In Europe we have switches and outlets which have a Wago Style connector built in. No need to attach wires work hooks, screws or something similar. Strip the isolation, put it into the connector on the outlet and you're done
If you would have watched the video until at least 5:49, you would have seen this also exists in the US. The problem is that in Europe we don't join cables in the box where the socket or switch is installed, this is usually done in separate central boxes. This way you allways know where to go instead of opening up all sockets to see where they are connected.
@BenvanBroekhuijsen et al. The benefit of pigtails over passing through the receptacle is that your entire circuit does not go down due to a faulty receptacle. The faulty receptacle is where the problem lies, so there is no need for searching. Wago and push connectors handle more than enough for what the wire is rated for. The little "bus bar" inside the connector is enough. I love it for lighting and switches because you know they are going to get changed in 20-30 years or less. Receptacles may go 50+ years. Might only consider a mechanical connection with wire nut for 20amp or kitchen, bathroom receptacles that are going to see high draw on the regular. Depends how soon the renovation will be--might as well make it easier on the next guy... next guy might also be me. My only doubts are that I have yet to see the 1000 x heating cycles test on Wagos that might cause the failure of the plastic/tensioning mechanism. Even then, they will arc themselves into oblivion and/or trip the arc fault breaker. Just a little puff of smoke. Nothing compared to the crap North Americans do with extension cords and power bars that get surrounded by loads of flammable stuff. Nervous Nelly sparkies and DIY should go back to SOLDERING their wire connections like the "good old days" so they can sleep at night in their belts and suspenders.
Not all receptacles and switches in the EU do have the wago style terminals. On top of that, this kind of pre-wired appliances still can save some time. It is much effortful to plug the wires to a small appliance and then to bend the wires in the right direction to better fit them in the box. The way described you just come to the box and connect wires color on color, it can be done by anybody.
Never use stab ins on receptacles. It's bad practice and can cause fires. It's been proven time and time again that they're far less reliable than hooks. Never take shortcuts to save a minute when that building may stand 100 years.
I did this exact thing building my house. I made pigtails and sat on the couch watching tv putting the pigtails on 100 receptacles, then just go back when they’re ready to install. Putting the WAGOs on when rough wiring made it possible to safely energize the circuit for local temp power at strategic locations.
Refuse to Watch 10 Minutes of Filler, skipped around, never Found, Put at Start of Video. IF someone wants to Waste 9 1/2 minutes, Is a Jerk way to do Videos.😢
Very timely video, I'm headed to my son's house to help him build a couple of cabinets and book shelves that will have outlets and switches in them. We've done a lot of renovations, and these tips will make it that much easier. At 65 years old, making things simpler, and doing as little bending of my aching back is always a better way to go. Love your channel, and best wishes of getting to 1M subscribers.
My first use of WAGO's was to replace the light fixture of a ceiling fan. Those made a big difference when dealing with stranded wiring. I have also used them to replace a double receptacle with a single 4-way oulet. Made the box less crowded doing away with those extra wiring connections.
I love using "WAGO" electrical connectors, and setting yourself up for success! Yes, I am a homeowner and a Handyman whom uses "WAGO" electrical connectors all the time. I find them to be easy and efficient to use whilst making electrical connections. Your ideas are sound and have excellent merit! Well done, Sir!
I still use wire nuts, just starting to use wagos but, I always pigtail all the time. I love my knipex strippers. As far as the plate screw, I put it diagonally at 8 and 2, that way, I know if anybody's messed around with the device. 👍👍👍👍
8:35, electrical tape: What Wago can do then is to come out with plastic caps that can quickly secure all the latches and, of course, can easily be removed.
I'm a firm believer in eliminating as many connection points as possible. So when ever possible making the connection directly to the receptacle. Vertical for the screw.
FYI....terminating one set of wires directly is just fine, if you have more than one set with a load wire exiting the box you should not terminate these into the outlet some version of a pig tail is superior. This puts all the circuit load on the prior outlets. If outlet fails everything down line potentially fails.
@@davidporter4724The outlet failing that way is extremely unlikely. The terminal pairs are connected by a solid bar. If that somehow happens, having the rest of the chain fail is more of a feature rather than a bug ;)
Hi. I just watched your mini split installation. You can upsize your supply wire size to 10 awg but you can't upsize the circuit protection. The equipment requires a maximum 15 amp circuit protection in order to cut off past that for safety reasons. The unit should be protected by fuses or a ckt breaker of 15 amps.
I liked the video, that's a fantastic idea. I'm an RV technician, and I use Wagos all the time for stranded low voltage wire. But, I've had mixed results on solid wire in an RV that's moving constantly.
@@chaos.corner it is for the "house" wiring. it's in romex, and often uses mash-on devices with insulation displacement connections. goes together fast, fails fast.
I have been doing this for a _long_ time. Using Wagos on the first fix means you can test the wiring before the walls are lined (1st fix). When testing is sound then use 4 inches of flexible wire in the receptacles. Done on a bench. Then the receptacle is easily pushed back with no stress on connections as the wire is flexible.
What does wiring them at the bench have to do with leaving a extra port open? If you connect a positive to one port you will connect the positive to the same port on the opposite side... why would I leave a port open.... if I have three wires, I use the three port.... positive negative ground. Video gets a thumbs down just for the misleading info.
@@chadswanson2295 Not to be one of those guys, but technically, there is no Positive or Negative with AC Volts. Also, those three wires would NEVER be connected on the same Wago / Wire Nut. You might have three blacks, with one being the hot, one being the feed to the next outlet, and the third being the outlet. In this scenario, you would have three wagos (one for the blacks, one for the whites, and one for the grounds). I am confident you already knew this, but since details matter, I wanted to ensure anyone reading the comments could follow along.
I’m so slow in remodeling my house that I first started using wire nuts and bought a bunch in 2008. When WAGOS made it to Amazon years later I switched the newest outlets (pigtailed) to them. The biggest benefit is my 4 gang light switch box at the front door for 2 sets of timer lights for the front door and garage down lights are fed by a dimmer switch. The key is the indoor inside door light for the stairwell is a 3 way switch. WAGO’s made hooking up the connections a lot easier as less space used. Also the real beauty is the MULTIWIRE BRANCH CIRCUIT that feeds this switch and 3/4 of the lights upstairs and some bedroom outlets is now on a WAGO. So I don’t have to cut power when I needed to add the one outlet in the garage that was originally part of this big circuit. I can keep it energized and when the GFCI outlet trips it won’t take out the whole upstairs. WAGOs are the way.
How long did you hang on to all of those wire nuts thinking "I'll sell those at a garage sale someday." before you pitched them all in the trash. (6 years for me, finally pitched them all last weekend.)
Good video for traditional outlets and switches. But if you using sidewire ones, I'd think you could insert the wire (from the box) directly into the sidewire, vs creating and attaching pigtails for each, and connecting with level nuts.
I buy lengths of stranded wire to use for the pigtails and it's even easier. You could make pigtails up in advance if you wanted too fro even more speed.Every box I do now has wagos or ideal lever connectors to a stranded pigtail.
Cool video as most of yours are, HOWEVER, I'm going to fuss at you. In your video you connected the HOT, then the NEUTRAL and lastly the GRD. Having been in the industry for over 30yrs, I always disconnect the HOT 1st, Neutral 2nd and GRD last. I connect them in the reverse order. Just my two cents worth.
I did make the comment about wrapping the body of the wago to keep the levers from inadvertently lifting when pushing everything into the box upon closing everything up. The customer I was working for had a policy of this detail on all terminations using the wago connection. If Scotch 33 tape is used and not the cheap off brand tape, and one leaves a tail on the wrap, it makes it easier for the next guy that needs to open that connection in the future. 9:23
Spitballing here, but instead of using sticky electrical tape to hold the levers down, what if you used a rubber band? Eventually it will dry out and crumble but what’s the harm? Arguably it’s only needed during installation. Just a thought.
That prep work was wonderful for me. Having all the prepped receptacles, switches, tools and and other supplies on a cart to wheel from spot to spot was really helpful too.
I use a detail cart for detailing cars to make up recepts. It has a drawer on the side and a tray on the front and back to hold stuff. Works pretty good and easy on the knees for all day work. I'm tall enough to make up switch boxes too from the cart.
Great video and you definitely deserve over a million subscribers. As a frequent electrical DIYer, I actually use both WAGO lever nuts and wire nuts (either Ideal or CE) pretty equally. I always use WAGOs when I'm making junction boxes, installing fixtures on a ladder, or extending short wires using their inline connectors. Otherwise, I'm good with wire nuts. Also, I like how Ideal has their alternative to WAGOs, which has made it to the big box stores (where I buy my wire nuts from). I like their design better since the levers face the opposite direction which makes connections safer and easier to use IMO. I wish I could get those but I'm now stuck with a bunch of WAGOs so no going back lol
What we really need is an outlet/box combination where the wired outlet just snaps into the wall box without screws and can be released if needed by some sort of latch with a flat blade screwdriver. Even better if the box contained all the connections and the outlet just "plugged in" to permanent contacts that were part of the box itself.
Nice tips. One thing I noticed is in your demo of the Wagos is you put in a white and a black wire in to the same Wago. Not how it would ever be in a box. If the white was marked as a hot then you could.
Instead of cream or white we opted for all black switches and outlets in our new house. We’re really happy with the style choice and get a lot of compliments. The biggest con for us is that it really limited my options for smart switches.
Decor Plugs And Switches Are Not Worth The Extra cash!! And Black Is DATED! White Is The Most Common Color Today And Ivory Was back In The 70's Brown Screams 60's etc.
I’ve been doing this for years, even before wago clips, I’d do it with wire nuts, I just didn’t pre connect the two wires in the box, just leave them hang, go to my bench (kitchen table) wire up the plugs/switches and the only thing I’d have to do at the box is twist’em up.
Heat shrink tubing can be used to cover the levers instead of tape. It makes a much better strain relief and can easily be adjusted to leave the wago wiring window visible. The only down side is having to use a heat gun to apply the heat shrink tubing.
Great video Nils! My sister bought me the volt claw - OMG it is freakin amazing. I added an outlet for her new gas stove and I was pushing in the 12awg wires with my thumb. I'm like get this voltclaw for me for Christmas. The next day there was an amazon package from her. I used it in my shed wiring. Super awesome for pushing in the wires, pulling wires but also using it to bend the wires for a panel.
if you put wago on socket side first you have to bend down twice. If you instead wago on socket pigtail first and to the socket romex last, you have to bend down only once. Small optimization. but two bends, once for stripping and one for wago is less than 3.
If you use the outlets with the levers you don't need the WAGOs. Just walk up to the box and snap the outlet onto the wires. Like someone else here has said I don't like adding more junctions than necessary. I also would never use outlets where I have to bend the wire around a screw if the type with the screw plate (where you put in a straight wire and tighten the screw to clamp it) is available. (Or better yet use the lever ones.) Of all the connection types I've used in several decades wrapping a wire around a screw head is the most troublesome.
I can never get my head around the fact that US electrical regs don’t dictate that the earth (grounding) conductors need to be sleeved😱. A dangerous practice, especially as your outlets use exposed termination screws!
8:53 what I do is I take a strip of electrical tape (about 3”) and fold ¼” back onto itself to create a little flap. Then I take the opposite side and start wrapping the wago, leaving the flap exposed at the end so you can easily grab it and pull the tape off later if you need to get back in there.
Okay so question, if I have 3 Romex cables, two load and one line plus a pigtail, wago does not make a 4 port connector, can I leave one open in the box?
They’re called ivory. And my 3000 sqft house is full of them. WACOs is what I used on a basement living space refurb upgrade. So much nicer than wire nuts. FYI chinesuim knock off Waco are junk and don’t grip very well.
I use those knipex self adjusting strippers too. They are amazing. The only one I’ve ever found that can actually strip Teflon insulated aviation wire and that says a lot!
Do your Wago 221s not have levers like ours in the UK? It looks like you're just pushing the conductor straight in while the lever is closed, instead of opening it, inserting then closing again. I was under the impression that closing the lever causes the Wago to "bite" the conductor thus stopping it coming out. Love your videos by the way.
At 7:26 I explain that you can insert the wire without lifting the lever. It would be fun to do a comparison video with and without using the lever to see if it has any impact.
We dont use wagos in the states, we cut them off and ise wire nuts like a professional. I can yank wires right out of wagos by hand, not doingbthat with a nut.
Regarding 8:09 , I don't know if they are available worldwide, but Wago has another product (for solid wires only) that has no lever at all, you insert it just like he showed at 7:31 and get it out with a twisting pull. It's the Wago 203, and they are even more compact
Leviton Decora Edge Outlets wire connections with the lever ---- I saw you talk about making the wire connection with these in a video. I bought some and opened them up. They look on the outside like they would be similar to a WAGO connection, but inside they are not what one would think. The connection is no different than the back stab holes we all think are a very poor connection! Open one up and dissect the insides, I think you will be as surprised as I was. I am back to shepherds hooks or the flat plate that squeezes the wire. -- Don
I don't understand why you put the outlet in with ground on bottom? If ground pin on top; 1 It is easier to see and line up the plug insertion since the ground pin always engages first. 2 The ground pin protects the hot conductor from anything conductive falling in any gap between a partially inserted plug and the surface of the receptacle. What are the advantages of your way?
Oh great... My OCD just got worse. After I've checked the stove knobs, the faucet handles and the door locks 100 times, I have to go through the entire house, checking to make sure that the screw slots on all of the switch plates and outlets are perfectly horizontal.
Nice, informative video. Instead of tape to secure the levers, you could try small rubber bands, they can be pushed down if you need to lift a lever instead of having to unwrap tape. As for the color, when I wired my shop, I used different color receptacles to indicate circuit, so I have white, brown, grey, orange and blue. That way, when I plug something in, I know what else may be running on that particular circuit. I might mention, each receptacle location is a double-gang box with two receptacles in each box. That gives each box two circuits available incase I need to use two high amp devices at that location. I did take care to put both circuits on the same feed leg in the panel to ensure there cannot be an accidental 240v crossover.
I'm a long-time subscriber, love your videos. I bought the Southwire boxjaw wire stripping tool but I have one question, how much romex do you leave hanging out?
Good tip ( why didn't i think of that?) BTW First time i used the wagos a lever came undone when jamming stiff 12 Ga wires into a small box. So when I'm sure I'm done adding wires i usually do it now. Of course i check for proper insertion before taping
Same thing happened to me in a crowed switch box. Just as I'm about to fully seat the switch into place, I noticed one of the Wago levers had caught on a loop of wire and had unlatched. A couple of wraps of electrical tape took care of it but that almost put off of using Wagos.
What is the gray tool, 1:36, you use to strip off the Romex jacket? I don't see it on your list. Also, when working on outlets, I use a foldable garden kneeler. It makes it easy to get up off of the floor.
I'm not a big fan of pushing wire into the Wagos espessially 12 AWG. Those springs have a lot of tension on them (just snap one on your finger), and I just feel that the chance of damaging one is higher than using the lever. That's just me. As you mentioned, the 'back wiring' insert designs are ok(ish) for something quality (Leviton, etc.) but I don't trust the cheap ones, but that's a whole 'nother discussion. I did pick up some inexpensive outlets that have a backwire hole where the wire is snugged down with a screw driver. They are solid and I used them in a tight space. That Knipex wire stripper/plier is a fantastic tool.
The only back wired outlet I will use are the commercial grade Legrand 20A ones that clamps onto the wire by tightening the side screws. I used them throughout my house because they're so solid and fast to install.
@hochhaul ha. Yep, I just looked at the ones I mentioned, as 'backwired' and they are the Legrand. I just grabbed a couple to add an outlet near my workbench and didn't notice the design until I started to wire them. They're well designed and built. I'm redoing the whole house and will be using them.
I am a fan of the inset outlets with a cover set/ I grew up in a house with antique versions of those. loved them, and wishing I could have some in my current house
First.. excellent video/info. Second.. I leave my screws angled to piss off whoever vertical/horizontal fanboi comes to deal with it next ;). I just got some of those Leviton style outlets and while I love them.. I thought.. missed opportunity.. why not just make the wago style locks big enough to hold TWO wires right there on the outlet. They do often have one on each side and make it pretty easy to install anyway.. but to your prep setup, makes me wonder if those outlets are better than doing the pre-prep like you're doing now because you just strip wire and insert right at the outlet anyway? Lastly.. thanks for helping me spend $80 on a wire stripper and an outlet stripper.. I am a hobbyist DIYer who changes outlets once every few years.. but wth.. those two strippers are so cool I had to have them just in case.
How long do you make your prewires to the outlet? 5"?.....Looks like Eaton is releasing WAGO style outlets soon. This will make it even easier. Its like an evolution how Sharkbites and PEXA are everywhere at Home Depot now. 10 years ago only pro shops.
Is using pigtails necessary? None of the outlets in my house do but my house is also 60 years old They just put the wires on both of the poles on either side of the outlet and twisted the grounds together
Honestly if you only work with solid wires and on Outlets and stuff that is not TOOO frequently replaced just use WAGO 2273 instead of 221. Its more or less the same just without the Levers and you kann still if really needed twist the wire out of them.
I don’t understand any resistance to lever nuts/wagos. They are the best for troubleshooting and preventing loose wires in a wire nut. I have never had a loose connection when using wagos. When taking connections apart just click up, test and reconnect. There videos showing wagos failing at high amperage… The breaker will pop before the wago fails. I used the “push in” type before finding the lever nuts/wago. Never going back to wire nuts.
I have always wired everything ahead of time before getting to the box. My house is older and everything is 12 gauge, so I like the ideal levers better now than the wagos for 12 wire because they attach to the opposite side of the lever. Always felt more comfortable taping the wagos shut with 12 wire. The ideal levers not. Maybe it's just me? Both brands are good, but ideal levers are a little cheaper but slightly bulkier. Also, 10 gauge seems to be easier with the ideal than the wago. I've yanked on 10 gauge in wagos, absolutely seeing and believing they were in, only for them to come out. I just go back to nuts for 10 gauge when I have to use it.
I like the brown covers and white plugs for contrast. Only thing I don't care for with the pre-wired outlets as shown is doing that adds one more unnecessary connection point
Only thing i don't like about passing feed/load through the side of the outlet is when the connection gets weak, it causes more problems with down stream power. It always happens, it may be years, but it always happens. Plus pigtail wut lever nuts, you don't have to turn off the breaker to swap out later, remove the pigtail from the wago, move pigtails to new switch/receptical and basically done.
Ambidextrous vertical or horizontal depends on location and accompanying outlets and devices. But we mustn't forget those who go screwless. FYI there are commercial grade outlets that have a connector on the back with a pigtail that can be pre-installed in the boxes and then the plugs just get plugged in I guess that's a weird sense maybe I should've used receptacle.
I always wonder why you only show 221 Wagos with the lever. Dont you have Wago 2273 in the US? Lever Wagos are great for connectin solid to stranded wires. But for solid connections only 2273 are cheaper and smaller and no lever to get feared.
I’m kinda weird but I’m not into those new modern connectors. While convenient I don’t think it’s as robust as a bare solid copper to copper tightly twisted then capped connection. I also make sure any screw down is firm was well. You’re adding a bus bar and relying on the spring tension of the metal to grab the wire. Heat it up and the spring tension weakens.
No. Strip the jacket off the cable, leave extra length, and fold the wire as far back in the box as you can. Sheetrockers love rotozips and are guaranteed to do damage to some of your wires. Make the joints after the sheetrock is up.
@@solarsynapse happens if you do wire and conduit or mc cable anyway. Removing the jacket makes it easier to fold back. Besides, would you rather have paint on the insulation or wires nicked by a rotozip?
@@ianbelletti6241The painters painted the switches, outlets and data jacks! The drywallers used a long bit once that reached the back of the boxes and destroyed my data cables and the electricians power cables. Good thing I always leave a service loop at the top.
@@solarsynapse that's what a back charge is for. You make them pay for doing things in a way that costs you more parts and labor. They don't need to know about the service loop.
No better connection than twisting solid copper with your linesman pliers and screwing on a wire nut. Just starting to use the wagos, we'll see. Cover plate screw horizontal or vertical?, come on man. And it's not cream color it's freaking Ivory! Lol Good video
These box junctions heat up and catch fire as soon as someone plugs a 15 amp air conditioner into them once the plug connectors or wire connectors get a little oxidation on them over time from dissimilar metals or just the air.
(9:23) KNIPEX is a German company and I'm 99% certain the Germans don't pronounce it "kinnipex". Only an English-speaking narrator who knows no German would mangle it that badly.
Thank you for proper pronunciation! I have Husqvarna mower, chainsaw and string trimmer. EVERYONE says. HUSKA-VARNA. The company says Hoosk-Varna. Of course, the same friends or store clerks call Jalepeño HAL-AH-PEENO or Jalap-panno...not Hal-a-pay-nyo
In Europe we have switches and outlets which have a Wago Style connector built in. No need to attach wires work hooks, screws or something similar. Strip the isolation, put it into the connector on the outlet and you're done
If you would have watched the video until at least 5:49, you would have seen this also exists in the US.
The problem is that in Europe we don't join cables in the box where the socket or switch is installed, this is usually done in separate central boxes. This way you allways know where to go instead of opening up all sockets to see where they are connected.
@BenvanBroekhuijsen et al. The benefit of pigtails over passing through the receptacle is that your entire circuit does not go down due to a faulty receptacle. The faulty receptacle is where the problem lies, so there is no need for searching.
Wago and push connectors handle more than enough for what the wire is rated for. The little "bus bar" inside the connector is enough. I love it for lighting and switches because you know they are going to get changed in 20-30 years or less. Receptacles may go 50+ years. Might only consider a mechanical connection with wire nut for 20amp or kitchen, bathroom receptacles that are going to see high draw on the regular.
Depends how soon the renovation will be--might as well make it easier on the next guy... next guy might also be me.
My only doubts are that I have yet to see the 1000 x heating cycles test on Wagos that might cause the failure of the plastic/tensioning mechanism. Even then, they will arc themselves into oblivion and/or trip the arc fault breaker. Just a little puff of smoke. Nothing compared to the crap North Americans do with extension cords and power bars that get surrounded by loads of flammable stuff.
Nervous Nelly sparkies and DIY should go back to SOLDERING their wire connections like the "good old days" so they can sleep at night in their belts and suspenders.
Not all receptacles and switches in the EU do have the wago style terminals. On top of that, this kind of pre-wired appliances still can save some time. It is much effortful to plug the wires to a small appliance and then to bend the wires in the right direction to better fit them in the box. The way described you just come to the box and connect wires color on color, it can be done by anybody.
Never use stab ins on receptacles. It's bad practice and can cause fires. It's been proven time and time again that they're far less reliable than hooks. Never take shortcuts to save a minute when that building may stand 100 years.
@@ivosscz not all but almost all do. Time those saves vs cost benefits customer and contractor in many cases.
I did this exact thing building my house. I made pigtails and sat on the couch watching tv putting the pigtails on 100 receptacles, then just go back when they’re ready to install. Putting the WAGOs on when rough wiring made it possible to safely energize the circuit for local temp power at strategic locations.
feedback: I hate long videos that could've been one paragraph.
That’s most American content. At least he’s not got a baseball cap on. Yawn.
Don’t watch
@@MiDeb won't. It's crap.
Refuse to Watch 10 Minutes of Filler, skipped around, never Found, Put at Start of Video. IF someone wants to Waste 9 1/2 minutes, Is a Jerk way to do Videos.😢
🤡
Very timely video, I'm headed to my son's house to help him build a couple of cabinets and book shelves that will have outlets and switches in them. We've done a lot of renovations, and these tips will make it that much easier. At 65 years old, making things simpler, and doing as little bending of my aching back is always a better way to go. Love your channel, and best wishes of getting to 1M subscribers.
Great of you to help with those projects and best of luck with it! Thank you so much for the kind words!
My first use of WAGO's was to replace the light fixture of a ceiling fan. Those made a big difference when dealing with stranded wiring. I have also used them to replace a double receptacle with a single 4-way oulet. Made the box less crowded doing away with those extra wiring connections.
I love using "WAGO" electrical connectors, and setting yourself up for success!
Yes, I am a homeowner and a Handyman whom uses "WAGO" electrical connectors all the time. I find them to be easy and efficient to use whilst making electrical connections.
Your ideas are sound and have excellent merit!
Well done, Sir!
I still use wire nuts, just starting to use wagos but, I always pigtail all the time. I love my knipex strippers. As far as the plate screw, I put it diagonally at 8 and 2, that way, I know if anybody's messed around with the device. 👍👍👍👍
Plate screw at 8 & 2 to know if its been messed with ... nice touch.
8:35, electrical tape: What Wago can do then is to come out with plastic caps that can quickly secure all the latches and, of course, can easily be removed.
I'm a firm believer in eliminating as many connection points as possible. So when ever possible making the connection directly to the receptacle. Vertical for the screw.
Especially some of the chinese wago clones get hot at higher amps
FYI....terminating one set of wires directly is just fine, if you have more than one set with a load wire exiting the box you should not terminate these into the outlet some version of a pig tail is superior. This puts all the circuit load on the prior outlets. If outlet fails everything down line potentially fails.
@@davidporter4724The outlet failing that way is extremely unlikely. The terminal pairs are connected by a solid bar. If that somehow happens, having the rest of the chain fail is more of a feature rather than a bug ;)
Hi. I just watched your mini split installation. You can upsize your supply wire size to 10 awg but you can't upsize the circuit protection. The equipment requires a maximum 15 amp circuit protection in order to cut off past that for safety reasons. The unit should be protected by fuses or a ckt breaker of 15 amps.
I liked the video, that's a fantastic idea. I'm an RV technician, and I use Wagos all the time for stranded low voltage wire. But, I've had mixed results on solid wire in an RV that's moving constantly.
Automotive tends to use stranded for good reason. Is solid core standard in RVs?
@@chaos.corner it is for the "house" wiring. it's in romex, and often uses mash-on devices with insulation displacement connections. goes together fast, fails fast.
@@chaos.corner The low voltage (DC) wire is stranded, But most house wiring that is A/C, is 12 and 14 gauge Romex
Vertical prevents dust from settling inside
If you have dust in those boxes, you really need to upgrade your ventilation.
I have been doing this for a _long_ time. Using Wagos on the first fix means you can test the wiring before the walls are lined (1st fix). When testing is sound then use 4 inches of flexible wire in the receptacles. Done on a bench. Then the receptacle is easily pushed back with no stress on connections as the wire is flexible.
as a total rookie here I discovered two-way Wagos (like in-and-out) realy made my first job go easy
I saw those a while back and now have them on the way here, if Amazon can find my package.
Did I miss the part where he explains why to leave one port empty?
6:09 it's so he can wire the outlets separately at a bench or desk, then bring them back and just plug them into the empty port.
@@MonkeyPunchZPoker So in the end, it's not empty. A bit misleading.
What does wiring them at the bench have to do with leaving a extra port open? If you connect a positive to one port you will connect the positive to the same port on the opposite side... why would I leave a port open.... if I have three wires, I use the three port.... positive negative ground. Video gets a thumbs down just for the misleading info.
@@chadswanson2295 Not to be one of those guys, but technically, there is no Positive or Negative with AC Volts. Also, those three wires would NEVER be connected on the same Wago / Wire Nut. You might have three blacks, with one being the hot, one being the feed to the next outlet, and the third being the outlet. In this scenario, you would have three wagos (one for the blacks, one for the whites, and one for the grounds). I am confident you already knew this, but since details matter, I wanted to ensure anyone reading the comments could follow along.
I’m so slow in remodeling my house that I first started using wire nuts and bought a bunch in 2008. When WAGOS made it to Amazon years later I switched the newest outlets (pigtailed) to them. The biggest benefit is my 4 gang light switch box at the front door for 2 sets of timer lights for the front door and garage down lights are fed by a dimmer switch. The key is the indoor inside door light for the stairwell is a 3 way switch. WAGO’s made hooking up the connections a lot easier as less space used. Also the real beauty is the MULTIWIRE BRANCH CIRCUIT that feeds this switch and 3/4 of the lights upstairs and some bedroom outlets is now on a WAGO. So I don’t have to cut power when I needed to add the one outlet in the garage that was originally part of this big circuit. I can keep it energized and when the GFCI outlet trips it won’t take out the whole upstairs. WAGOs are the way.
How long did you hang on to all of those wire nuts thinking "I'll sell those at a garage sale someday." before you pitched them all in the trash. (6 years for me, finally pitched them all last weekend.)
Fast forward to 6:10 for the fun part if you want to skip the preamble and forward.
Good video for traditional outlets and switches. But if you using sidewire ones, I'd think you could insert the wire (from the box) directly into the sidewire, vs creating and attaching pigtails for each, and connecting with level nuts.
I buy lengths of stranded wire to use for the pigtails and it's even easier. You could make pigtails up in advance if you wanted too fro even more speed.Every box I do now has wagos or ideal lever connectors to a stranded pigtail.
Cool video as most of yours are, HOWEVER, I'm going to fuss at you. In your video you connected the HOT, then the NEUTRAL and lastly the GRD. Having been in the industry for over 30yrs, I always disconnect the HOT 1st, Neutral 2nd and GRD last. I connect them in the reverse order. Just my two cents worth.
Yeah I believe that is the way it is supposed to be done. But does it really matter if the power is off?
Get a life. If you were working live ( hot for you guys I guess) then yes maybe but if you have proved dead its whatever makes you happy
In europe we conect Hot Grn Neutral
I did make the comment about wrapping the body of the wago to keep the levers from inadvertently lifting when pushing everything into the box upon closing everything up. The customer I was working for had a policy of this detail on all terminations using the wago connection. If Scotch 33 tape is used and not the cheap off brand tape, and one leaves a tail on the wrap, it makes it easier for the next guy that needs to open that connection in the future. 9:23
What would make this even better for prep, is if there were snap-in locations inside the boxes for the wagos to be fastened down.
"I'm from the ISO, and I'm here to help".
I absolutely love WAGO connectors, if you're using only solid core wire you can use the WAGO 2273 they don't have levers, they're only pushin.
Another advantage is we can make a stock of outlets or switch already made, and use then on the job.
Spitballing here, but instead of using sticky electrical tape to hold the levers down, what if you used a rubber band? Eventually it will dry out and crumble but what’s the harm? Arguably it’s only needed during installation. Just a thought.
Hmmm. I’ve always done it this way. Good to share for those doing it the hard way all these years.
That prep work was wonderful for me. Having all the prepped receptacles, switches, tools and and other supplies on a cart to wheel from spot to spot was really helpful too.
I use a detail cart for detailing cars to make up recepts. It has a drawer on the side and a tray on the front and back to hold stuff. Works pretty good and easy on the knees for all day work. I'm tall enough to make up switch boxes too from the cart.
Great video and you definitely deserve over a million subscribers.
As a frequent electrical DIYer, I actually use both WAGO lever nuts and wire nuts (either Ideal or CE) pretty equally. I always use WAGOs when I'm making junction boxes, installing fixtures on a ladder, or extending short wires using their inline connectors. Otherwise, I'm good with wire nuts.
Also, I like how Ideal has their alternative to WAGOs, which has made it to the big box stores (where I buy my wire nuts from). I like their design better since the levers face the opposite direction which makes connections safer and easier to use IMO. I wish I could get those but I'm now stuck with a bunch of WAGOs so no going back lol
What we really need is an outlet/box combination where the wired outlet just snaps into the wall box without screws and can be released if needed by some sort of latch with a flat blade screwdriver. Even better if the box contained all the connections and the outlet just "plugged in" to permanent contacts that were part of the box itself.
Yeah how hard is that. Sheesh. Electric peeps too safe no imagination
Nice tips. One thing I noticed is in your demo of the Wagos is you put in a white and a black wire in to the same Wago. Not how it would ever be in a box. If the white was marked as a hot then you could.
Instead of cream or white we opted for all black switches and outlets in our new house. We’re really happy with the style choice and get a lot of compliments. The biggest con for us is that it really limited my options for smart switches.
Decor Plugs And Switches Are Not Worth The Extra cash!! And Black Is DATED! White Is The Most Common Color Today And Ivory Was back In The 70's Brown Screams 60's etc.
I’ve been doing this for years, even before wago clips, I’d do it with wire nuts, I just didn’t pre connect the two wires in the box, just leave them hang, go to my bench (kitchen table) wire up the plugs/switches and the only thing I’d have to do at the box is twist’em up.
Heat shrink tubing can be used to cover the levers instead of tape. It makes a much better strain relief and can easily be adjusted to leave the wago wiring window visible. The only down side is having to use a heat gun to apply the heat shrink tubing.
By the time you go through all that you might as well use wire nuts.
Great video Nils! My sister bought me the volt claw - OMG it is freakin amazing. I added an outlet for her new gas stove and I was pushing in the 12awg wires with my thumb. I'm like get this voltclaw for me for Christmas. The next day there was an amazon package from her. I used it in my shed wiring. Super awesome for pushing in the wires, pulling wires but also using it to bend the wires for a panel.
Thanks, John! I had never heard of the VoltClaw so I just looked it up and I'll have to try one. Great tip!
Can you post a link for us? Thank You.
I got that voltclaw too. Makes bending/maneuvering 12g wires around so much easier.
if you put wago on socket side first you have to bend down twice. If you instead wago on socket pigtail first and to the socket romex last, you have to bend down only once. Small optimization. but two bends, once for stripping and one for wago is less than 3.
If you use the outlets with the levers you don't need the WAGOs. Just walk up to the box and snap the outlet onto the wires. Like someone else here has said I don't like adding more junctions than necessary.
I also would never use outlets where I have to bend the wire around a screw if the type with the screw plate (where you put in a straight wire and tighten the screw to clamp it) is available. (Or better yet use the lever ones.) Of all the connection types I've used in several decades wrapping a wire around a screw head is the most troublesome.
Wagos means you test at the 1st fix to ensure wiring OK before walls are closed up. Then also at the 2nd fix.
Vertical! I resulisted it for a long time, but I just tried the Wagos for the first time and I REALLY like them.
I can never get my head around the fact that US electrical regs don’t dictate that the earth (grounding) conductors need to be sleeved😱. A dangerous practice, especially as your outlets use exposed termination screws!
That's why most of us will wrap the term screws with electrical tape.
8:53 what I do is I take a strip of electrical tape (about 3”) and fold ¼” back onto itself to create a little flap. Then I take the opposite side and start wrapping the wago, leaving the flap exposed at the end so you can easily grab it and pull the tape off later if you need to get back in there.
Okay so question, if I have 3 Romex cables, two load and one line plus a pigtail, wago does not make a 4 port connector, can I leave one open in the box?
Congratulations on getting over 1.000.000 subs! And thanks for this tip. Very handy!
They’re called ivory. And my 3000 sqft house is full of them. WACOs is what I used on a basement living space refurb upgrade. So much nicer than wire nuts. FYI chinesuim knock off Waco are junk and don’t grip very well.
Horizontal is just more aesthetic to my eyes.
I use those knipex self adjusting strippers too. They are amazing. The only one I’ve ever found that can actually strip Teflon insulated aviation wire and that says a lot!
Was doing this, but this gave me a more cleaner way to do it in a more streamlined manor.
Do your Wago 221s not have levers like ours in the UK? It looks like you're just pushing the conductor straight in while the lever is closed, instead of opening it, inserting then closing again. I was under the impression that closing the lever causes the Wago to "bite" the conductor thus stopping it coming out. Love your videos by the way.
At 7:26 I explain that you can insert the wire without lifting the lever. It would be fun to do a comparison video with and without using the lever to see if it has any impact.
We dont use wagos in the states, we cut them off and ise wire nuts like a professional. I can yank wires right out of wagos by hand, not doingbthat with a nut.
@@Roofer0420 you use some china copy what steals your data. You need twist and pull with real WAGO. With bad luck wire snaps anyways before.
203 wago is leverless it's ment for permanent install and 221 wago is for like lamp or stranded wire.
@@Roofer0420lol what state?
Regarding 8:09 , I don't know if they are available worldwide, but Wago has another product (for solid wires only) that has no lever at all, you insert it just like he showed at 7:31 and get it out with a twisting pull. It's the Wago 203, and they are even more compact
Leviton Decora Edge Outlets wire connections with the lever ---- I saw you talk about making the wire connection with these in a video. I bought some and opened them up. They look on the outside like they would be similar to a WAGO connection, but inside they are not what one would think. The connection is no different than the back stab holes we all think are a very poor connection! Open one up and dissect the insides, I think you will be as surprised as I was. I am back to shepherds hooks or the flat plate that squeezes the wire.
--
Don
Good to know that, Don. I know that if you wiggle the receptacle back and forth, the wires will come out easily.
I don't understand why you put the outlet in with ground on bottom? If ground pin on top;
1 It is easier to see and line up the plug insertion since the ground pin always engages first.
2 The ground pin protects the hot conductor from anything conductive falling in any gap between a partially inserted plug and the surface of the receptacle.
What are the advantages of your way?
Lol i was uncomfortable watching you insert wires without opening the wago
Oh great... My OCD just got worse. After I've checked the stove knobs, the faucet handles and the door locks 100 times, I have to go through the entire house, checking to make sure that the screw slots on all of the switch plates and outlets are perfectly horizontal.
😂
Nice, informative video. Instead of tape to secure the levers, you could try small rubber bands, they can be pushed down if you need to lift a lever instead of having to unwrap tape.
As for the color, when I wired my shop, I used different color receptacles to indicate circuit, so I have white, brown, grey, orange and blue. That way, when I plug something in, I know what else may be running on that particular circuit. I might mention, each receptacle location is a double-gang box with two receptacles in each box. That gives each box two circuits available incase I need to use two high amp devices at that location. I did take care to put both circuits on the same feed leg in the panel to ensure there cannot be an accidental 240v crossover.
Rubber rots. Orange outlets indicate "clean" power for sensitive devices.
I'm a long-time subscriber, love your videos. I bought the Southwire boxjaw wire stripping tool but I have one question, how much romex do you leave hanging out?
Good tip ( why didn't i think of that?) BTW First time i used the wagos a lever came undone when jamming stiff 12 Ga wires into a small box. So when I'm sure I'm done adding wires i usually do it now. Of course i check for proper insertion before taping
Same thing happened to me in a crowed switch box. Just as I'm about to fully seat the switch into place, I noticed one of the Wago levers had caught on a loop of wire and had unlatched. A couple of wraps of electrical tape took care of it but that almost put off of using Wagos.
I tried them once (name brand) and one easily broke apart. Easy, but expensive and a poor connection.
I put an off-white receptable in a room with wallpaper because it matched the colors in the paper much better than the white.
What is the gray tool, 1:36, you use to strip off the Romex jacket? I don't see it on your list. Also, when working on outlets, I use a foldable garden kneeler. It makes it easy to get up off of the floor.
As a DIY, I have loved using the Edge Decora Lever outlets.
I'm not a big fan of pushing wire into the Wagos espessially 12 AWG. Those springs have a lot of tension on them (just snap one on your finger), and I just feel that the chance of damaging one is higher than using the lever. That's just me.
As you mentioned, the 'back wiring' insert designs are ok(ish) for something quality (Leviton, etc.) but I don't trust the cheap ones, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.
I did pick up some inexpensive outlets that have a backwire hole where the wire is snugged down with a screw driver. They are solid and I used them in a tight space.
That Knipex wire stripper/plier is a fantastic tool.
The only back wired outlet I will use are the commercial grade Legrand 20A ones that clamps onto the wire by tightening the side screws. I used them throughout my house because they're so solid and fast to install.
@hochhaul ha. Yep, I just looked at the ones I mentioned, as 'backwired' and they are the Legrand. I just grabbed a couple to add an outlet near my workbench and didn't notice the design until I started to wire them.
They're well designed and built. I'm redoing the whole house and will be using them.
My screws are parallel to receptacle slots and light switches. In most cases Team Vertical, unless the box is mounted sideways.
I like that it “enchances” safety. 1:00
You gotta ask yourself. Do you feel lucky?
Gracias por la informacion, amigo,...
bastante util, siempre,...
Saludos a la distancia,..
I am a fan of the inset outlets with a cover set/ I grew up in a house with antique versions of those. loved them, and wishing I could have some in my current house
First.. excellent video/info. Second.. I leave my screws angled to piss off whoever vertical/horizontal fanboi comes to deal with it next ;). I just got some of those Leviton style outlets and while I love them.. I thought.. missed opportunity.. why not just make the wago style locks big enough to hold TWO wires right there on the outlet. They do often have one on each side and make it pretty easy to install anyway.. but to your prep setup, makes me wonder if those outlets are better than doing the pre-prep like you're doing now because you just strip wire and insert right at the outlet anyway? Lastly.. thanks for helping me spend $80 on a wire stripper and an outlet stripper.. I am a hobbyist DIYer who changes outlets once every few years.. but wth.. those two strippers are so cool I had to have them just in case.
How long do you make your prewires to the outlet? 5"?.....Looks like Eaton is releasing WAGO style outlets soon. This will make it even easier. Its like an evolution how Sharkbites and PEXA are everywhere at Home Depot now. 10 years ago only pro shops.
Is using pigtails necessary? None of the outlets in my house do but my house is also 60 years old
They just put the wires on both of the poles on either side of the outlet and twisted the grounds together
Honestly if you only work with solid wires and on Outlets and stuff that is not TOOO frequently replaced just use WAGO 2273 instead of 221. Its more or less the same just without the Levers and you kann still if really needed twist the wire out of them.
congrats on hitting 1,000,000!
very clearly, thank you
this is how I did every plug/switch in my house when we built it. Made it so much easier.
You don't t condone backstabbing, but you're using wago. Basically the same connection type. Both have higher resistance, which creates higher temps.
Great tips, why didn't I think of this...30 years ago!
I don’t understand any resistance to lever nuts/wagos. They are the best for troubleshooting and preventing loose wires in a wire nut. I have never had a loose connection when using wagos. When taking connections apart just click up, test and reconnect. There videos showing wagos failing at high amperage… The breaker will pop before the wago fails. I used the “push in” type before finding the lever nuts/wago. Never going back to wire nuts.
I have the Knipex strippers... love them. Never noticed the cutter on top until you used them on this video. :D
Doing a great job man. I think we have a lot in common in our video styles. Keep it up and good luck on the $1m subs!
I have always wired everything ahead of time before getting to the box. My house is older and everything is 12 gauge, so I like the ideal levers better now than the wagos for 12 wire because they attach to the opposite side of the lever. Always felt more comfortable taping the wagos shut with 12 wire. The ideal levers not. Maybe it's just me? Both brands are good, but ideal levers are a little cheaper but slightly bulkier. Also, 10 gauge seems to be easier with the ideal than the wago. I've yanked on 10 gauge in wagos, absolutely seeing and believing they were in, only for them to come out. I just go back to nuts for 10 gauge when I have to use it.
I'm all about "Enchancing" Safety 🤣
Would it be best to NOT show a white and black wire inserted into the same wago?
Great video. I've never thought of this.
Team oriented to true north.
Video summary:
Put wagos in the box 3:36 - 4:07
Pre-build your device on the comfortable work area 5:02 - 5:57
Install comfortably 6:10 - 6:33
Okay so what if I have 4 wires??? Can I use the wago 5 conductor and leave one open permanently? Idk why they don’t make a 4 count?
I like the brown covers and white plugs for contrast.
Only thing I don't care for with the pre-wired outlets as shown is doing that adds one more unnecessary connection point
Only thing i don't like about passing feed/load through the side of the outlet is when the connection gets weak, it causes more problems with down stream power. It always happens, it may be years, but it always happens.
Plus pigtail wut lever nuts, you don't have to turn off the breaker to swap out later, remove the pigtail from the wago, move pigtails to new switch/receptical and basically done.
That color for the cover plate that you're groping for is IVORY.
Also, almond.
Great video. Thanks. White only, no cream color.
Im a rebel - diagonal.
Ambidextrous vertical or horizontal depends on location and accompanying outlets and devices. But we mustn't forget those who go screwless.
FYI there are commercial grade outlets that have a connector on the back with a pigtail that can be pre-installed in the boxes and then the plugs just get plugged in I guess that's a weird sense maybe I should've used receptacle.
So timely! Keep it coming.
I always wonder why you only show 221 Wagos with the lever. Dont you have Wago 2273 in the US?
Lever Wagos are great for connectin solid to stranded wires. But for solid connections only 2273 are cheaper and smaller and no lever to get feared.
I’m kinda weird but I’m not into those new modern connectors. While convenient I don’t think it’s as robust as a bare solid copper to copper tightly twisted then capped connection. I also make sure any screw down is firm was well. You’re adding a bus bar and relying on the spring tension of the metal to grab the wire. Heat it up and the spring tension weakens.
The screwless connectors have been used in Germany for decades. They even have them to commercial sized cables.
Always team horizontal! Great video
Nice. Thanks for watching and representing!
No. Strip the jacket off the cable, leave extra length, and fold the wire as far back in the box as you can. Sheetrockers love rotozips and are guaranteed to do damage to some of your wires. Make the joints after the sheetrock is up.
Then the painters paint...EVERYTHING!
@@solarsynapse happens if you do wire and conduit or mc cable anyway. Removing the jacket makes it easier to fold back. Besides, would you rather have paint on the insulation or wires nicked by a rotozip?
@@ianbelletti6241The painters painted the switches, outlets and data jacks! The drywallers used a long bit once that reached the back of the boxes and destroyed my data cables and the electricians power cables. Good thing I always leave a service loop at the top.
@@solarsynapse that's what a back charge is for. You make them pay for doing things in a way that costs you more parts and labor. They don't need to know about the service loop.
@@ianbelletti6241 👍
No better connection than twisting solid copper with your linesman pliers and screwing on a wire nut.
Just starting to use the wagos, we'll see.
Cover plate screw horizontal or vertical?, come on man.
And it's not cream color it's freaking Ivory! Lol
Good video
For solid wires im mostly using WAGO 2273 series. Way less space and little better connection
I appreciate telling them showing
These box junctions heat up and catch fire as soon as someone plugs a 15 amp air conditioner into them once the plug connectors or wire connectors get a little oxidation on them over time from dissimilar metals or just the air.
Thank you for sharing your experience
(9:23) KNIPEX is a German company and I'm 99% certain the Germans don't pronounce it "kinnipex". Only an English-speaking narrator who knows no German would mangle it that badly.
In the uk we now have the Wago style connectors on plug sockets
Thank you for proper pronunciation! I have Husqvarna mower, chainsaw and string trimmer. EVERYONE says. HUSKA-VARNA. The company says Hoosk-Varna. Of course, the same friends or store clerks call Jalepeño HAL-AH-PEENO or Jalap-panno...not Hal-a-pay-nyo