Had a choice between wire nuts and Wagos on a remodel in St. Louis

I was rewiring an old house in the south side and had to decide between traditional wire nuts or those push-in Wago connectors. I went with Wagos because I was working in a tight crawlspace and needed speed. Turned out great until I hit a junction box with 12 gauge solid wire that just wouldn't seat right. Has anyone else run into fit issues with thicker wire in those things?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_john14d ago

Yeah I ran into that same issue with 12 gauge in a tight box. What worked for me was giving the wire a little twist before pushing it in, helps the connector grab better.

the_mary14d ago

Huh, nobody's talking about the wire type though. Solid vs stranded makes a huge difference with 12 gauge in tight spots. I've had stranded wire just flatten out and slip right back out no matter how much I twisted it. Solid wire holds way better in those push-in connectors. Switched to solid for all my box work after that. Also check if you're using the older style connectors with the plastic tabs - those are trash for 12 gauge. Newer ones with metal teeth grab so much better. Worth swapping them out if you're fighting with it.

pat_harris14d ago

Started using solid wire and never looked back, @the_mary, saved me a ton of hassle.