Do you pre-twist wires before installing a wire nut, or opt for using a wire nut wrench?
(With Ideal brand, the end result is the same...)

Pre-twist

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 06-15-2001).]

pretwist, cut the very end, as one mentor put it....make it so it is not dependent soley on the wirenut.

Although the manufacturers say (or used to) pre-twisting is not necessary, I find myself doing it most of the time. The possible exception being certain combinations of stranded wire and (maybe) 2 # 14 solids. I like the nice sharp corners that result from cutting the twisted wires. It seems to really seat itself into the connectors spring. I also like the screwdriver with the wire-nut installation hole in the handle(is this what you mean?). It keeps the blisters down.

[This message has been edited by Redsy (edited 06-15-2001).]

Waste of time to twist.

Hello From Colorado!!!
I've seen it done all different ways, and I still say twisting them first is the best!
JON

I pre-twist and cut the ends and if it's the end of the day and my hands are getting cramped I'll give an extra turn or two on the wirenut with my Kleins.

If you have ever had to make into a multiwire's nuetral live, you will appreciate the 'twist'

I use Ideal brand wirenuts which require no pre-twisting. I use a Wirenut "wrench" (mines not built into my screwdriver, but a similar tool made by Ideal) and tighten the wirenut "almost" to the point that it splits, if you remove the wirenut, the wires will be twisted together, just like the pre-twisted ones! I defy anyone to tell the difference between whether I have pre-twisted or not, if they haven't seen me install the wirenut.

I agree with Tom, pre-twisting is a waste of time when the end result is the same... or maybe it's just a WV thing, I don't know...

Sparky,

Why are you working things hot? I can think of very few good reasons to do anything hot.

I prefer to use Buchannon wire nuts & they include a nut runner in their bulk packs, it usually ends up twisting the wires, but even if I did the connection manually, I still wouldn't twist the wires.

Personally, I think that the twisting is a carry over from the days of soldered connections.

Tom

Tom

[This message has been edited by Tom (edited 06-16-2001).]

I also use buchanan B2's because of it's rating ( best on the market) a bag comes with a 'wire-nut' tool. I finally used it on one job ( i pigtail everything), and i must agree that i cannot ,by hand, achieve the same connection.

Tom;
if you are not aware of the situation, you will, by OSHA reg's, be trained, given the PPE, and you WILL be working live circuits.

My one and only problem is in the obvious loss of tactility ,vision, and sensory perception that PPE brings does NOT allow an employee to make the call as to weather he/she feels it to impare his/her function to the point of a dangerous situation.

Do not let the powers that be snow you here, they have their own agenda. If you really read the reg's, and 70E, you will come to the same conclusion, we (the guys in the trenches) are simply being isolated from any litigation against the employer .

Sparkey,
There are very very few conditions under which OSHA permits you to work live circuits, PPE or not.
Don

Sparky,

When I ran a service call truck in California, I quickly found out what works & waht doesn't. What really works is pigtailing, just what you do.

I also found out that stab in connections are worse than useless and that crimp on connections can be a problem if the installer isn't paying attention to details, speed first quality by accident.

The biggest reason to work something hot is to take a measurement. 99.9% of the other reasons don't make sense. My goal in life is to become a really old electrician (I'm over halfway there).

I agree with you both, i simply do not agree with the wordings of some of these safety reg's. I believe the guy with the toolbelt should have the final word.

When I do use wirenuts (see the stab-in post)I pretwist and clip to the proper length.

I twist and sometimes I also tape around the base of the wirenut and onto the twisted wires.

I haven't seen the twisting tool. I'll have to get a bulk pack of Buchanans.


[This message has been edited by donles (edited 06-17-2001).]

Interestingly, on page 55 of this months issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine, there is a full page ad for wirenuts that shows an electrician installing one on a pair of wires that aren't pre-twisted.

Yep... Ideal Brand the type I use.

Requires no pretwisting, and they have a neat little wrench to tighten them with.

To reiterate: If you use Ideal brand and the wrench without pretwisting, it will look identical to the pretwisted ones when you remove the wirenut.

I can take pictures to compare the two and see if you guys can guess which one was pretwisted or not... Any takers?

Virgil;
even old dogs can be taught new tricks!

woof woof!