Creating a solid electrical connection is essential to a safe wiring job. Simply twisting two bare wire ends together and hoping for the best is never a good idea, as it might eventually lead to loose wires, which could lead to overheating and even fire.
In this guide on how to connect wiring, we’ll discuss the best methods and all the tools needed to make a tight and safe electrical connection. Extending electrical wires can be dangerous so it needs to happen correctly.
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Prepping the Wires
Before you begin connecting wires, there are a few basics you need to understand and learn how to apply. You’ll also need some basic tools depending on which method you intend to use. Here’s how to prepare your wires:
Tools Required
- A pair of wire cutters/strippers
- A pair of pliers
Stripping the Wires
Most wires are covered with a plastic insulator. These insulators work as a protective layer for the wires, protecting them from damage and heat, and preventing the wires from touching one another.
To connect the wires, you need them to first have bare ends without the plastic isolation.
Here’s are the steps to do so:
- Check the wire’s reel/spool and find the number indicating the wire’s gauge
- Check your wire cutter for a hole with the same number as your wire’s gauge
- Put ¾ of the wire into the appropriate gauge hole in the wire cutter
- Grab the other end of the wire with your pliers
- Pull the wire cutter with force until the plastic insulator comes off, revealing the stranded wire
Twisting Two Wires Together
Another important thing to know before doing a wiring connection is how to properly twist two wires together. This is the first step in most methods of doing a wire connection.
Here’s how to do so:
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Hold the two wires side by side
- Twist the two wires together using your thumb and forefinger
- Make sure that the resulting connection holds together well by doing a slight tug
Method 1: Alligator Clip
This method is perfect for temporary or quick connections, but it’s also the weakest holding one. You should only use this method if you’re trying out a connection and not for temporary ones.
Tools Required
- A pack of alligator clips
What You Need to Do
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Hold the two stripped wire ends in parallel
- Snap an alligator clip onto the wire ends
- Make sure that the alligator clip teeth are touching both wires
Tip: You can also buy alligator clips with wires connected to them
Method 2: Electrical Tape
This method is a commonly used one as it’s easy to do, holds a fairly strong connection, and requires a minimal amount of supplies. This can be a good option for permanent connections.
Tools Required
- A roll of electrical tape
What You Need to Do
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Twist the stripped ends of the two wires together
- Cut a long strip of electrical tape and wrap it around the wires tightly 6-7 times
- Make sure that the electrical tape is covering up all parts of the wires
- Make sure that your connection holds well by giving it a powerful tug
Method 3: Hot Glue
This method is a great option because, besides connecting the wires together, it also isolates them. This is not always up to code so check your local regulations before you do this!
Tools Required
- A hot glue gun
- Hot glue gun sticks
What You Need to Do
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Heath up the glue gun
- Put the twisted wires together
- Put the glue gun’s end on the twisted wires and shoot a glob of glue on them
- Make sure to cover every part of the wires with glue
- Leave the glue to cool
Method 4: Heat Shrink Butt
This is a quick and clean method for connecting wires. Its only downside is that the required tools might be a little costly. However, it’s still a very solid option to consider.
Tools Required
- Heat shrink butt connectors
- A heat gun
What You Need to Do
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Slip the twisted wires into the tube
- Position the connector over the twisted wires
- Apply heat with the heat gun until the joint melts connecting the wires and the shrink wrapper contracts to isolate the wires
Method 5: Crimp
This is one of the strongest solutions you can resort to, but it requires many specialized tools.
Crimping can be hard to master at first, but if practiced enough, this method can yield some of the best wire connecting results.
Tools Required
- A cord crimp
- A crimping tool
What You Need to Do
- Insert the bare end of one wire into the crimp all the way to the isolation part
- Repeat the same process for the other wire
- Place the crimp into its dedicated space in the crimping tool
- Squeeze the crimp tool until the crimp turns into a U shape
- Repeat the previous process with the rest of the crimp
- Make sure that your connection holds well by giving it a powerful tug
There are crimping sleeves that use heat and these are easier to use.
Method 6: Soldering
Soldering is the most popular solution for wire connecting. It’s the most dependable, secure, and cost-friendly way of connecting two wires.
The downside, however, is the need to get a soldering iron and the steep learning curve needed to learn the craft.
Tools Required
- Soldering iron
What You Need to Do
- Strip the plastic insulation off the wire’s end like previously demonstrated
- Apply a generous amount of flux to the twisted wire ends
- Apply a little solder to your iron until it has a shiny coat
- Heat the twisted wires from below while applying solder from above
- Let the solder melt and cover the wires
- Make sure that the solder joint ends up being smooth and shiny
Once you know these basics, you can move over to bigger projects such as installing a bathroom fan.
Final Words
There are various methods to make a reliable electrical connection using whatever tools are at your disposal and suiting to your budget.
We have discussed the important difference between electrical and electronics here.
Whatever projects you work on, learning how to properly splice wires is a notable skill to have under your belt.
