Every year more and more electrical appliances appear - coffee makers, kettles, air conditioners, boilers and many others. And each time we choose a device more powerful and more impressive. It is clear that all this loads the home network and the first link that responds to increased consumer appetite is the connection of wires. If it is performed poorly, then this will be the root cause of numerous fires. But if the master knows how to properly twist the wires, then dangerous consequences can be avoided.
But at the same time, it should be understood that this is far from a completely safe way to connect wires, but it does not lose its relevance.
Everything needs to be done correctly!
Electricity is an area or even a whole science where there is no place for negligence and neglect of established standards and rules. Here you need to do everything competently and responsibly. For this reason, many people prefer to sort out issues related to electricity on their own than to entrust this matter to unauthorized persons. Indeed, personal security directly depends on this, and no one is safe from fraudsters or illiterate specialists.
A lot depends on the quality of the work done. And it is not only about personal safety, but also fire. If the connection is unprofessional, sooner or later it will cause a fire. And, in fact, here and before the criminal case is at hand.
Of course, it will not work to completely abandon the twisting of electric wires that is common for many masters. But you can at least learn to do it right, observing certain rules and requirements. But first, consider the most common mistakes that are usually made by uninitiated "experts" in their field.
Error propagation
The most common mistake that most home masters make is winding one wire over another. This option is completely unacceptable! The cores of the wires should evenly wrap around each other. Due to this, reliable mechanical strength is ensured, and the passage of electric current is not accompanied by any problems. Ultimately, such a mount can last for more than a dozen years.
An important factor is the length of the twist. There are also many who make mistakes, making it very short. As a result, the connection simply breaks. The minimum permissible twist length of electrical wires is 30 mm.
In other cases, it all depends on the thickness of the wire strands - and the larger the diameter, the longer the twisting section should be. At the same time, there are no specific requirements for twisting for obvious reasons. For this reason, each specialist himself decides on the relative method of connecting the wires.
Why is this method so good?
It is worth considering a number of obvious advantages that are still present when twisting the wires. If there is a need for twisting copper wires, then they can simply be soldered to each other, which will be more reliable. However, this much-needed skill is not well developed by everyone, because certain tactics are also required here. In addition, a soldering iron is not always at hand.
And it is worth noting that copper and aluminum conductors have one good property - flexibility. That is why twisting has become so popular among most home masters. Simply put them together and just twist them in neat turns. If the veins are small in diameter, then you can even do without the use of pliers. In this way, you can connect not only the electrical wiring, but also damaged television, antenna, telephone cables.
Another plus of twisting the wires in the box or in other places is the high reliability of the connection without soldering. As for the interference, the twisting of the wires does not cause them practical, and if they happen, then in extremely rare cases. In addition, time is saved, because the connection is quick.
Types of twists
There are several ways how you can twist, and there are dozens of such schemes! It is only worth clarifying one important point - such a connection is applicable only to the same type of wire. Otherwise, special terminals or screw terminals must be used.
As for the types of such a compound, there are several main varieties:
- simple;
- bandage;
- twisting groove.
Moreover, each of these types can be parallel, sequential and branched. The so-called subspecies. Simple twisting is widespread among home masters and, as a rule, is used in domestic conditions. In this way, the wires in the junction box are often connected. To get reliable wire contact, just select the right tool and use the caps to twist the wires.
Bandage twisting is relevant for cores with a large diameter. Groove twisting is mainly used for reliable connection of aluminum wires. If it is made with a high degree of accuracy in the junction box, then the contact will be reliable.
In order to do each of these types of twists on their own, you need to have certain skills. In this case, wires with a cross-section of conductors of no more than 10 mm 2 are allowed to be connected in this way. In household junction boxes, wires usually have conductors with a cross section of 1.5 to 2.5 mm 2 .
When it is necessary to refuse this method
We already have an idea about how to properly twist the wires. Now it’s worth learning about certain cases when it is extremely undesirable to twist, in order to avoid various consequences. But as we know, regardless of the requirements of the PUE, twisting was, is and will be the most popular wire connection and is unlikely to be abandoned in the near future.
At the same time, the main drawback should be noted - over time, the fastening weakens due to the elastic residual deformation of the wire strands. In addition, it is at the point of twisting that the transition resistance increases, which inevitably leads to overheating of the cable and a breakdown in connection.
However, if the twisting is done competently, then it can serve for a long time without causing concern. For this reason, if for various reasons nothing else remains, then such a connection can be preferred.
Nevertheless, there are certain situations when you do not even need to think about how to properly twist the wires:
- If the current in the circuit exceeds 2-3 A.
- It is forbidden to twist wires that run on combustible materials.
- The work of an electrician should be accepted only if the connection of the wires is fixed by soldering or welding.
- For those people whose work is connected with electricity in the framework of individual entrepreneurship or with official duties, twisting is contraindicated! Otherwise, this may result in liability, up to criminal.
The latter is mainly due to the fact that potential customers (if the wires are connected by twisting them) are at a certain risk. Which one - we already guess. After all, if a fire occurs, then all the fault lies with the conscience of the electrician who did the wiring connection not as it should.
How to connect the wires in the junction box?
Probably only the lazy one does not know what the junction box is and what it actually serves for. From the electrical panel wires go to all rooms of a private house or apartment. And in each of them there are several sockets and switches.
Therefore, in order not to overload the home electrical network, the load should be evenly distributed, dividing it into several lines. At the same time, the main wire stretches into each separate room and points (sockets, switches) are connected to it. This is where the junction boxes are exactly where supply wires and consuming lines are suitable.
But the main task of this necessary element of the electric network is to ensure fire safety. When using junction boxes, it is possible to reliably isolate wires from combustible materials. In addition, by hiding the wires in them, the aesthetic appearance of the room is noticeably improved.
Now knowing the main function of this element, we can consider how to connect the wires in the junction box.
Terminal blocks
The use of terminal blocks is relevant in many cases, including those when you need to connect wires of different metals (copper with aluminum). In this case, oxidation can be avoided. Only before buying these elements, you should find out the current in the connected wires and the required number of mounting terminals in the block.
The installation process itself is very simple - you need to cut the desired number of sections, part of the insulation is removed from the wires, the wires are stripped, then they are inserted into the terminals and clamped with screws. It is not necessary to twist them with excessive force, it is enough that the cores are not pulled out.
The advantage of these elements is that any segment can be cut off if necessary. In addition, this method allows you to get high-quality contact, which will be maintained for a long period of time.
Twisting
How to make a twist of wires? The main thing - do not forget that it is absolutely impossible to wrap one core around another! Both electrodes should twist at once. In addition, soldering skills are additionally required here. Moreover, this method is suitable for connecting aluminum wires with copper.
To begin with, it is necessary to remove the insulation from the wire, and the conductors themselves must be stripped to a metallic luster. After that, you can connect the veins by twisting them. Further, it is not metal that should be melted, but solder, and it must be ensured that it flows inside the twist. Then the connected wires must be processed using flux or rosin. After that, you can lower them into a soldering bath, keeping them there for a bit (a few seconds will be enough).
It is better to leave them cool in a natural way, but using water for this is by no means recommended! In the end, it remains to hide the soldered twist under the electrical tape - for safety.
Crimping
A little later, some kind of apparatus for twisting wires will be considered. And before that, we will analyze one well-known, but also contradictory way of connecting wires. It seems like he is very popular due to the fact that breaking the contact or deforming it will not work. At the same time, there are some nuances associated with the choice of tools or sleeves.
The procedure itself consists in pressing or local compression. Before connecting, both wires must be treated with a special grease that reduces friction and the risk of damage. Then, both cores are inserted into the sleeve from two sides until they touch. Moreover, this is done so that the docking place falls on the center of the sleeve.
Having made a crimping with a special tool, it is mandatory to isolate the connection point.
Bolted connection
How can I connect copper and aluminum wires? Many home masters are interested in this question, because everything is not so simple here. But this method is quite suitable for this. This is a home-made type of compound that has no less efficiency among the methods already listed.
Most importantly, it is easy to implement, since everything you need is easy to find:
- bolt;
- nut;
- washers (3 pcs.);
- wrench;
- insulation means.
To begin with, you should also remove a little insulation from the ends of the wires, and then form loops from the cores according to the diameter of the bolt. The connection is made according to the following scheme:
- First, the washer is laid on the bolt.
- A loop of one of the wires is placed on top.
- Another washer is placed on top of the laid core.
- Loops another wire.
- Closes the third puck.
- The final element of the whole scheme is the nut.
At the same time, the nut should be tightened as much as possible, which will eliminate the loose wires and securely fasten them to each other. At the final stage, for obvious reasons, the entire circuit must be covered with some kind of insulating material.
This method is good in that the connected wires do not touch each other. For this reason, it is relevant in cases of connecting copper and aluminum wires.
The benefits of a screwdriver
With a screwdriver, you can not only tighten the fasteners, such a device is also suitable for twisting wires. There are three ways to do this. In the first case, any additional devices will not be required.
As usual, to begin with, it is worth cleaning the section of wires from insulation and stripping them. Twist the ends a little, insert them into the cartridge of the device and clamp. Now it remains to begin to unscrew the screwdriver (by pressing the button, while keeping the revolutions not strong), holding the wire (you can use pliers). In the end, it remains only to cut off the tips.
For the second method of twisting the wires with a screwdriver, one useful thing is useful - a bolt is threaded into the nut and fastened with a nut on the other side. At the same time, several small holes need to be drilled around it (no more than 5, since it is problematic to twist a larger number of cores).
In the chuck of a screwdriver, a home-made device should already be fixed. Then the wires are inserted into the holes (preferably opposite each other) and then acts in the same way - we turn on the device, which makes the necessary twist by rotation. At the end, you should also bite off the remaining surplus.
At the same time, it is worth noting that when using a home-made device for twisting wires, the connection turns out to be better - the cores are pressed denser.
The third method involves the use of an insulating cap for PPE. He, like the device above, is clamped in the chuck of a screwdriver. Further actions are already familiar to us - insert the cores into the PPE, turn on the device.
Conclusion
Despite the rather strict rules for the installation of electrical installations or PUE, twisting for a long time will enjoy well-deserved popularity, at least among home masters. Of course, in industry, this method of connection, for obvious reasons, is not suitable, since it uses quite powerful equipment.
In addition, rather thick wires are used in this area, which simply cannot be twisted. In other words, twisting will in general be useful in everyday life. At the same time, one should not forget that the twisting of aluminum wires is prohibited by the rules of the PUE. However, in some cases, this method can be used.