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Workbench electrical safety advice
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AVGresponding:

--- Quote from: nctnico on December 18, 2022, 12:10:52 am ---
--- Quote from: themadhippy on December 17, 2022, 11:13:33 pm ---
--- Quote ---he always used the twist-on connectors instead of the spring loaded
--- End quote ---
wire nuts over wagos? sorry but totally disagree

--- End quote ---
Yes. You may disagree but I have had the Wagos (original ones) fail myself as well for the wiring that goes to our washing machine. It is not just hearsay. Ofcourse you'd need to use proper / good quality wire nuts. I only use the ones from Conex and make sure to twist the wires properly. BTW, I have had some formal training for doing work on mains as part of my EE studies so I do know my way around with mains wiring.

--- End quote ---

I work as a project (installation) sparks for a UK metropolitan council. We do not use wire nuts, period. I would never use a Wago to make a final connection, and I wouldn't let anyone else do so on one of my sites either. The Clerk of Works would only tell you to re-do it anyway.

For a washing machine, if it had a plug-top we'd make a radial off the socket ring with a switched fuse spur, down to a single unswitched socket for it. If it had a wire ended flex, we'd do the same except use a flex outlet plate instead of a single unswitched socket. No Wagos would get anywhere near it.

We only use Wagos on a new installation if we need to common a lot of wires together, for instance in a big multi-gang light switch, you might have 10+ earths. Putting all those together in a screw terminal is a very bad idea; in order to get it tight enough to stop any from pulling out in a tug test, you run a serious risk of shearing through the conductors under the screw end itself. You can mitigate this by twisting earths together but I hate this practice as it can make alterations a ball-ache (we get to do a lot of alterations, as the designers and clients are rubbish at making their minds up).
themadhippy:

--- Quote ---I would never use a Wago to make a final connection, and I wouldn't let anyone else do so on one of my sites either.
--- End quote ---
Not even on a light fitting,thats a final connection after all.

--- Quote --- You can mitigate this by twisting earths together but I hate this practice as it can make alterations a ball-ache
--- End quote ---
agree about the ball ache,and not just for  alterations, its  a pita when testings,however when i done my apprenticeship back when the ink was still wet on the 15th this was the method taught to us ,the thinking behind it was ,not to save earth sleeving,but  if the connection became loose you'd still be maintaining earth continuity in the circuit
AVGresponding:

--- Quote from: themadhippy on December 18, 2022, 02:01:25 pm ---
--- Quote ---I would never use a Wago to make a final connection, and I wouldn't let anyone else do so on one of my sites either.
--- End quote ---
Not even on a light fitting,thats a final connection after all.

--- End quote ---

I'd prefer not, though there are some circumstances where you might, between the fixed wiring and the terminals in the fitting, and with all of it inside the fitting. Far less likely to have any significant mechanical load within a light fitting, than in some sort of adaptable box with Wagos joining the fixed wiring to a washing machine flex. Not sure if that's exactly what nctnico meant, but it's what I think he meant, and that's the sort of thing that you see in the "Caught on Camera" section of Professional Electrician magazine.
Not to mention the fact that the electrical load would be significantly higher for a washing machine than for the average LED light fitting (we don't fit anything else nowadays). I honestly can't recall ever using Wagos on anything bigger than 1.5mm2, so basically lighting circuits, fire alarms, assistance alarms.
Monkeh:

--- Quote from: AVGresponding on December 18, 2022, 04:17:30 pm ---
--- Quote from: themadhippy on December 18, 2022, 02:01:25 pm ---
--- Quote ---I would never use a Wago to make a final connection, and I wouldn't let anyone else do so on one of my sites either.
--- End quote ---
Not even on a light fitting,thats a final connection after all.

--- End quote ---

I'd prefer not, though there are some circumstances where you might, between the fixed wiring and the terminals in the fitting, and with all of it inside the fitting. Far less likely to have any significant mechanical load within a light fitting, than in some sort of adaptable box with Wagos joining the fixed wiring to a washing machine flex. Not sure if that's exactly what nctnico meant, but it's what I think he meant, and that's the sort of thing that you see in the "Caught on Camera" section of Professional Electrician magazine.
Not to mention the fact that the electrical load would be significantly higher for a washing machine than for the average LED light fitting (we don't fit anything else nowadays). I honestly can't recall ever using Wagos on anything bigger than 1.5mm2, so basically lighting circuits, fire alarms, assistance alarms.

--- End quote ---

No maintenance free boxes in your work, then. Luckily you always get to rip up every floor freely or destroy the plaster?

Wagos do need to be properly supported, though - on solid core wiring if they're allowed to move independently to the cable they'll fret with vibration, which is bad.
themadhippy:

--- Quote ---Wagos do need to be properly supported, though
--- End quote ---
indeed and thats the beauty of there boxes,also the "fixing button" to me is the work of a genius

--- Quote ---  between the fixed wiring and the terminals in the fitting, and with all of it inside the fitting. Far less likely to have any significant mechanical load within a light fitting,
--- End quote ---
and on those annoying led fittings that come with 6 inches of flex hanging out of there sealed enclosure? or were you need to come  off an existing ring under the floor? give me  wagos anyday over the old 3/4/6 terminal landmines
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