dieseltruckdriver wrote:
profdant139 wrote:
I need to join 10 gauge to 12 gauge -- and believe it or not, I have never used butt splice connectors. I've done my Internet research but have not been able to answer these two questions with any certainty:
First, when the package says "10/12 connectors," are they only for joining 10 to 12? Or are they saying that both ends of the connector will accept either 10 or 12?
Second, there is heat shrink, crimp, solder, etc. Which type will provide the most durable result, and which one is the easiest to use?
I am not a good solder-er, so I am hoping to avoid that method. As you can tell, I am not confident when it comes to electrical work.
Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom!
Prof, I read through all of the pages before I posted, just to make sure that Mex didn't post. He has the most experience of anyone I have seen on these boards on these type of topics and I would trust his over my experience.
GDE's post on the first page with the link to the crimpers is good information for low voltage stranded wire. I actually carry that same crimper in my 5er. Use plain butt connectors and put heat shrink over them. Just put the heat shrink on the wire before crimping. ;)
I am a fan of soldering wires, but they make the wire brittle. That's not something you want when you are going down the road. Soldering as well as wire nuts are just fine on something that never moves or vibrates. That being said, I currently have wire nuts on my 30 amp connection, but that is going to change this spring when I will be installing a surge protector.
soldering doesn't make wire brittle. However what often can and doe happen is to much solder is used, it wicks up the strands and insulation and makes a stress point where the soldered section is rigid and the rest is flexible. So, under vibration that section between ridgid and flex vibrates and fails. Properly soldered the solder is ONLY at the crimp NONE up the insulation, problem solved. However that is easier said than done.
