Nice connectors for joining/adding wires

[Breezy_Pete]

I came across these nice connectors recently:

 

 

Known as Wago Spring Lever Connectors. They're available in two, three, and five-way versions. From all sorts of places including Screwfix, ebay, everywhere.  Apparently they're compliant with the latest domestic wiring regs, although the 85°C temperature rating might restrict their use slightly in automotive applications (not too near engine).

 

The idea is, you hinge the little orange levers up to the vertical, shove in a wire with the end stripped, then push the lever back down (which it does very positively). As many wires as you push into the connector as a whole all become connected together.

 

So instead of Scotch Lock type things, you can splice into an existing wire by cutting it, stripping then feeding both ends into adjacent holes of a three-way one of these, then add your new wire into the third hole.

 

I think they're neat. No fiddly screw-terminals like a traditional terminal block. So you only need something to cut and strip your wires with.  If you want to splice further wires into the same spot, use a five-way one.

 

Anyone else used them in-car?

 

 

 

[rum4mo]

These things appeared in some American equipment that I used to use at work, in the main they replaced "screwits" and were used on control circuit wiring only, a secondary use was where control boards did not have enough terminal points and where in the past the way round that was to reduce the number of strands being used to allow a second wire to be terminated, that also meant we would complain, so again these things got round that one as well.

 

I spotted them in Screwfix some time later and bought a kit and a couple of the two box sizes that are also offered, mainly to sort out an issue I have where I am replacing a cloakroom light fitting that is "loop in" with a new fitting that just accommodates LN+E and I can't move the fitting away from its position because the original wiring is too tight. My plan is to use some of these Wago connectors to reterminate all the existing wiring and add a LN+E leaving the connectors sealed inside the right size of box in the ceiling space, the box size means that I can get away with opening up the hole slightly - that is the plan!

 

Contamination in the form of moisture and salt would stop me from using these things in a car, so I'd stick with soldering and covering with heat shrink tubing - maybe even "atom" tubing - the sort with the heat activated adhesive/sealer built into it.

[Breezy_Pete]

Ah, yeah, forgot to mention sealing.  Because all the wires come in from the same direction, should be relatively easy to incarcerate in insulation tape, self-amalgamating tape, or heatshrink, adhesive or otherwise. I was mainly thinking of in-cabin use, where most people would be 'tinkering', obviously outside of the cabin such sealing would be essential rather than 'would be nice'.

[Breezy_Pete]

Hmm, I think I've just realised why these may be of limited usefulness. VW group are so tight (in both senses) with their wire lengths, that there is probably rarely enough slack to insert one of these into a cut wire.  I can also imagine a lot of people being rather reluctant to cut their looms, reasonably enough. I do hate Scotch Locks though. I guess these (2-way) Wago things could be useful in conjunction with repair wires, for joining new bit to old broken bit, tool-lessly?

Edited 7 March, 2016 by Wino

[175GDY]

I used a few of these when I installed the Webasto heater
 

[Breezy_Pete]

Thanks for your input, they look interesting.

I had a very happy week in Kristiansand once. Almost 32 years ago now!