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When laying the wiring in the house, you can not do without connecting the wires. After all, a network with branches is laid around the house to power certain electrical appliances.
The need for wiring
Distribution boxes are used to branch the electrical network. But they are intended only to hide the connections of the branches of the electrical network.
The need for a wiring connection is ubiquitous. They connect wiring in different ways in the house, electrical appliances, cars, in general, wherever there are wires.
Now there are several ways to connect the wiring. Each of them has its positive and negative qualities.
The most common ways are:
- Scroll;
- Soldering;
- Welding;
- Use of terminal blocks, blocks;
- Use of self-clamping terminal blocks;
- Use of connecting insulating clamps (PPE caps).
Scrolling
The simplest and most common way to connect wires is the usual twist.
For this type of connection, only a stripping knife and pliers are required from the equipment to ensure a reliable connection. However, in the end, the place of twisting will need to be insulated.
Twisting is done in several ways.
The simplest is the mutual twisting of the stripped ends of the wiring.
For reliability, it is desirable to expose the wires by at least 5 cm. Next, the bare ends are crossed so that the edges of the insulation touch, and then they grab the crosshairs of the wires with the sponges of the pliers and twist them with a rotational movement.
After twisting, the connection is bent to one side so that the twist lies parallel to the wire. Then the connection is isolated.
The second method is also an effective and simple twist.
The stripped ends of the wires in the middle are slightly bent, and in the place of the bend the wires are hooked together.
After the end of one wire is wrapped around the second, it is also made with the other end of the wiring.
For reliability, the windings made can be slightly tightened with pliers. Then everything is isolated.
The next method is a bandage connection. For such a twist, you need a piece of stripped wire.
The two wires to be connected are laid parallel to each other so that the stripped ends touch along their entire length.
Then they are wrapped with the available segment, a kind of bandage is obtained.
The last of the used methods of twisting that can be found is groove twisting.
To perform it, small hooks are made from the ends of the wires, which interlock with each other, and then one end of the wire is wound around the second.
More complex types of wire connections are presented below.
Now about ways to isolate twists.
Often, various types of electrical tape are used for insulation. When using it, it is necessary to wrap not only the place of twisting, it must go on the insulation of the wires for at least 2-3 cm.
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This will provide complete insulation, including from moisture.
In addition to electrical tape, it is possible to use thermotubes.
Such a tube of the desired length is put on one of the wires before twisting.
After twisting, the tube is pushed onto the junction. In order for it to tightly wrap around the wiring, it needs to be heated a little, for example, with a lighter.
Due to the heat, the tube will shrink to provide a tight fit.
The positive qualities of twists include ease of implementation with minimal equipment, while they are considered quite reliable.
If good insulation is provided, then the twist can last a long time. Also, the twist itself is a detachable connection, you can twist it at any time.
It is considered more preferable in networks that are not fixed and can sag, which is especially important for cars where vibration constantly affects the wiring.
Among the shortcomings, it is noted that it is impossible to connect wires of different sections, the resistance in such a twist can be very high, which will lead to heating and melting of the insulating layer.
Stranding is difficult to join multi-core cables. They are too soft, so when stretched, the connection may break.
If several insulated cores are used in the wiring, then after insulating each core, the total thickness at the junction can be very large.
Also, twisting is not recommended to connect cables made of different metals, for example, aluminum and copper.
This will affect both reliability and increased resistance at the junction of the wires.
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Пайка
The next method of connecting wires, which is often used, is soldering.
It is noteworthy that soldering is only an improvement in twist. That is, the wires must be twisted before soldering, and then soldered.
To perform soldering, a soldering iron and solder are used. Thanks to this connection, the stranding strength of a multi-core cable can be significantly increased.
The advantages of soldering include an increase in strength, especially for stranded wires.
After soldering at the junction, the resistance will be much lower, which means that the twist will not heat up. However, soldering is used only on copper stranded wiring, aluminum soldering does not work. At the same time, soldering is very fragile, and if it is performed incorrectly, the connection will be unreliable.
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Сварка
Another way to improve the twist is welding. Again, welding is just a method to increase the reliability of the strand.
It is not applicable for aluminum wires; welding is used only on large-section copper cables.
Reliability in welding is much higher than in soldering. It is a good way to improve the connections in the junction box, but welding is still not very practical.
In addition, it will require special equipment, a welding inverter.
Welding is not used on aluminum wiring, an additional disadvantage is the possibility of weakening the twist, since with strong heating of the wires, which will be necessary during the welding process, it is possible to loosen the twist itself due to a change in the physical properties of the metal.
Soldering and welding cannot be considered separate methods of connection, they only provide additional reliability.
Also, after using a soldering iron or a welding machine, the junction will still have to be isolated.
Terminal blocks and blocks
But the use of terminal blocks and blocks is a completely separate way of connecting wires.
The terminal block and block are a small metal plate with contacts on the edges.
This plate is encased in insulating plastic. Bolts are often used to clamp wires.
The difference between a terminal block and a block comes down to the fact that the terminal block allows you to connect only two wires, and the block is designed for several connections.
Simply put, a block is several terminal blocks connected together, allowing for several separate connections.
To connect two wires, it is enough to clean their ends from insulation, and you don’t need to clean a lot, 0,5 cm is enough, it is only important that the cleaned end reaches the contact.
In this case, the bare wire should not protrude beyond the edges of the terminal block, in order to avoid accidentally touching it.
Next, the bolt is clamped with a screwdriver, ensuring reliable contact of the wire with the plate.
On the other side of the terminal block, the other end of the wire is fixed. The metal plate will act as a bridge between them.
When using a terminal block, only two wires are connected by them, for the subsequent ones another terminal block is used.
The block also allows you to provide several connections, which, with a large number of wires, will result in more compact dimensions.
Terminal blocks and pads are good because they allow you to interconnect wiring made of different metals and differing in cross section.
In addition, they are detachable, at any time you can disconnect the desired wire. They are good for both solid and stranded wires.
Their disadvantages include the increased dimensions of the connection, especially for the pads.
Hiding terminal blocks and blocks can be very difficult. In addition, conventional terminal blocks will not allow you to make a tie-in into the wiring, twisting this allows. But about the sidebar – a little lower.
READ ON TOPIC: What are NShVI lugs for crimping wires.
Terminal blocks self-clamping
Self-clamping terminal blocks are a variation of conventional terminal blocks. They provide an even faster connection because you don’t even need to use a screwdriver.
The contacts in them are spring-loaded, therefore, to connect the cables, it is enough to insert the ends of the wiring into the holes with the contacts.
When installing, you need to overcome the force of the spring, after which it will press the contact to the wire. It is noted that this method is very convenient for stranded wires.
Among the disadvantages of such a connection, one can single out a not particularly reliable connection; it will not be difficult to pull out the wiring from the terminal block. This is especially true for single-core wires of large cross section.
A common disadvantage for terminal blocks is the possibility of moisture getting on the contacts, which can lead to their oxidation and disruption.
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connections.
PPE caps
PPE caps are a simple and convenient way to connect. They are produced in three types – without contacts, as well as with clamping and spring-loaded contacts.
Caps without contacts are made of insulating material only. They are designed to isolate the twist.
They are put on top of the twist, protecting it from moisture.
Caps provide easy access to the wire connection, often used in junction boxes.
Caps with screw terminals have a soft metal ring inside. Such a cap is put on a twist, and for a better connection with pliers, the installed ring is compressed.
This cap can also be used as a separate connection, without prior twisting.
The wires, stripped of insulation, are inserted into the cap ring, after which it is clamped with pliers. These caps provide a virtually permanent connection.
Caps with spring contact work identically to those described, but you don’t need to clamp anything on them, the spring inside will ensure the reliability of fastening. This cap has a detachable connection.
Wire insert
At the end, a few words about the sidebar. Most often, twisting is used for such a connection.
On the wire to which you want to connect another wire, a small area is cleared of insulation. The stripped end of the connected wire is wound on the cleaned area, after which everything is insulated with electrical tape.
It is possible to use a special terminal block for tapping. It has a T-shape and consists of two halves with a plate laid in them.
Such a terminal block with two halves covers the cleared area to which the tie-in will be made. And a wire is connected to the side outlet of this terminal block, which must be powered.
All used types of electrical network connections have been considered here.
And although the electrical network has been used for a long time, the best connection of two wires is still ordinary twisting, perhaps in addition reinforced by soldering or welding.