A look at the Wagobox Capsule enclosure
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- I've not seen a bad Wagobox (Connexbox) product yet. From the first Wagobox to the more recent products they've all been fresh, innovative and very functional.
Now that other countries outwith Europe are discovering the convenience and versatility of the Wago connectors, I thought it would be worth showing some enclosures designed specifically for them.
The Wagobox capsule could be very useful for mounting outdoor electronic modules in a way that protects them from the elements. Things like WiFi or LoRa nodes come to mind.
As with the other products in the range, these units seem logical and functional. The metal bonding plates for steel wire armour cables seem to be well implemented.
As always, I'm open to the thoughts of people who have used these products, and how they have fared over time. Let me know your experiences in the comments area.
Here's a link to the connexbox website (not a sponsor).
www.connexbox.com/
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of TH-cam's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I think the most impressive part of these near-hermetically-sealed enclosures is how often you open one and find a spider has somehow managed to get inside.
I'm convinced spiders are quantum particles, as their exact position can never be fully predicted at a given time and how they have a chance of passing through otherwise solid barriers.
Ants are also heavily attracted by electrical boxes of any kind.
Lol . Here in New Zealand we have a grasshopper from hell called a wētā - the name means "Lord of all ugly things" .
I removed the cap of a telecom connection post to find a dozen of the things ready to attack.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C4%93t%C4%81#/media/File:Male_tree_weta-orig.jpg
And its always a scary looking spider with red fangs.
@@andrewn7365 Schrodinger's spider😂😂😂 both dead and alive, until you go and check😂
At first sight Clive I thought it was something you made from a couple of cable glands and a screw top pickle jar.
I actually made some led garden lights from pickle jars. They were totally not sealed or rated for safety, but I ran them at 12 volts, so I was not terribly concerned.
It looks exactly like an european jam jar.
Cable glands? Is that a medical condition suffered by electricians?
@@PartarioAbdullah-Levi yes.
@@PartarioAbdullah-Levi Strain Relief, for us non European types.
Jesus that capsule is huge, you can make it into an outdoor lamp
Wire it wrong enough and it'll become one, until something goes pop at least
@@JackieBrightwrong or when the Wago fails and arcs.
@@JackieBright it might burn the oxygen off before failing and might stay lit for a good while, until the whole thing melts. :p
Surplus runway lights
Well, I have an outside light unit that is a cctv junction box :D
The problem around here with these "hermetically sealed outdoor enclosures" is that they are *liquid* water tight, but because they aren't dimensionally stable with temperature, they will often suffer from "cryo pumping", where warm moist air is drawn into them at the end of a hot humid day, then it condenses overnight, and never leaves. I've found enclosures more than half full of liquid water where the enclosure was supposed to be "hermetic". The fix is simple. Drill a few tiny drain holes in a location where liquid water is unlikely to enter. There'll be MUCH less of a tendency to respire humid air and have it condense.
For the Wago boxes, there's also 2-component goop to fill them up, which will make them perfectly water tight. But you'll also have to cut off the cables if you ever need to replace the box.
Just pulled apart some LED festoon party lights, designed for outdoor use, bulbs partially filled with water - of course.
An old friend told me "You can never keep the water out, just drill a hole in the bottom so it can drain", that advice has always worked for me.
Dome security cameras are a great example of this.
All external junction boxes I have added to my house and garden have tiny drain holes for this very reason - and cable entry glands along bottom edges only.
We use an IP rated vent. Solves the problem.
As an American I can say I appreciate the Wago connectors. And as Winston Churchill once said, “You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else, but don't hold your breath on them ever adopting the metric system.”
Who says we don't use metric? If anything, we might be better at it - every one of our inches has a nice round 1000 thou in it, and if you ask me, that's a lot nicer figure to reckon with than 25.4...
In this globally connected world, I'm seeing that many Americans are becoming more familiar with the metric system.
Funny thing happened last week. We had to make new 6" (DN150) pipe for the sprinkler system, and when the new pipe was connected to the old flange fitting, the old part was like 5mm narrower.
Turns out, there's an "American standard" for the 6 inch, aaand "European standard" which is just a little bit wider.
As an European, please adopt metric system. 😂
If you have any skill, a wire nut and some bubblegum are 10x better than a wago
@@Landrew0 Americans have for years been learning the metric system, but then when they leave school they don't find it being used (in, say, construction and the like). It is very frustrating for those who like the system.
Nice housing for a dusk dawn sensor. :D
My first thought as well - if they didn't come with a similar housing already from the store...
A desiccant pack and indicator paper might have been a nice addition for that enclosure.
Nice! Thanks!
Or install a gore vent (or similar membrane vents from other makers)
Loving these IP68 jam jars.
An enclosure that big really needs a breather vent to avoid pumping water across the seals due to barometric pressure variations.
Its O-rings are greased and under high contact pressure, but I do think water will potentially squeeze its way in somewhere.
I assume they have tested it thoroughly in a climate chamber.
I agree. I have had Water enter a box thou the cables, between the wires/isolation
Pop in a balloon containing a zinc-air battery with a high value resistor across its terminals to produce hydrogen gas. It will create a positive pressure inside the jar. As long as the balloon doesn't perish and the connector doesn't arc you'll be just fine! Don't worry about it!
@@mrfrenzy. I assume he means it can act like a "pump" and suck on the wiring insulation, drawing air and moisture from elsewhere.
But I have no idea how waterproof boxes are supposed to work.
I work for an ISP that uses outdoor Ubiquiti WiFi equipment and my co-worker made a similar device that held a “gl.inet travel router” and a PoE to USB converter in an upside-down plastic jar mounted to a tree using a universal antenna mounting pole and hose clamp. It worked well for several years, just recently got replaced with an outdoor “satellite” connection box.
I have a stake in a WISP using the same equipment that they call air fibre and those metal sealed and gasketed boxes at tower sites they have super fine copper mesh vents at each end and we get wasps spiders and even had a snake get in one ! use mastic and silicone on those glans . I took a new one and filled it with water latched it shut titled it evey and overnite to see if it had any leak none and it got a spider in it months later !
Ten or so years ago the company I worked for imported institutional bathtubs from Germany. The engineer that we hired to certify them for use in Canada made me remove the WAGO connectors and change the ground wire to all green. By the next shipment of tubs he had researched and approved the WAGOs.
umm...still not particularly fond of Wagos unless it's low-power systems like consumer speaker connections. That's pretty much what they are. Not enough surface contact for high loads like major appliances large inductive loads. Strangely, in lab tests, Wagos were the first to go before the wire nuts.
@@WJCTechyman *Wrong.* WAGOs have been thoroughly tested (many times) under high loads and performed just as well as wire nuts. They've also been heavily used for decades in practical applications both in other countries and in industrial applications here in the US, with no observed issues.
In all the lab tests I've ever seen, *both* WAGOs and wire nuts held out just fine even well above their load ratings. In some cases, the wire nuts held out a small bit longer, but both of them were way beyond any load they were supposed (or allowed) to be used for (and realistically they wouldn't fail until probably long after your house had already burned down anyway), so that's all pretty irrelevant, IMHO. It's like comparing which cookware lasts longer when you put it in a blast furnace (which obviously has absolutely nothing to do with how it performs under real conditions for its intended purpose).
@@WJCTechyman You should do some proper research before spreading misinformation like that. If you don't like them because they are too foreign that's fine, but don't pretend they aren't up to the task when everyone else manages to use them without ever running into problems.
@@WJCTechyman And that's why Europe, which has almost exclusively used WAGOs for the last 40 years has completely burned down from electrical fires.
Edit/PS: Here, even our circuit breakers have cage-clamp connectors...
@@WJCTechyman you obviously don't know the video, where they put 100+ amps through a Wago and halfway towards 200A when the plastic insulation failed the metal still gripped tighly to the copper.
these terminals are rated 20A by the way.
I ordered a box of Wago connectors based on Clive's recommendation. I find that they are by far the best connector I've used. Not only are they very easy to install, they are easy to uninstall and reuse for other things.
@9:55 - When I was in the fuel business, all of our connections outside (low voltage sensor/probe connections) were done with small blue wire nuts and then sleeved in a quick-set 3M 2-part epoxy package that is mixed in situ, the connectors inserted in the epoxy, then the small bag is zip-tied. In mere minutes, you have and intrinsically safe, highly weather resistant connection. Anything at a fueling forecourt below 18" (46cm) must be intrinsically safe. All conduits out of the dispensers to the building must be potted with glass fiber and then grouted.
What a time to be alive.
...when connecting 2 wires requires a football size casing
@@meex88hiphop Only in Europe!
No electrician has ever complained about an enclosure being too large! There will always be more to fit than was planned for initially.
@meex88hiphop Have the North American crowd not yet considered future proofing?
@@SammyInnit I have discovered that future proofing is mostly a joke. Things always turn out using different tech and different codes.
I'm a big fan of Wago and similar products. I used to design & trouble-shoot industrial control systems. 90% of early failures were down to loose screws. Many sparkies used to assemble things "nipped up" and forget to tighten everything down.
The level of resistance, in the US, to Wago connectors, could lead one to think the King was trying to reclaim the colonies.
Well, if it was King Charles, he's of German ancestry. Also the wire nut was a Canadian invention like the telephone, basketball, incandescent light and in part, Walt Disney. I'll let you look those up on your own time.
Apparently, americans are the ones that notice wago trying to sell equipment to DIY electricians (house flippers) and have the right idea about house flippers (hating them)
@@jankington216 Ironically, where Wago come from, Germany, house flipping is unheard of due to a healthy 6% property transfer tax.
But you know - Merkins are working with utterly shoddy electrical products... The quality Wago is too much for them.... Who would ever want to test something????
Very nice indeed, I though the "jar" looking thing was for a light, and it might well suit putting some LEDs inside. Its nice to see products that are thought out and NOT stupidly expensive, in fact very reasonable for the thought that went into them. 2x 👍
Interesting idea to use one as an improvised yard light.
Should also work well for a light sensor.
I have indeed heard and seen these been used for light sensors in series with outdoor lighting.
It reminds me of an enclosure that I saw during my apprenticeship in the late seventies at BT (Post Office Telecommunications) when out with the external teams.
The same shape but for 2 multiple pair cables that were also insulated with BP petroleum jelly.
2 cables were inserted through the base of the unit and a 2 part resin was mixed and poured into this to hold them and keep it waterproof.
I like the idea of a clear top so you can see what is going on.
Neat!
We also had those in Australia.
I've seen quite a few similar designed enclosures both from brass/glass and in pure brass.
100%
American here... I love me some Wago for specific applications. They fit better in crowded electrical outlets, they're neater, and especially for items that are more likely to need to be replaced more frequently, such as those modern ever-so popular LED cob lights that SHOULD last decades but tend to last about as long as a standard LED bulb, a lot better on wear and tear on wire.
Just great design. No unnecessary complexity, every bit has a good purpose.
Hi Clive, my favourite Wago box is the one designed for wiring up central heating controls, it makes everything so much clearer and easily traceable during fault finding or repairs.
What model is that?
In Canada we actually use steel grounded Iberville boxes and screw/lug terminals or Marettes in the "mains-level" connections. Less chance of it melting and spreading fire, especially when working with gas-fired appliances. The low voltage stuff runs through the wall normally and if properly configured, the thermostat really doesn't need a box. The only time I could see a box needed for thermostat wire is in a commercial/industrial setting with metal conduit and those same Iberville boxes. Outdoors, we use PVC boxes and conduit, both rigid and flexible to run high-voltage (240 V) connections to the AC condenser unit via a disconnect box.
@@MyTubeSVp m-box or s-box
@@MyTubeSVp 2 sizes, L32 with 32 connectors and L60 with 60 connectors.
@@mikehunt8968 thanks!
Seeing that the enclosure is clear, it would be very easy to install a neon indicator across your connectors for a visual verification they are live.
Or you could just put a lamp in it! If it's outdoor safe it would make quite a decorative light fitting.
Could be handy for small solar projects too, putting all the components inside a waterproof housing that is easy enough to service... :)
Wire nuts have multiple uses, such as caulking gun cap. In North America, we do things so differently. I've given up on making anything water "proof". Water resistant at best is what I aim for. Water is insidious. Here with the heavy wind and rain, even garden lamps get a bit soggy in Winter.
I live in the desert southwest and even here I don't aim for waterproof, I aim for water resistant plus being able to keep the electrics/electronics up and away from the bottom of an enclosure, plus drainage out of that enclosure for what water may get inside.
To make a connection water proof. Wrap one layer of electrical tape then use the rubber spicing tape . Pell off the backing tape and stretch it out. Two or more layers. Then a couple of electrical tape.
This will done right will stay dry for years.
I used Wago connectors 15 years ago here in the states. Very good device.
I can totally see you turning the transparent enclosure into a novelty light.
I feel I need one to make some kind of exterior lamp housing. Really nice.
i love wagoboxes, being able to cut, strip, and connect everythin before putting it in the box makes life so much easier, esp in tight spaces
Clive only mentioned it in passing when reading the labels, but the big thing about the boxes (for UK installations at least) is that they are rated “maintenance free” which means that you don’t need to open them again for inspections. That saves many a sparky a lot of grief when the snooty interior designers mucked things up… I lost a lot of skin to them, and swore at them (the boxes….) but in the long run they are veeery useful…
I only discovered Wago connectors because of your videos. The wire nuts we Yanks usually use are pants. I like the Wagoboxes a lot.
I don't work in the electrical industry, but I appreciate seeing great design in anything.
Same here - these Wago's look perfect for extending speaker cables etc.
I worked for an old guy at a greenhouse in the 70s and he used Jif peanut butter jars to the same effect. 🙃
Wow, haven't heard "bees knees" in a long time... :) Problem with the twist on wire connectors is most folks don't know how to use them correctly, especially if connecting solid and stranded wires.
What? My great-grandma uses that phrase all the time!
In Australia, we smear the O rings with Vegemite. It forms a good seal and keeps the spiders out.
What a waste, much better to apply it to some bread
I used to work for a German company with large, complex production equipment. All cable enclosures, where at all possible, had to have clear cover panels. This dramatically improves cabling standards and stopped the cable spaghetti you often find. Clear is good.
I love me a good Wago. I work for a company that makes another line of buriable wire connectors, but I don’t think I could ever switch away from Wago. Their DIN rail mount stuff is really slick
Thank you for such a great demonstration of our Wagobox enclosures Clive
The installer of our home EV charger, made the terminations to the the charger input supply Wago connectors.
I questioned this choice, he said it's standard practice to use Wago connectors in preference to screw terminals, as they are just better.
no breather !? (not wanted for *under* water use, of course; but when attached to a post, I would guess this is wanted/needed? either you hang it *this* way and rain water will sit on the cable glands or you hang it *that* way and rain water will sit on the screw joint. after the rain, the sun heats it up, the air will make it out, no doubt, the next cloud obstructs the sun, it cools down, and it sucks back in the water !)
Magic Gel made by Ray Tech is excellent for underground connections.
They are IP68 so pretty much good for any conditions. I bet most of us would have more trouble making the glands meet that spec.
I made something like this many years ago for connecting 120vac power to a submersible septic system pump. It keeps the wires clean and free of corrosion. I used a plastic Metamucil jar. The Wago jar is admittedly better because it allows easy viewing of the wires and connections. Thanks for sharing Clive.
The pickle jar reminds of the underground telephone company junction 'cans', pumped up a few psi for positive pressure to keep water out
I found the wago blocks recently and they made life much easier when replacing one of those old round junction disc things - just clips all the wires inside and then shut them inside a waterproof box - took me all of a few minutes to do it compared to the hour the first time round!
Australian here - we switched entirely to Wago connectors about 3 years ago. The product saves us money every day.
New systems from Huss-mann use the Wago terminals. I'm not with then any longer, but I worked on a lot of service calls for the new gear that uses them. They do work good, so wire stuff up with those boxes. Thank you, keep working.
The first time I came across Wago terminals was when I worked with Hussmann.
WOW. Very creative list of accessories!
Nice addition to our already near ubiquitous use of the 'Wago'....those will be added to our eng. dept shopping list :)
A proper re-enterable outdoor version of these has been in use in the Telecommunications Industry around the world since before the 1970s, are still in use, and still readily available.
The whole unit is made of the same black polyethylene plastic to avoid thermal issues and can be used on a Telegraph Pole or in a Communications Pit.
The cable entries were originally sealed using a two-part epoxy resin or more recently a flexible polyurethane sealing compound similar to Silicone Sealants.
While primarily designed for ELV Telecommunications use, I believe that they can also be used for LV Electrical connections.
The bigbox hardware store chain by me in the US finally started carrying them in the electrical section, even in the inline variety l hadn't seen before. They may have jacked the price a bit too high, so l stocked up now in case they don't stick around
Having been born in the land of wirenuts, and now living in the birthplace of VAH-go, I‘ve come to learn that a very powerful force influences this sort of thing: what WE know is NORMAL, and what THEY do is weird and NOT NORMAL. That works to varying degrees in both directions, I‘d imagine in many places in the world. It‘s as simple and irrational as that, and it is extremely difficult to overcome.
You're Canadian? If so, wire nuts are actually called Marettes. A very simple Canadian invention like basketball, incandescent light, the electric motor propelled wheelchair and the telephone, also, Walt Disney was created in part by a Canadian.
@@WJCTechyman Matey, are you selling wire nuts by any chance?
Thanks Big Clive. Pretty groovy though it seems like a lot of effort to install one of these things. Maybe not as one get's used to it. Still. Pretty darn cool for all the reasons you mentioned. And Wago seems like the only way to go having played with them a bit. There are handfuls of wire nuts now in storage that I will probably never use.
Love it, I want one, I love the clear casing.
My buddy was diagnosing residential unit (trailer) with no power, and discovered a plastic Gatorade bottle from the pedestal to the breaker box as the junction box in ground. He told his boss they weren't working on that property. There was some wire nuts and electric tape holding that mess together.
You have done your homework ! this lot should sponsor you......cheers.
I've used wago connections when replacing my hot water heater in my RV going on 4 years now without any issues so far. They were the best option since it's very hard for me to reach behind the unit in a cramped space to do connections with wire nuts.
I made this 10 years ago with a small jam jar and two grommets screwed onto the lid. Perfectly airtight and very easy to open.
J'ai fait ça , il y a 10 ans , avec un petit pot de confiture et deux passe-fils vissés sur le couvercle . Parfaitement étanche et très facile à ouvrir.
Rien de vouveau sousle soleil !
I had made something similar years ago for a temporary splice out of an old jam jar and a couple of cable glands. It looked quite similar, too.
I have found that water tap lubricant makes an excellent additional barrier to "undesired" water ingress (and obviously provides decent and corrosion - inhibiting lubrication). Don't know about dielectric properties, but it certainly appears to protect spade contacts from corrosion on a long term (decades) basis. Wire nuts are no longer legal "Down Under", but are VERY common in older properties, where they have certainly stood the test of time.
The grease used in plumbing is often silicone grease. So very inert and with a high dielectric strength. That's what's used here.
I would so much prefer the black plastic base to screw into, rather than onto the clear container, so that when it's mounted vertically, water drains away from the seals rather than onto them.
I remember a Hoover twin-tub washing machine where the motor was protected by a little (rusty) pressed steel umbrella over the top to deflect away the water that inevitably leaked out through the rotating seals of the washer. Shedding water away from electrics is so much easier than trying to seal it out.
I hope these WAGO Gelboxes or boxes eventually get UL certified and sold in bigbox stores. That will drive the price down to a reasonable level.
Looks like a good enclosure for outdoor electronics projects - an RPI looks like it would fit nicely inside there. I'd be tempted to paint it white to reject solar heat, but a neat box.
An indicator of some sort could be included inside the clear "jar" for verification of power. Watertight enclosure would keep the indicator dry.
What a great idea!
Wago does it again!
I like these 'nicely designed' product reviews even more than the 'that's not good' reviews. 👍
They should make a round Wagobox which looks as neat as the old circular junction boxes.
Im in the US and I only use the Wagos now. They are awesome.
lots of commenters *saying* that there will be water ingress, but, if it's VDE rated for in-ground use, I'm damned sure (having seen a piece of gear from my employer being CAT III 600 V and VDE tested, this will have "been through the mill"!
That cable tie is intended to certify it maintenance free because you'd need a tool to open it.
i love wago, save so much faff, especially doing lights overhead standing on a ladder!
I did exactly this 15 years ago for connections in my bath room. Only using an empty jam jar.
Thats a pretty nifty design. Maybe a small dessicant pack to absorb any little bit of water that may come in through the cables?
Use them all the time 👍
I have been specifying Wago connectors in a lot of products I design over the years but you will have to add a a note for all these great junction boxes that they are not UL listed. Any building inspector in the US and Canada is going to have you remove these when using line voltage or new construction. Until Wago gets permission to put the UL logo on the boxes, you’re not going to get these on our side of the pond.
But they are UL approved. "In addition to the European approvals, WAGO's installation connectors are also certified for the North American market, specifically from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for the US and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) for Canada. In the past, these two certification agencies jointly introduced the “cULus” mark."
Ok the Wagobox is very cool. I don't know if we can get them in the US or not. I have done industrial (control panels on machines), and in my home "normal" electrical work, and for a junction box that goes in a wall, and may never be touched, I don't see an advantage to the Wago connectors. Wire nuts are very fast and safe, and not expensive. In a control panel in a machine where you may have to change stuff, fix stuff, test stuff etc, the Wago connectors are fantastic. As with anything, I feel both have their place. I keep a box of assorted Wagos in my bench because there are times when they are a better choice than alligator clips.
I'm proud to be a Canadian because at least I know we invented them and when used correctly, wire nuts (some of us Canucks call them Marettes) surpass Wagos before failing.
I'm a fan of anything that mounts to a pole ;)
Often another pole .. or polette.
How is your mom?
@@Dingleberry1856 6 feet under, so probably not hot enough to do what your lame comment ensued, she'd probably slop down a pole if she could try. How's your little sister, have you or your dad shown her the poles yet??
I was just this past week looking for something like this to use for waterproofing the ethernet and unused DC connectors on an outdoor PoE security camera, but wasn't having much luck. Now I have a name to look for!
Hi clive. they are quite good. I know chris over at cjrelectrical channel used the wago connectors and boxes quite a bit. 👌
For waterproof wagos I've always used their gel boxes.
Hey, they make North American receptacles now with lever nuts (as they're called here). The levers even pop out around the side so if you do the customary tape around the outside, it locks them down so they can't pop open.
My biggest complaint about Wagos is they don't clip to each other - would be an easy change to the moulding.
They do have a selection of bases for different configurations of inline connectors which are quite neat, though ("Wago Inline Mounting Carrier")
There's probably some bizzare electrical separation thing regarding that. The same reason they don't do their version of the multi-circuit clones.
And at some point, it makes sense to use DIN rail terminal blocks instead. I’ve become a big fan of those, too.
Looks like it's the Wa(to)go.
Oh stoppit at once ...
I like the look of that enclosure..
And just think, if you ever put too much current though those connectors, it will light that whole thing up like a nice looking outside light :D
That waterproof Wagobox gave me tons of ideas for solar powered lights that might actually last for a long while with no water ingress. You should make up a few projects with them. Round solar panel at the top with LED strings inside or maybe LED panels on the sides. First thought I had upon seeing it was, "Light it up!"
Regarding moisture, I think I would drop a dessicant pack in there to manage condensation.
I'm in America and I run into wire nuts all the time. They work okay as long as you are extra careful to make sure they grab everything. too many times I've had wires pull out and cause issues even after you think they are tight! I'm really happy lever nuts are starting to make an appearance here, much better way to do things in most cases.
Good point. Wire nuts are deceptively easy to misuse.
@@catsupchutney Not so if you are trained well to use them. Unfortunately, I think this is the case in Europe. People got lazy and so they make a spring mechanism to hold the wire instead. I see these used in home audio to connect antennae or speakers but I don't think I would want one in my electrical system. It's the Nintendo Entertainment System ZIF connector in the form of a connector meant to connect high power devices together and spring tension is defeated the moment any kind of large load goes across it and creates heat and in these with the little to no surface area contact is present on the wires. With Marettes (wire nuts) all of the wires are pre-twisted together with a large surface area contact present and no moving parts are used. I would say that Wagos are a waste because if one is in a point that I want to replace a connection or make it larger, the Wago is a single use device and since it's already held in a shape for a very long time it will have a memory to it making it a no-guaranteee that it will perform again with the right amount of force on the wire. I would like to say to the Europeans, UK electricians and those who are pro-wago in North America: Look up Occam's Razor and go with the Marette. They are relatively inexpensive and really easy to use.
I've used them for decades. I ALWAYS do a pull test on each wire in the connection. When twisted on carefully, they can really hold a lot of pull force.
@@WJCTechyman Several of the things you said are not correct, or suggest you have misunderstood something.
First, wire nuts are still very easy to misuse, *even if you've been trained well to use them.* I've seen lots of experienced and trained electricians still get it wrong sometimes. That is why most of the training to use them properly is all about how to be extra careful every single time you use one to make sure you don't get it wrong in some way or other, and anyone who does care about such things needs to spend a significant amount of extra time double-checking every one they do to make sure it's a good connection (which is just not necessary with WAGOs, in general).
WAGOs are technically a form of ZIF connector, but the internal design is completely different from low-voltage connectors like on the NES. That's just a completely bogus comparison that suggests you have no idea how either connector is actually designed internally. (By that same logic, you could claim that circuit breakers and power outlets use the same sort of connections as a headphone jack or a serial port, so obviously they should never be used for any high power applications either.)
WAGOs have been thoroughly tested at high current loads and shown to perform comparably to wire nuts in all such situations, even well over their rated loads. In many tests, *the wire itself actually got hotter than the WAGO did, and failed first.* So your speculations about failing under high loads are just made-up BS. The WAGO connectors also already have *more contact surface area than the cross-section of the wire itself does,* so anything more beyond that is electrically pointless anyway.
*WAGO lever-nuts are not single-use devices in any way.* They can be reused many times over, even years down the line. They do not develop a "memory", as you suggest (again, that appears to be just made up BS that shows you don't even know how they work internally, or how metals actually behave in reality). They are actually far better for reusing because they don't mangle the ends of the wires, so you can even disconnect and reconnect them to the wires without having to spend time straightening or snipping them off, and then re-twisting, potentially having them not re-twist well and not getting good contact, etc.
You also seem to be blissfully unaware that wire nuts _also_ use a spring design internally, and if anything their springs are far more likely to become distorted over time (because they are made out of thinner wire), so if you're really worried about that sort of thing happening, you should actually be more worried about the wire nuts than WAGOs.
Finally, Occam's Razor actually does not apply to any of this in any way. I suspect you've actually misunderstood what Occam's Razor is, or how it's used, because it applies primarily to attempting to determine the cause or explanation for some observed effect, and has nothing to do with design or application questions such as these. If you want an aphorism that actually does potentially apply, I would suggest perhaps Murphy's Law might be a better choice. And according to that principle, WAGOs are clearly the better choice, because there are just so many more easy ways for things to go wrong with wire nuts than with WAGOs, even when people supposedly do know what they're doing with them.
@foogod4237 good response.
I still find it 'odd' that even though WAGO manufacture a sell connectors applying to God knows how many BS, UL, IEEE standards random people on YT say 'ill never use them they are unsafe '.... like a radom person on YT knows better than all those standards agencies?
If they have an issue with WAGOs (or the like) then ultimately it means they have 0 faith in the standards agencies, and if that's the case, they have a waaaaaaaay bigger issue than simply 'not liking wagos'....
It's the same with people complaining about EV-ultra cable from Doncaster cables 'mixing data cables and mains cables' and 'all that EM interference' when it's kinda obvious the cable manufacturer knows all this and yet, the cable still exists, and.... works..... as if 10/100 ethernet to an external EV charger is pretty immune to single phase 230v power running nearby....
Nice looking working hands
If you have to seal a cable connection take a plastic jar filled with some car repair epoxy resin dip the cables in and let it harden. Lasts in my backyard since 15 years.😁
As luck would have it I was looking into using Wago 221 Wire Lever Nuts Conductor Compact Splicing Connectors today.
I live in the good ol' USA and was surprised to see the wago 221 series now has a quite small weather cover that is a clamshell filled with a silicon gel that seals around the connector and wire when it is closed. It is also reusable!
If you look at the clear end of the connector there is an open space behind the orange lever with the Wago name on it. It is labeled "Test". I needed a magnifying glass to read it. This makes it very easy to get a meter probe in to measure voltage.
Another interesting product is by Leviton, Decora Edge 15 Amp Tamper-Resistant Duplex Outlet. It has lever lock terminals now. Looks like I'll have to get rid of my wire nuts at an Arts & Crafts show or flea market! I am always entertained and enlightened by your videos. ThanX!
The cable tie ensures that along with wago connections it can be maintenance free, ie in a ceiling or below or floor
Seems ideal for an outdoor meshtastic node, thanks!
What are we using or hoping to use a meshtastic node for? I have been looking for a good reason to buy some, lol.
@@jong2359 to be honest, in the UK it has become pretty popular but that popularity means that as a messaging system it's horribly flaky in many areas. So it often is more for seeing how far propagation via the mesh can get. It's definitely not a viable off grid solution. It's just a bit of fun.
@@neilbchilton absolutely appreciate the honesty - that is exactly how I sold it to my wife, but I was still trying to sell myself, lol.
Ive been using plastic containers from Dollar Tree to essentially do the same thing, but for low power USB/Solar wiring/charge modules to make them easier to access while keeping water out..
I can see that being useful for DIY LED garden lighting daisy chain with Wago connectors in the clear plastic case.
It does look like a much better design than most. However I don't fully trust two stacked o-rings with silicone grease for long term buried box sealing. A custom silicone seal ring with a "Christmas Tree" profile combined with a flat seal base might be an improvement suggestion for long term / buried applications. Side note - I have been looking locally and on the interwebs for the grey Wago box device boxes as you have shown. Can't find them in DIY stores and Amazon say the can't ship them to me where I am in Canada. They did ship me some Wago connectors with no questions asked, but the boxes seem to be verboten. Hmm....
Quality German innovation and design
I would rather go Japanese than German. Sorry. Honda over BMW, Panasonic over Miele, Yamaha over Behringer whenever possible. That being said, some of the Behringer equipment I have used seems okay for the application.
Interesting product reminds me of a jam jar but still is interesting.
As I've mentioned in all the other UK electrician videos comment sections throughout various times. The US regulation requires that all connections to be made in an accessible junction box. Which can either be mounted behind sockets and light fixtures or in walls with an accessible plate or an attic space and basements but not buried. Outside stuff is a bit more Freeform at times to put it politely. Where was it going oh yeah our specifications have designed in connection points to junctions behind objects so buried cable junctions aren't necessarily used that much other than for outdoor lighting. I still think this is an interesting product that we could probably use but we do have plastic sealed boxes for that sort of thing if need be. But generally the wires are being brought into whatever outdoor object into a junction point there.
Well I would love to see more of these manufacturers using transparent casing materials for everything. quick inspection of plug wiring will be so much easier.
Oh and the reason it always comes up as I see US light fixtures made by Chinese manufacturers getting complained about as there's no room for wire junctions to be made and I'm like yeah no kidding they can be tough at times for us in the US but we also have a 1, 2 or 3 inch deep flame retardant certified Metal or plastic box behind the light fixture (assuming it was installed properly, we also have the equivalent of cowboy electricians who just screw things onto walls with wires behind them.).
I like the idea of water finding its way in through ‘Nefarious’ means 😮😀
Just replaced my well pump. Wires to the pump have been wire nut underwater for nearly 30 years without a problem (pump itself failed). Standard well pump most people not on city water have. Things like that always make me wonder the usefulness of things like this vs a company willing to sell you anything whether you need it or not.
The smaller connectbox is interesting, but is clearly never going to make it into US NEC approval, due primarily to its density: boxfill calculations are the most common code violation already (citation needed :) )
Wago also makes a little box with some sort of putty where you can shove your wago connectors in to make a waterproof connection iirc
Reminds me of an 'electrical' joint I made in the back yard of my parents house when I was way younger, I buried an upturned jam jar with some antenna coax leads joined inside. I just tucked them up inside the jar, no lid and buried it.
Many years later I was rippling this all out and I dug up the jar, it did a perfect job, the joints looked like they never saw water, and that cable never failed. Would I do this for 240V, no. I was a youngster and joiners like shown here were definitely not stocked by any shop I knew of.
They also do an adaptable box and a white plastic junction box for heating/controls wiring.
Fun fact. These were launched at the NEC a few years ago. Not only was I the first person on their stand I was also the FIRST person in the WORLD to buy a clear and opaque version of these including all the accessories
We do have the brand Ideal connectors similar to Wago....which I do use now, though I'm old enough and I have a new house so I don't need to do much electrical these days.