Terminating an electric cooker

[owen]

All that fuss and you could have just stripped back the flex and connected straight to those connections. :shock:

 

[DTR]

All that fuss and you could have just stripped back the flex and connected straight to those connections. :shock:

Where I work that kind of termination isn't considered reliable enough, hence the crimps (or a Ross Courtney!). Solid core would have been acceptable formed into a loop around the screw.

 

[n0legs]

All that fuss and you could have just stripped back the flex and connected straight to those connections. :shock:

"If you go above and beyond, you rarely have to return"
John Roberts
Senior Electrical Installation Lecturer
S.Wa.E.B

 

[owen]

All that fuss and you could have just stripped back the flex and connected straight to those connections. :shock:

Where I work that kind of termination isn't considered reliable enough, hence the crimps (or a Ross Courtney!). Solid core would have been acceptable formed into a loop around the screw.

Ah right didn't know that.. nearly every oven I have changed ( I work for a landlord so do bits and bobs of everything) has been connected that way without any crimps. Maybe next time I'll crimp them (probably not).

 

[DTR]

Ah right didn't know that.. nearly every oven I have changed ( I work for a landlord so do bits and bobs of everything) has been connected that way without any crimps. Maybe next time I'll crimp them (probably not).

Ha, my company is a bit anal about these things (admitedly we don't deal with cookers much....). But if it's good enough for them, it's definitely good enough for me

 

[Phil Pascoe]

All that fuss and you could have just stripped back the flex and connected straight to those connections. :shock:

"If you go above and beyond, you rarely have to return"
John Roberts
Senior Electrical Installation Lecturer
S.Wa.E.B

Slightly off tack, but I worked with a mechanic who was meticulous. I commented one day, and he told me he was apprenticed to an old man who used to say if it's meant to move, grease it. If it's ever meant to move again coppaslip it. If it's meant never to move, locktite it. You might be the poor sod who gets the job back.

 

[bugbear]

I have a dim memory than you're not meant to use solder on high-current connections, due to galvanic corrosion
and/or thermocouple heating effects, which is why connection blocks (AKA terminal strips) are used, so that everything
is (nearly) the same metal.

Can the more knowledgeable/experienced comment on this?

BugBear

 

[DTR]

I have a dim memory than you're not meant to use solder on high-current connections, due to galvanic corrosion
and/or thermocouple heating effects, which is why connection blocks (AKA terminal strips) are used, so that everything
is (nearly) the same metal.

Can the more knowledgeable/experienced comment on this?

BugBear

Intriguing... we use a very large number of soldered connections on circuits pulling a continuous 20A. What is the definition of high current? In any case, heavy duty crimps are tinned...

 

[bugbear]

I have a dim memory than you're not meant to use solder on high-current connections, due to galvanic corrosion
and/or thermocouple heating effects, which is why connection blocks (AKA terminal strips) are used, so that everything
is (nearly) the same metal.

Can the more knowledgeable/experienced comment on this?

BugBear

Intriguing... we use a very large number of soldered connections on circuits pulling a continuous 20A. What is the definition of high current? In any case, heavy duty crimps are tinned...

It may (well) be simply that I'm misremembering what I heard, or that I was listening to someone who was themselves confused.

BugBear

 

[n0legs]

I have a dim memory than you're not meant to use solder on high-current connections, due to galvanic corrosion
and/or thermocouple heating effects, which is why connection blocks (AKA terminal strips) are used, so that everything
is (nearly) the same metal.

Can the more knowledgeable/experienced comment on this?

BugBear

I've soldered lugs onto cables that run in the 1000s amp range, it's the way it was done before crimps and mechanical connections were invented.
On High Voltage, which is my specialty, we soldered almost everything. The soldering process actually avoided the corrosion issue, we solder aluminium conductor to copper regularly. The solder being the inert barrier between the dissimilar metals.
As for terminal strips, they are the spawn of the devil and for those who cannot terminate cables properly or solder.
The cheap $hit type are nothing more than a bright alloy, white/pig metal comes to mind, with steel screws. These steel screws will cause corrosion of a copper conductor.
The tinned brass type are slightly better, but should not be relied upon to be a long term electrical connection at mains/household voltage or higher. I've seen too many with the polythene insulation (insulation, yeah right) melted off.
The ceramic type are far better and the only ones I could recommend for use. When I used to do house bashing I would change the connections in a shower to this type.
Ideally when making off any mechanical/screw type connection onto copper conductors an anti-corrosion paste should be used, it will protect the copper from the inevitable dissimilar material issue that is usually encountered.
Give me a gas torch, the right solder, the correct flux and I'll join brass, bronze, copper, aluminium, steel, galvanised steel and lead to themselves and each other.
You can't beat a soldered connection, the only reason we've gone away from them is due to skill shortage.
I've seen our crimps fail and they're done with a 20 ton crimper that takes two guys to use, the same goes for the cr4p mechanical/bolt on lugs and through connections we've used over the years.
I love solder, I want to marry it :lol: