Best connector to Tap-In to a wire?

[Dale M.]

Dale,

Why put the shrink over the Y ? I would simply heat shrink each of the individual joints...just like I would with a regular two wire connection. I see no need to shrink on the center connector....

Jim

GOOD...leave center exposed, when HOT LEAD (12 volt) shorts to ground its fun to watch fuses pop and if no fuses wires melt....

Any exposed current carrying conductor is a possible source for a problem... Key word here is "exposed".....

NOW for the resume...

38 years in communications industry, 50 years fooling with cars and rewiring trailers and doing wiring on dunebuggies and custom cars and restorations.... Wisdom gleaned from others and experience has taught me, leave nothing exposed, leave nothing to chance.....

Dale

[kayakrguy]

Dale,

If I read the Ancor Y description correctly , the center of the y splitter is insulated...not bare or 'open'. I realize that many folks prefer solder for all wire joins and that's fine for them. But as to using shrink wrap, I think that will work just as well with a properly crimped joint as it would with a solder joint. My concern with solder is that it is usually more brittle than the stranded wire it joins.

Just curious...are you an ex-telephone guy?

Jim

[Sonetpro]

Jim,
I also have 25 Years telecom experience. I also have had alot of trailers. And to top it I have a Jeep. So I know what electrical problems are. I would not use those. They are a problem waiting to happen. All my connections are soldered and shrink tube. Exposed copper corrodes and so does the connections.

From what I see in the pic , only the ends are sleeved.

[Dale M.]

Dale,

If I read the Ancor Y description correctly , the center of the y splitter is insulated...not bare or 'open'. I realize that many folks prefer solder for all wire joins and that's fine for them. But as to using shrink wrap, I think that will work just as well with a properly crimped joint as it would with a solder joint. My concern with solder is that it is usually more brittle than the stranded wire it joins.

Just curious...are you an ex-telephone guy?

Jim

You need to hike on down to local Kragens or O'Rilley or AutoZone and take a look at these connectors......



Yes .... 38years... Western Electric Inc. and AT&T Network Systems Inc. and late of Lucent Technologies.


Dale

[ARKPAT]

Steve I'm with you on the connections.

The crimp-on are only temps.

The real connections are soldered and srink tube seal and taped on the trailer where weather will get at them.

When house wiring "TWIST-LOCs" ( the right size and capacity ) and wrap with ( good electrical tape not the cheap box store stuff $3 - $5 a roll ) tape in the left hand turn on the covering of the "Twist-Loc's" for the inside wiring in an enclosed enviroment where no movement and weather will be present ( I.E. a House ).



Pat

[asianflava]

Steve I'm with you on the connections.

The crimp-on are only temps.

The real connections are soldered and srink tube seal and taped on the trailer where weather will get at them.

I've installed many car stereos and car alarms with crimp connectors. The trick to crimp connectors is making shure the correct terminal is used for the wire size and making shure the terminal is crimped properly. I used crimp connectors for a majority of my trailer, I don't have a crimper for 8ga and 4ga wire so I soldered them (with a torch).

BTW: The FAA prefers crimp connectors over soldering on aircraft. When soldered, the solder can wick up the wire which can cause it to break. This shouldn't happen if done correctly though.

These are the strippers and crimpers that I use:

[bledsoe3]

I think crimps are fine. As long as they are done right.

This picture is just part of one locker on our trains. We have tens of thousands of crimps on each train. Some with more than a million miles on them.

[ARKPAT]

I see what you saying about the soldered connections. Vibration fatique where it is soldered ( stiffing of the stranded wire in that section ).

BTW: The FAA prefers crimp connectors over soldering on aircraft. When soldered, the solder can wick up the wire which can cause it to break. This shouldn't happen if done correctly though.

These are the strippers and crimpers that I use:

What I'm thinking is about corrosion of an unsealed joint in an unaccessable area. You could seal the joint from air to stop the corrision from starting.



Pat

[kayakrguy]

I must have been out of my mind posting those links to the Y connectors

I am of three minds on this issue, I think

1) I find Steve and Dale's reservations about the Y connectors deserving of consideration and I would defer to their judgement in specific contexts, but not necessarily in all cases.

2) The experience B3 refers to in the Portland transport system with reliable, durable and safe crimps is also worthy of consideration....especially when you consider the voltages they deal with!!

3) I do not think solder is universally better than crimping. Solder has its downsides the one that I am wary of is its brittleness. I think shrink wrap 'covers a multitude of sins' so to speak whether using crimps or solder.

Now, in my own case, I am not using the Y connectors because I don't want any connections inside my ceiling. The penalty for that is that I will have to use more fuse stations for my circuits--as well as use more wire.
I just want connections accessible in case they fail....with or without solder or crimps.

On a more serious note, thanks for this discussion! it makes things a lot easier for guys like me who are doing much of this stuff for the first time--personally have been saved from some really bad ideas of my own

Jim

[apratt]

In house wiring any wire connection you make it has to be in a junction box and it has to be accessible. So for a trailer I would make sure any wire connections I would make sure you can get to it at a later time.

[Steve Frederick]

I use a soldered tap splice..strip about 1-inch of insulation from the run wire, the one you want to tap into. Wrap about 1-1/2-inch of stripped wire from the branch, extra wire, around the run's bare section. Solder, keep the heat at the opposite end of the splice from the point you apply the solder. Solder will flow into the joint, to the heat source, filling the joint.Use flux core solder. Cover the joint with good electrical tape. If you expect moisture, or if the joint is buried, use shrink tube. My prefference, just plan ahead!

[kayakrguy]

In house wiring any wire connection you make it has to be in a junction box and it has to be accessible. So for a trailer I would make sure any wire connections I would make sure you can get to it at a later time.

Art,

Exactly--that is the principle I'm applying to the T.

Jim

[Dale M.]

What I'm thinking is about corrosion of an unsealed joint in an unaccessable area. You could seal the joint from air to stop the corrision from starting.



Pat

The answer to corrosion in crimped connection is "silicone dielectric grease"... Found in hardware stores as "light bulb grease".... Coat conductor thoroughly but sparingly before inserting it into connector and crimping....

The silicone grease seals out air and moisture and preserves connection...

Yes I know grease seems to violate the clean connection theory, but it does not interfere with solid mechanical crimp...

Also quality of crimp tool is important... Most $5-8 auto parts store "squeezie" crimpers are junk.... Get good quality crimper, preferable a indenter type that has a stud in crimp die that punches into crimp sleeve....

Dale

[PaulC]

Gentlemen, I would like to commend you all on your discussion travelling 3 pages and no heated arguments. This is surely a sign of a mature and clear thinking forum
Cheers
Paul

By the way, I solder and shrinkwrap all my electrical joints

[asianflava]

[Also quality of crimp tool is important... Most $5-8 auto parts store "squeezie" crimpers are junk....

I totally agree, that is probably why crimped connections get such a bad reputation. That, and using a connector that is too big for the wire.