it's collection only had a return of 1/3 to 1/2 of all fire departments polled.

I guess it's not funded, or mandatory? Or maybe one affects the outcome of the other?

Certainly , nobody is asking us.....


And the manufacturers?, well , they'll telll you everything latest is always the greatest

~S~

I put one of those terminal strips in the top of my new panel to extend the wires that were not going to be long enough. It made a pretty clean installation. I think there is a picture bouncing around here somewhere.

Well most reports on the reliability of connectors I have come from electricians who mostly do troubleshooting. I don't have any official statistics, but from personal experience I can confirm that any screw connectors tend to wear loose unless re-tightened regularly.

I think the differences between 120 and 230V to ground are neglibible as far as connectors are concerned as long as the current is the same - heat dissipation on a given resistance shouldn't change as power is R*I^2.

True, we don't have AFCIs (nor has anyone ever taken them into consideration I think), but they're a fairly new phenomenon in the US too.
Our RCDs are basically equal to GFI breakers if you only look at individual circuits (except for the higher trip current of RCDs). The widespread use of RCDs on all circuit does have the advantage that high-impedance ground faults trip the RCD, usually before they can cause a fire.

All that being said, I'd love to see how one would insert stranded wire into the new connectors without mangling it completely!
All connectors for stranded wire I've come across yet have levers that temporarily release the spring, allowing you to insert the wire smoothly.

I suppose you could tin the wires beforehand. I think that is what Halo does with the wiring in their RC cans. Obviously this is way too much work to be practical in the field though.