Reusability of Wago push-fit

J

Jacopo

Member
I just had to do some alterations to the connections in a wagobox where I had used some push fit connectors.
When I removed the wires the wire broke and part of the conductor was left inside the connector
It was 1sqmm cables
Does it happen often?
 

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Jacopo said:
I just had to do some alterations to the connections in a wagobox where I had used some push fit connectors.
When I removed the wires the wire broke and part of the conductor was left inside the connector
It was 1sqmm cables
Does it happen often?
Click to expand...

I would guess the wire was damaged before it went into the Wago, possibly nicked during stripping.
 
Teki said:
How did you remove the wire? If you pulled it out with force, it may break inside the connector.

If you rotate, they usually come out without damage. Alternatively, using a sharp pair of tweezers works well:


Consider using these type instead if you know you will need to undo the connection:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wago-41a-3-way-lever-connectors-30-pack/755hv
Click to expand...

I twisted and pulled, but that’s easy to do when there is only one wire (there were 4); it took me at least a couple of minutes to remove that wire
To be fair, I had previously screwed that wire in a ceiling rose and then moved it to the wagobox without stripping any new length
 
Yip damaged conductor before going into Wago. It has broke at the weak point when twisting back and forth to remove at a guess.
 
Jacopo said:
I twisted and pulled, but that’s easy to do when there is only one wire (there were 4); it took me at least a couple of minutes to remove that wire
To be fair, I had previously screwed that wire in a ceiling rose and then moved it to the wagobox without stripping any new length
Click to expand...

It would have been the screw terminal at ceiling rose that’s done the damage to the copper - especially as its 1mm core

I’m only ‘diy me’ but changed several light switches for a mate, all with 1mm T&E, every cable needed cutting back to fresh copper as totally mangled from screw connection - lucky enough cable in back box to do this

Have changed the odd ceiling rose, again wired with 1mm and always the same - damaged copper

I know 1mm often recommended on this fine forum as it’s easier to work with / terminate / mainly LED lighting now so low power consumption so no problem there /

Just makes you wonder how secure these 1mm connections are when used with screw terminals ?

But as I said, I’m only diy, not a daily issue for me !!
 
Push in for quick install but you have to unscrew to remove those I thought. That really means cutting wire so you can turn
 
DIYDave. said:
It would have been the screw terminal at ceiling rose that’s done the damage to the copper - especially as its 1mm core
Click to expand...

Yes, i agree. The damage to the conductor from the screw was the issue. It should have been stripped back to fresh copper at installation.

DIYDave. said:
I know 1mm often recommended on this fine forum as it’s easier to work with / terminate / mainly LED lighting now so low power consumption so no problem there /

Just makes you wonder how secure these 1mm connections are when used with screw terminals ?
Click to expand...

With over 46 years in the trade, and many connections made in many sizes of cable, I have never had an issue with 1.0 mm connections provided they are made correctly.

One of the biggest issues is when people strip the end they score the copper, sometimes quite deeply, which causes a weak point in the copper.
 
Bazza-spark said:
Yes, i agree. The damage to the conductor from the screw was the issue. It should have been stripped back to fresh copper at installation.



With over 46 years in the trade, and many connections made in many sizes of cable, I have never had an issue with 1.0 mm connections provided they are made correctly.

One of the biggest issues is when people strip the end they score the copper, sometimes quite deeply, which causes a weak point in the copper.
Click to expand...

Sure thing Bazza, you’ve certainly made more connections than me over your 46 years of sparking !

Guess with screw terminations, people tend to do them up as tight as possible, and with 1mm, from what I’ve seen, that mangles the copper

Torque settings for CUs yes, but for light switches and other accessories ??
 
DIYDave. said:
Torque settings for CUs yes
Click to expand...
im not sure that is even a yes. In reality most do it the old way. Tight enough but not too tight.
Possession of a torque screwdriver etc is usually just to get you through your annual assessment.
 
In our training the instructor used to count the strands of copper in the flex we stripped. If we lost any we had to do it again.

I asked one day "How tight is tight?"

The answer was "Squeaky tight!"
 
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