Fridgie here. Just got some manufacturer training on some equipment that uses R-290 (propane) as the refrigerant and one of the interesting things in that training is that this manufacturer requires the use of wago lever connectors for any repairs on that equipment. They specifically tell you not to use any wire nuts or crimp connectors.
Why would they specifically require wagos? As far as I was aware the main benefit of them was ease of use and that doesn’t seem like it would make any difference as far as the manufacturer is concerned. I especially fail to see how they could be more safe and robust than crimp connections. Is there something I’m missing here?
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Are they a European manufacturer?
Nope. The manufacturer is True. They’re US based but im fairly certain they do business internationally.
Wagos/lever connectors are less likely to be installed wrong. Wagos have an independent connector for each wire, and don’t care if you connect stranded and solid wires together.
It’s really easy to have a loose wire in a wire nut. It’s really easy to create a bad crimp, especially with crappy Harbor Freight/Amazon crimps. Soldered connectors are also not listed in repair specs for the exact same reason.
Wagos are more expensive, so they have to specifically call out the cheaper options to reduce the chances a manager will tell an under-trained tech to “just do it with a cheap wire nut, don’t waste money on those wagos.”
That’s all fair, but that the same time this was training for the technicians who are already trusted to perform complex brazing work on the system. It just seems weird that they trust the field techs enough to swing around an oxy-acetylene torch in a compartment chock full of burnable bits but they don’t trust us enough to make a good crimp.
You’re probably right as far as the reasoning goes. It just seems like a weird requirement to have for professional techs.
Just remember, every rule is because someone else fucked up.
They probably wouldn’t ask you to braze or work with pressure if there was another option.
I’ve seen this instruction when adding parts with pre-wired connections. I assumed it was because the wires were stranded and possibly CCA (aluminum) and a smaller diameter than 14-gauge, and so wouldn’t make a reliable connection with a wire nut and too brittle to crimp.
Otherwise I would guess that they’re worried about vibration shaking the connection loose, and the WAGO clamping pressure was determined to be better than the spring in a wire nut. But crimping would be best in this case, so ???
Yeah they’re good but they’re not as good as a solid crimp. Idk, it really shouldn’t make a difference what you use if your splices are good.
They’re not, though.
I’m not an electrician, but I did come across a study a while back that basically said clamp-style connectors like Wago were more reliable and safe than crimping. Not being an electrician, and not really being able to stay awake reading through a paper on the topic, I don’t know what qualifiers they used. It was a couple years ago, but IIRC it was a study looking at a sampling of installations and comparing them, so it was probably just saying that, on average, Wago are better because your average electrician won’t do as good of a job. It was the basis for some legislation about requiring the use of Wago-style clamps in new installs somewhere.
So, you’re probably right: given an expert who’s taking the time to do a good job and never makes mistakes, a solid crimp is probably better. And when you’re a pro rewiring your own house, you’ll probably want to do those instead. However, according to what I remember, counties are better off mandating the use of clamp connectors.
Once again, I’m reminded of the old saying: what do you call the guy who graduated at the bottom of his class in medical school? “Doctor.”
I am an electrician
Yes, operator error is a variable. And I almost mentioned that in my first comment, but honestly being able to make a strong splice is like day 1 shit man. If you can’t outperform a Wago you shouldn’t be working unsupervised.
To be clear, I like and use Wagos from time to time. But they’re expensive and I know what I’m doing.
Yeah. There are cheaper knock-offs, but I don’t know if I’d use them.
I’ve owned 4 houses. This last one was the only one that had good splices. Like, irritatingly good splices, because they were a PITA to unwind.
Oh yeah throw the cheap ones away. Even the ones by Ideal suck. Wago brand wagos or bust
I see splices all the time that are just way over-twisted. You shouldn’t have to twist more than 3 or 4 times to get a good splice. Usually a sign of a new guy tbh
It didn’t occur to me until now, but… the wires are so twisted, not the twist includes not only the metal but a good half-inch of sheathing, and I wonder of they didn’t do it with a power tool. The house is 24 years old, but I can imagine someone with a battery power drill and a pair of pliers grabbing the wires in the bit clamp and just running it for a few seconds. Even the 3- and 4- gang wires are like this, including the grounds.