ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Stranded Vs Solid

Try stripping the wire end, but dont remove the insulation. Strip enought that you can wrap the wire around the screw, tighten and than snip off the insulation

Fred's right. I had some kid I'd hired for an entry-level positon show me that trick. Just goes to show you can learn from anyone and everyone (as long as your ego doesn't get in the way)

It's the only way to secure a stranded wire under a screw.

I use stranded for current carring conductors and a solid ground. Makes the push easy and if you nic insulation on the pull, well its the ground.
I use fork terminals for termination on the devices. I have used all the aformentioned tricks but like the fork term.

Ob

I use stranded for current carring conductors and a solid ground. Makes the push easy and if you nic insulation on the pull, well its the ground.
I use fork terminals for termination on the devices. I have used all the aformentioned tricks but like the fork term.

Ob

I use solid for most wiring up to size 10. I use stranded for motors or any thing with vibration problems. I like the easier terminations and some suppliers have solid a little cheaper then stranded.

Use both Stranded and Solid.
Smallest size for typical stuff is #12 cu.
No #14 (unless control circuitry or Fire Alarm circuitry, then it's stranded).

Used Stranded and Solid for sizes #16, #18, #20 and #22 when work requiring these sizes comes along (Fixtures, lighting control COMBUS, etc.).

Will use Solid #10 cu only when available in stock (not wait 8 weeks!).
Will use Solid #8 cu only with a gun to my head!

Scott35

Romex-style cable here in the U.K. comes as solid up to 2.5mm (a little larger than #14) and stranded above that.

Individual cables for pulling into conduit are available in solid and stranded in the 2.5 size, only in stranded above that and only solid below.

Before the introduction of metric sizes, cables were stranded in all but the smallest size. I still like working with those old cables, as they're much easier to manipulate in the confined spaces of British devices.

at this time i cant find anything in the code which bans it but, using stranded wire without a fork term. is a bad practice. you really shouldn't need tricks to make a connection to a device. i have yet to see a #12 stranded wire under a device screw that totally held the wire in place. and the very nature of stranded, being flexible, makes the connection easy to loosen from the terminal. if it were me i would either pigtail the stranded wire with solid or use a fork term.
as far as the original question if you look at table 8 in the nec it suggests the opposite of what i thought: dc current resistance is higher for stranded wire vs. solid. solid wire is easier to push short distances (like drops from trunk line runs), and stranded is used for controls.

UL lists all device terminals for use with solid or stranded wires.

I do not consider using stranded on a screw terminal bad practice nor do I think being skilled in how to do it a "trick".

But this is definitely a no right or wrong answer kind of subject.

We each get to do it how we feel comfortable with.

Scott around here all FA work must be done in solid, I do not know if it is a code or just always the job spec.

I really enjoy putting in horn strobe units in place with eight solid 14s or sometimes eight solid 12s.

Bob

i apologize. at times my mouth(or key pad) is faster than my brain.