ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Wire nuts

I have noticed the Scotchlocks were originally used on aluminum wiring. I took the liberty of dissecting some and inside there's a live spring contained in a steel shell. The steel shell is what spins when they are tightened up and spins free when you try to remove them. B-Caps have a live spring too but no steel shell.
I am wondering if the Scotchlocks were at one time listed for AL?
Brian

Are these the connectors with the skirt:

I too hate scotch locks, the type "B"s I have not used the smaller sizes.

They must be the cheapest because if I do not specify another type that is what purchasing will get me, and they are not electricians they are bean counters.

For large wire nuts I use a blue Ideal with the wings.

Brian,

Scotchlocks were listed Al/Cu until UL raised the bar for the Al part of the listing back in '89.

I, too, like the active spring. I've moved from 3M to Buchannan B1 & B2. I like the free nut driver included in the large bags of nuts. The nut driver and an electric screwdriver go a long way to avoid repetitive stress concerns.

I have seen scotchloks survive where most others would not.

I work in a large facility that is directly connected to the atlantic ocean. Lots of salty air and rust potential.

We frequently dig scotchloks out of JB's and cans that have been damp and wet and covered in rust. I doubt a B2 could survive this type of abuse. The scotchloks always survive.

The new ones with the yellow skirt are interesting and deserve a look.

This reminds me...

I saw this weird type of wirenut at Lowe's last week.

The underside opening where the wires are inserted was covered by little plastic teeth "flaps". According to the package, the inside of the wirenut is packed with an anti-corrosion compound.

The package also states that you cannot reuse the wirenut (as if I were to do that anyway).

Don't remember the brand right now. Is anyone else familiar with what I'm talking about?

Sven,

If the wirenuts were Purple they are probably the ones approved for Al to Cu connections.

There is another type I've seen on the shelf that may be approved for Damp and or Wet locations I haven't looked at the specs on them yet.

Bill

TG,

Yes, those are the ones with the skirts I was referring to. The flexible skirt helps sometimes when splicing wires with thick insulation and it's shorter effective length probably means it's easier to bend to get splices back into tight boxes.

Bill

The ones with the skirt are packed with silicone. Once you twist it on the wires, the silicone cures and that's why you can only use it once.

I like the tan Ideals for most work, but the red wire nuts take over if I need something bigger. I wish there was a red wire nut shaped like the tan one. Haven't seen any yet, maybe they're out there.

Those Scotchloks make people want a Scotch on the Rocks, because they are the most annoying wire nut I've ever seen. Not only can you not get them off, way too often you can't be sure if they're even ON! They act like they're stripped. Time consuming to use because you have to mess with each wire nut much longer than normal; aggravating because you get arm weary twisting and twisting to get it on or off, never sure if it's on and unable to get it off; and dangerous because while you're removing one, twisting and tugging, the wire nut can violently rip off the wires and then the wire ends can arc on the box or fixture, or the lineman's can go through the insulation, or the wire can short out where it enters the box or fixture.

Come on, Scotchlok - come up with a good design and bury that one! Better yet, send those wire nuts to the middle east, etc. and pawn them off to an already feuding group of societies. Those wire nuts will push them into a frenzy of violence that will solve all the middle eastern problems once and for all!

There's a new wire nut I tried, it's the Cadillac of wire nuts, red and tan colored, I can't remember the brand. Really nice. Can anybody tell me what brand and model that is?

[This message has been edited by Spark Master Flash (edited 10-23-2003).]

Sparkmaster,

I believe that the red and tan are also from 3M.

King makes several wire connectors for damp locations that are silicone filled. They also make one for direct burial, I think for LV cables.

Here is a link for the new Ideal Twister Pro. Free sample packs are available to try. http://www.idealindustries.com./Innovations/wire_connectors.htm#twisterpro

Has anyone tried the Scru-it brand yet? These have a phillips recess at the top of the cap to be driven on with a power screwdriver.