Polaris Connectors

[mobiledynamics]

Planning to tidy up some wiring I had the Pro Spark do eons back....
too small J Box, #6 with wire nuts, etc.

Polaris makes connectors in all shapes and sizes.
Is there any *right* or *wrong* way when choosing such styles or it just boils down to volume and the preferred entrance/exit of how you want the cables on the connectors.

 

[Jlarson]

Who told you #6 in a wirenut was wrong? Most big blues are listed for 2x #6.

Polaris are pretty simple

Don't over or undersize (right size for the wire)
Don't use Blacks when you should be using Greys (fine strand)
Don't use Blacks when you should be using Blues (UG splices)
Use a torque driver or wrench

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Yeah blue nuts work fine with 2 #6 wires. And theyre a whole lot cheaper than polaris connectors...

 

[mobiledynamics]

Larson - I was just looking at all the blacks. Saw the blues for burial...
Now I know about the grays

I never said a wirenut was wrong....I swapped whatever he put it with my 3m blues with the ~boot~ on them when I undid the cover when I drilled out weep holes on the bottom of it...Polaris just seems to be cleaner way of connecting them.

OT, Jlarson, but torque to spec.
Just of of curiosity, when do you do it in your world *assuming you are a spark*.
I've often considered actually doing it on electrical breakers, connectors, plugs, etc - whenever the packaging, label lists a torque spec. But the reality is I never have....

With that said, I'm a STICKLER for torque to spec when I work on the cars. I'll dive into the database and pull up every torque spec and torque to manuf. spec/

 

[Jlarson]

Personally on regular copper building wire I don't torque anything I could fit in a wirenut, ie small conductors. I do torque all aluminum and fine strand terminations though.

If you don't do terminations everyday you really should use a torque tool on everything especially on mechanical set screw lugs. A lot of service calls we get for failed polaris lugs are from serious over tightening.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Got it Jlarson. Assuming the feel is the same/similar with large wire on breakers or portable connectors, I generally just get to tight and then turn it another 1/4 on breakers and on connectors/plugs, it's generally another 1/2 turn or so on such.

Next time, whether it be Polaris or a large wire cord/connector/plug, I'll do one on how I would normally do it, and then do another with a torque driver just to see how close or off my ~baseline tighting~ is compared to what the called torque value is.