Wire splicing...

[Printer Mike]

What is wrong with splicing house/building electrical wires by twisting them for good metal to metal contact, soldering, and wraping well with tape? Why is it necessary to contain the splices in a box? Is it protection in case of inferior splicing?

Thanks for any comments.

 

[Racecarl]

AS I understand, all splices are to be in boxes for:

Protection--in the case of romex wire, the box has a clamp that keeps the splice from being pulled apart in the event that the wire gets pulled.

Location--can you imagine attempting to troubleshoot a wiring problem where a splice could be anywhere? That is why NEC says that all junction boxes have to be accessible and NOT buried behind a wall somewhere.

Containment--the box will attempt to contain an electric arc or spark, and hopefuily keep the spark from landing on a combustible material and starting a fire. The reason a metal box MUST be grounded is so that if the 'hot' wires become uninsulated somehow, they will short circuit to the box and trip the circuit overload device (fuse or breaker).

Please feel free to make any necessary additions or corrections to the above

 

[sdowney717]

IF anyone did this, don't use vinyl tape. Use self vulcanizing rubber tape.
the vinyl tape unsticks itself, the rubber tape melts together and wont come off the joint.

joining outside a box will work. current will flow, but who is doing the joining and how good is the joint repair? Think of the crimped wire connections for service entry lines.
Sometimes they have good reasons for the rules.

I have done this with 12 volt wiring on cars and boats.

 

[gatchel]

Solder will heat up and fail under load.

 

[dipper]

nice answer Racecarl....bottom line is keep the splices in a junction box for access in the future!

 

[Printer Mike]

Thanks for the replies!
This shortcut prone DUDE I know is going to go back and do the job right.

 

[Professur]

Thanks for the replies!
This shortcut prone DUDE I know is going to go back and do the job right.

If someone did this ... I can't say I'd invite him back.

 

[Zeke]

If someone did this ... I can't say I'd invite him back.

I think he might be referring to himself. As mentioned, solder is great for low voltage where the draw is not expected to be much. But I believe that soldered unions should be also connected by other mechanical means like crimp connectors.

 

[bobemmerich]

My house is 90 years old, and a lot of the original wiring was spliced in this way (some was even knob-and-tube) . They were all in J-Boxes, but the splices were all twisted, soldered and friction taped together. That's the way things were done in the "Old Days". When I tried to get them apart, it was impossible. I ended up cutting out the wires. ALWAYS end a splice in a box!

 

[G_P]

I think he might be referring to himself. As mentioned, solder is great for low voltage where the draw is not expected to be much. But I believe that soldered unions should be also connected by other mechanical means like crimp connectors.

Low voltage does not always mean low current draw. When I was younger and into loud car stereos I could easily blow 100A fuses on the power wire to my amplifier rack. I would have gone with a larger wire and fuse but my alternator simply could not handle the load and a high output alternator was several hundred dollars.


With the car off and running multiple batteries I even melted a fuse holder with a 200A fuse in it.

P.S. don't go that loud. Im only 29 and have noticed a loss in hearing from that loud system I had

 

[klhitman]

Low voltage does not always mean low current draw. When I was younger and into loud car stereos I could easily blow 100A fuses on the power wire to my amplifier rack. I would have gone with a larger wire and fuse but my alternator simply could not handle the load and a high output alternator was several hundred dollars.


With the car off and running multiple batteries I even melted a fuse holder with a 200A fuse in it.

P.S. don't go that loud. Im only 29 and have noticed a loss in hearing from that loud system I had

you too, i thought i was the only one. as i get older i dont listen to that load anymore but there are times i want to crank it. hijack over

 

[slip knot]

Doesn't have to be a 90 yr old house. I bought one last year that was built in 1965. All the joints were twisted and soldered and wrapped with fricion tape. Every one was replaced but I took all them apart. they all looked brand new. shoulda left it alone.

 

[nehog]

Solder will heat up and fail under load.

Just for the record, anything that will get the solder hot enough to fail, will cause a fire or overheating of the wire itself. Soldered joints may fail, true, but everything else will fail first.

 

[mrb]

Just for the record, anything that will get the solder hot enough to fail, will cause a fire or overheating of the wire itself. Soldered joints may fail, true, but everything else will fail first.

there is a good reason for no solder. NEC prohibits solder as the means to connect the EGC. During a fault condition the joint can heat up and fail before the OCPD clears the fault, leaving you with whatever faulted energized -a dangerous situation.