Hi:

What's the general consensus on push-in connectors in place of wire nuts? Bought some to use while working on some wiring messes at the house.

Seem simple enough...but here's the thing. What makes this type of connection any different from the backstab connections that are universally panned? On observation, it seems they use the same principle to hold the wire.

Thoughts?

 

Can you identify the Co. that manufactures this product , and does it have a "Trade Name" such as "Wirenut"?

We need to examine the product info , if available.

 

Sorry. The ones I'm looking at are Ideal In-Sure Push-in Wire Connectors.

http://www.idealindustries.com/prodD...v=0&l1=push-in

 

Also:

Wago push wire connectors.

WAGO Corporation

I think they're the cat's meow. In theory. But good question.

 

I don't particularly care for them, but they are getting more common every day. At least Ideal is a reputable manufacturer.

 

We have used them (both brands) and have had good luck with them. The big difference is you don't rely on the device for your connection. The other is you can see the wire push into the connector.

That said I believe there was a recall on a particular lot number of the Ideal connectors many years ago so you never can tell.

 

I think they are ok. They make a good joint and hold the wires good. I know them by slang "wallnuts". The only thing I dont like about them is when you have to take the joint apart...They are a pain in the butt to get the wire out. Also strip your wire a little smaller than a wirenut. Maybe a 1/4" is all u need. You dont want any exposed wire hanging out of them.

P.S. Pretty much all the new commercial grade florescent come with them stock now. Usually the orange ones.

 

Many can brands (Halo, Commercial Electric, Juno) come with them pre-installed as well.

All of the lay in fixtures (2x4, 2x2) that we get now come with a version of the push in connectors but they are also a inline disconnect.

 

Yea this is true. I really dont see the point of the inline disconnect either due to you usually still have to dig around in the top, or bottom of a 2x4 layin to disconnect it! And if its hot, your still very prone to a electrical shock. Therefore turning off the breaker like it should be done would eliminate the "need" for these "disconnects" in my opinion. Most of the 2x4s come stuffed with wire already and then you add the circuit i there and joints.. What im saying is they are not really accessible or convenient as I think the designer thought they would be. Just my 2 cents.

 

the man that invents this stuff is never the same one that installs any of it

 

The disconnect to for servicing the ballasts. IMO - it is just some company trying to push a new product by getting it into the code. Just think of how many commercial light fixtures get sold a year and now they add $1 for the .50 cent disconnect.

 

I don't think a disc in a commercial fixture is a bad thing. As for cost it may save a lot of labor on the service end. Cost more than a dollar just to get an electrician to climb up and down a ladder.

 

I've never cared for the push in connectors. Most are not rated for stranded wire, and those that are do not work well with stranded wire. If you have solid wire, they're acceptable so long as you never have to undo them. Any saved time is lost three times over if you have to try to take the thing apart.

To me, they're basically a cheap and low quality solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. Given the choice, I'd prefer to spend the extra 20 seconds on making a good, solid, adjustable connection.

I have the distinct feeling that in about twenty years we'll be replacing a lot of the little things as well. They don't make a lot of surface area contact with the wires, and I wouldn't doubt that they'll eventually cause some pitting because of focused contact on small portions of the wire. It's just a guess, but I don't expect that they'll be popular in the distant future.

I gotten into the habit of referring to them as "legos" as a slang variant of the Wago brand name combined with their lego-like appearance. It also carries the connotation of a children's toy, which sums up my feelings about their quality quite accurately.

 

Yea but how will this save any money?? If any it will cost more. The disconnect never just pull apart like they should and are really cheap plastic junk that takes more time than it should. Also if its a bad joint, or a bad ballast whats the disconnect gonna do? Not to mention you STILL HAVE to kill the breaker...Hence its not really disconnecting anything other than the cheapo " legos or wallnuts" its attached to. And believe it or not when I have had to service a fixture like these and it was not the ballast, it was a wire had pulled out from the "disconnect" breaking the circuit".. They really are junk in my opinion. I agree with the below as just something else to make money on. I have never benefited form them things.

 

Between these disconnect connectors and the mortality rate of many of the OEM electronic ballasts on the market today, service work should be plentiful in the future.

 

The one instance in which I *really* like the push-in connectors is when I have 4 or 5 wires to join. With the twist-on wire nuts, all the conductors have to be together and the same length at the same time. I always worry about one of them pulling out due to lack of contact with the screw threads. The push-ins make it very easy to get a firm hold on each wire, one at a time.

I agree about stranded wire, and about removal. In my experience, you have to break it apart with a small screwdriver to get the wires out. Some sort of release button would be nice, but maybe it would allow the conductors to come out too easily.

I disagree with this point. If you look at the shape of the surfaces on the inside, they are rounded on both ends to cradle the wires, so there is actually a decent amount of contact.