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

[profdant139]

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!

[StirCrazy]

LittleBill wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

LittleBill wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

Be carefull with thoes, a couple other groups I am in for other hobbies jumped on that bandwagon. they are natroious for producing cold solder joints and cracking.

look back a couple posts, I made a video using them. They work fine if you take your time.

I never said it was the product its self, just to watch when you use them. I have used them and yes they are a very conveniant thing. Just saying for guys that are using hundreds of them conecting led lights and such thery are seeing failure rates up to 10%. now is this all the fault of the conectors, probably not. when your doing 300 in one day maybe your not being as carefull as you could. I just ordered 1000 of them for 18ga wire for my next project 😉

IDK if they worth it for that kind of project. I can actually go faster with normal shrink and regular solder. I can see how you can get a cold joint, if not using a heatgun, vs a lighter etc.

no aparenty they are using heat guns, I think people like them as the tube is the glue type that forms a water proof joint when done. conveniance...

[TechWriter]

Mike134 wrote:

Who would think butt splicing 12ga to 10 ga would have so many answers.

Well, besides all the replies to OP's original post, there's also those who comment on the commenters. 😉

[Cummins12V98]

I think many read the OP’s post then they reply without reading any of the other posts.

[Mike134]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Mike134 wrote:
Just doing my part to get to 10 pages of responses.

Who would think butt splicing 12ga to 10 ga would have so many answers.

Because opinions are like, well ya know as everyone has one!!!

So true and folks feel that even though 1 or more solutions have been stated 5 times or more, they just have to duplicate what has been said adding their 2 cents.

[Cummins12V98]

Mike134 wrote:
Just doing my part to get to 10 pages of responses.

Who would think butt splicing 12ga to 10 ga would have so many answers.

Because opinions are like, well ya know as everyone has one!!!

[Mike134]

Just doing my part to get to 10 pages of responses.

Who would think butt splicing 12ga to 10 ga would have so many answers.

[LittleBill]

StirCrazy wrote:

LittleBill wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

Be carefull with thoes, a couple other groups I am in for other hobbies jumped on that bandwagon. they are natroious for producing cold solder joints and cracking.

look back a couple posts, I made a video using them. They work fine if you take your time.

I never said it was the product its self, just to watch when you use them. I have used them and yes they are a very conveniant thing. Just saying for guys that are using hundreds of them conecting led lights and such thery are seeing failure rates up to 10%. now is this all the fault of the conectors, probably not. when your doing 300 in one day maybe your not being as carefull as you could. I just ordered 1000 of them for 18ga wire for my next project 😉

IDK if they worth it for that kind of project. I can actually go faster with normal shrink and regular solder. I can see how you can get a cold joint, if not using a heatgun, vs a lighter etc.

[StirCrazy]

LittleBill wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

Be carefull with thoes, a couple other groups I am in for other hobbies jumped on that bandwagon. they are natroious for producing cold solder joints and cracking.

look back a couple posts, I made a video using them. They work fine if you take your time.

I never said it was the product its self, just to watch when you use them. I have used them and yes they are a very conveniant thing. Just saying for guys that are using hundreds of them conecting led lights and such thery are seeing failure rates up to 10%. now is this all the fault of the conectors, probably not. when your doing 300 in one day maybe your not being as carefull as you could. I just ordered 1000 of them for 18ga wire for my next project 😉

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Here are some soldering tips...

I use a scalpel sharp utility blade knife to scrape mild oxidation off stripped copper strands. I lay small wire atop a finger the scrape the blade sideways perpendicular to the wire strands. I avoid the blade thing if I had the hiccups.

Cold solder mistakes are created by oxidized copper and using hardware store solder. Terminals actually see a "Blush" race across it when the tin or copper gets hot enough.

Hardware store plumbing PASTE not liquid flux can be used. But not frequently. It simply eats the solder gun 10x faster than rosin. But it does strip off nasty corrosion. For an emergency repair to old wire oxidized to dark purple, I've scraped the exposed strands shiny with a blade then used hardware store paste flux. Don't expect the wire to last forever.

I cannot think of a better way to learn to solder than to get ahold of some electronic 60/40 solder, and small tin of hardware store paste flux and complete trial soldering jobs on a bench. It happens fast you can see each soldered strand of wire. The solder flows like water and doing this is 10 times easier than you think when you have the right stuff.

[LittleBill]

StirCrazy wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

Be carefull with thoes, a couple other groups I am in for other hobbies jumped on that bandwagon. they are natroious for producing cold solder joints and cracking.

look back a couple posts, I made a video using them. They work fine if you take your time.

[profdant139]

It sounds like a well-soldered joint is the gold (or maybe silver?) standard. But it requires much more skill than any of the alternatives. And a poorly soldered joint is a disaster waiting to happen.

I like Mex's tip about overlapping the wires inside the butt joint connector, if possible. I am obviously no expert, but it seems that the easier it is for the current to travel through the wires, the less the resistance.

In my particular application (a very long ten gauge stranded cable linking my portable solar panel to my battery), I am concerned about minimizing the voltage drop due to the long cable run. This is a bit of an experiment -- it's a 75 foot cable! (A friend gave it to me -- it was just cluttering up his garage.)

I went to my local electronics store (they still exist in some places) and bought butt connectors and heat shrink tubing. I will be practicing with my crimping tool to make sure I can do the job right.

In case anyone is wondering why I would want a 75 foot cable, we often boondock in deep shade and need a long cable so I can put my solar panel in a patch of sunlight.

We'll see if I get too much of a voltage drop, as compared with a shorter cable.

[StirCrazy]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

Be carefull with thoes, a couple other groups I am in for other hobbies jumped on that bandwagon. they are natroious for producing cold solder joints and cracking.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I may have soldered as many or more splice and termination joints as anyone else.

If you choose terminals insulated with NYLON the tool that was described with a prong on one side of the jaw will work fine. A lot of people tried challenging me by claiming such a configuration would damage the terminal insulation They all walked off a little poorer.

In marine work or in a salted road environment Solder is mandatory not an an option. The tiniest pin prick of a hole will soon have green powder not metal travelling up the copper. In an engine room especially diesel a sheen of oil seems to coat everything so eliminate the battery bank and the engine room has protection.

Move up to the flying bridge on a sea going vessel and things get challenging.

The issue of solder versus crimp filters down to one thing. Does the installer Know his way around his job? A soldered connected must be clamped for strain relief. By Adel clamp or by Zip tie it will stop the flexing and breaking at the terminal

I've never had a single bad connection come back on me. 65 years and tens of thousands of soldered terminals. The copper to be soldered must be as shiny as a new penny. Pure lead is the most corrosion resistant solder but it's high melting temperature makes it a pain to work with. Lead acid batteries have a lot of experience dealing with acid.

The best heat shrink brand I have ever used is sold by ICO RALLY and is black cured with black meltable inner liner. But it's only sold in hundred foot lengths 25x4' I wish I could find a vendor who sells it in smaller lots.

The vibration fallacy
I used to have an FAA PMA certification for rebuilding aircraft alternators and starter motors. Every Prestolite and Autolite I have seen is factory soldered. The same with diesel big rig starters and alternators.

The best quality 60/40 I've used is ERSIN MULTICORE. Hardware store solder will. Not work.

Butt connectors: an uninsulated butt connector labeled PARALLEL BUTT CONNECTER is a favorite. The wires slide past each other than a crimp is made.

No seam, Terminals exist but they are pricey. Parallel butt connectors have no seam


No crimp heat-shrink terminals with solder just about mandates use of a electric heat shrink gun. They're inexpensive at Harbor Freight.

The above terminals do not use regular 60/40 electronics solder. A third metal card Bismuth is added and it reduces needed to melt temperature by some forty degrees.

I just purchased a box of no crimp heat shrink butts for 26-24 wire. The insulator is transparent clear.

I hope this helps someone and at least, is entertaining.

[LouLawrence]

I completely agree. I just changed out about 30 lights in the ceiling from Halogen to LED and they were all installed with wire nuts. Much depends upon the application and the persons skills levels. The wire nuts in the ceiling will still be there and still working just fine 20 years from now.