Butt splice connector to join 10 gauge to 12 gauge wire?

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"OP here: Someone asked about voltage -- this is 12 volt. And again, thanks for all of the advice."



I asked because the answer matters depending if high or low voltage. Yellow butt connects will work but INMO I would use a RED twist nut. Strip back wires 3/4" twist them together and turn the connector until tight and the wires start twisting. Once that is done i would wrap the connector and wires with good quality black electrical tape. They will be a strong and GOOD connection.


AMAZON
Gardner Bender 25-086 WingGard Twist, 22-6 AWG, Electrical Nut, 25 pk, Red Wire Connector, 25 Pack, Count
Visit the Gardner Bender Store
4.7 out of 5 stars 539 ratings
$6.32

twist nuts in a vibration environment with stranded wire? Yea I would fire a person if they tried that with me. I have seen those things fall off in a house by touching them. they absolutely destroy stranded wire as well if you over tighten them even a half a revolution too far.

I had to bring 4 wires together and I crimped them in a butt connector. Soldering would have been tough, given that I was under the trailer reaching up under the rear cap. Is there a better way?

Gdetrailer wrote:
Buy poor quality crimps like what you linked and you get poor quality covers..

I didn't say buy this cheap cr@p. I was using that for illustration.

You CAN use the crimper I linked for insulated butt connectors and it works much better with much more reliable connections than the tool associated with with your link.

There is more to a proper crimp than a pull test. You want to minimize connector resistance without reducing the mechanical integrity of the materials.

Notice how much more area an insulated crimp tool compresses compared to a non-insulated tool. It compresses more material onto the bare wire, creating more surface contact, creating less resistance. The tool is designed to provide maximum compression without degrading the materials or jeopardizing the insulation during a full crimp cycle. The key is FULL crimp cycle.

The crimp barrel of an insulated crimp connector has thinner walls compared to a non-insulated barrel. A non-insulated crimp tool is not designed to properly compress the materials. It penetrates a small portion of the thin walled barrel and improperly deforms the material on either side of this penetration area. This improper deformation creates more resistance compared to a proper crimp and weakens the barrel material. This can be easily verified with a micro-ohmeter. Vibration over time further weakens the material.

Manufacturers design proper tools for different types of crimps for a reason, function and reliability.

I have for 30+ yrs used the style of crimper I limked on insulated and non insulated crimps with 100% success rate..

So now 30+ years of wrong makes a right? If you want to keep using the wrong tool knock yourself out. I have to ask, why use insulated crimp splices if you are going to negate the insulation feature by piercing a hole in it?

The other style, yeah I have one, somewhere laying around in the bottom of a tool box, too many crimps that pulled apart with that style to care to count..

Maybe you are using the cheap stuff?

I prefer soldering myself but over the yrs have learned on this forum that there are too many folks who feel crimping is vastly superior, I am not one of those folks.. I will take a soldered connection anytime over crimps, crimps are for speed, not quality.. Spent too many yrs of my life repairing crimp connections.

Heat from soldering weakens the wire strands. But, properly done, cleaned, protected and restrained I agree, it's a better connection. However, excess vibration will destroy an improperly restrained solder connection.

If you want the very best crimp splice the world has to offer, use These

"OP here: Someone asked about voltage -- this is 12 volt. And again, thanks for all of the advice."



I asked because the answer matters depending if high or low voltage. Yellow butt connects will work but INMO I would use a RED twist nut. Strip back wires 3/4" twist them together and turn the connector until tight and the wires start twisting. Once that is done i would wrap the connector and wires with good quality black electrical tape. They will be a strong and GOOD connection.


AMAZON
Gardner Bender 25-086 WingGard Twist, 22-6 AWG, Electrical Nut, 25 pk, Red Wire Connector, 25 Pack, Count
Visit the Gardner Bender Store
4.7 out of 5 stars 539 ratings
$6.32

LouLawrence wrote:
Assuming you have the extra wire length available using a wire nut solves many problems and it just as good or better than a butt splice.

Unless you want it Even remotely weatherproof. Which, wire nuts are not.

Assuming you have the extra wire length available using a wire nut solves many problems and it just as good or better than a butt splice.

Matt_Colie wrote:

Skibane wrote:
I bought an assortment of shrink butt splices, just to see how well they work - Never could get a really solid connection out of them, no matter how much heat I applied.

Skibane,

Don't feel bad, I got called to an owner's boat by a friend of his. Instructions were,"Look at everything he did and fix it. I will cover your cost." I had done some work for this owner, but he thought my bill was too high. He had just done a bunch of installation of new electronics and it was all flaky and intermittent. He had seen me use the heat shrink terminals and connectors but had missed that I crimped then before shrinking. I guess he didn't notice the tooth mark in the connections. They problem ones were easy to find, all I had to do was pull on the wire.

It took me all afternoon to get it right. Said friend assured me that I got it right and told the owner what had happened.

Matt

That man is lucky to have a friend like you.

OP here: Someone asked about voltage -- this is 12 volt. And again, thanks for all of the advice.

I think I will have to buy a crimper -- not going to use pliers. I understand that solder is the gold standard, but only if the soldering is done by someone who is competent. I'm not -- I so seldom need to solder that I have not developed the skill.

The project I am working on will involve a total of four connections, and that will probably be my sum total for this year.

Skibane wrote:

LittleBill wrote:
the type that don't need a crimp, are these, they have the solder built into them. I have a set for emergency repair. they work well.

Solder/HeatShrink without a Soldering gun

In my experience - No, they don't. :p

care to explain why?

Skibane wrote:

LittleBill wrote:
the type that don't need a crimp, are these, they have the solder built into them. I have a set for emergency repair. they work well.

Solder/HeatShrink without a Soldering gun

In my experience - No, they don't. :p

correct. a properly soldered connection must first have a good mechanical connection, crimp, overlap twisted wires etc.

If you don't have proper knowledge about solder connections and techniques, rely on a crimp. Quality crimp tools make a consistently reliable mechanical and gas tight electrical connection with proper strain relief.