Can we talk about that old timer who told me to stop using wire nuts on everything

My lead on a commercial job in Portland last year kept insisting I use Wago connectors instead of wire nuts for all our lighting circuits, and I thought he was just being lazy. After 8 months of zero callbacks on those joints versus the ones I did with wire nuts that had two loose neutrals, I started using them for everything in tight j-boxes. Has anyone else had a similar experience where you fought a new method and it proved you wrong?

4 comments

4 Comments

phoenix_lewis1mo ago

My buddy Mike on a service call in Tacoma had a jbox packed with eight 12 gauge wires and some old wire nuts that looked like theyd been there since the 90s. He spent 20 minutes trying to get the lid on and finally ripped em all out for lever Wagos. Box closed first try and he said it felt like cheating. Have you ever had a moment where a new tool just made you feel stupid for not trying it sooner?

reese_lee91mo ago

Man that's rough, glad the Wagos worked out for you in the end. Sometimes the old ways just don't hold up in tight spots.

max_brown1mo ago

Yeah I had a similar thing with some old wire nuts in a jbox that was crammed full. Swapped to Wagos and it gave me just enough room to actually close the box without jamming everything. The lever style ones are a lifesaver when you're working with stiff 12 gauge too.

martin.riley1mo ago

WAIT, you actually fit Wagos into a CRAMMED jbox that couldn't even close with wire nuts? @max_brown I'm genuinely impressed, that's like magic with stiff 12 gauge.