In this video I’m going to show 3 ways to
splice wires together discussing pros and cons to help you choose which method works
best for you: Being Able to splice wires properly can go
a long way, whether you need to WIRE IN a new device or some rodents took over your
car and built a nest under the hood (which never ends well), Or your head light connector
was loose and melted and now needs replacing. Maybe some wires corroded away due to element
exposure, or simply broke over time - you can save a lot of money by fixing them yourself!
Because all a repair shop would do is reconnect the broken wires- and then charge you $100/
hr for however much time they spent on it. So whenever you need to splice some wires
together, the first thing you WANT TO do is: turn off the key and disconnect the negative
side of the battery, to prevent any damage to your electrical system.
Expose both ends of the broken wire by removing the tip of the insulation
And if you don’t have a fancy wire stripping tool like this, YOU CAN USE: a razor blade
or scissors, just Try not to cut off any strands along with insulation, because it can increase
resistance and lead to overheating of the repaired area and further damage to the electrical
system. That’s why I personally prefer using manual wire stripping tool, where you pick
the wire size (which prevents you from damaging the strands) and manually cut the tip off.
They are usually under $10 and work great. And the FIRST SPLICING METHOD I want to show
is probably the most common among do-it-yourselfers because it is quick and easy - Crimping butt
connectors. Butt connectors usually come in a kit with
other types of connectors like spades, bullets (for easy connect/disconnect
applications), rings and forks to serve various purposes
in home and on your car They are color coded for different wire sizes
and The two most common styles of butt connectors are:
– vinyl insulated and
– heat shrink butt connectors
First option provides a secure connection but is not waterproof – which is fine under
the dash but if you need to splice a wire exposed to
weather conditions you want to use a heat shrink connector instead.
And in order to use this kit properly you would need a crimping tool.
Crimping tools come in 2 styles: SIMPLE… forged plier style - and more complex - ratcheting
style. Plier style is cheaper, but crimping force
depends solely on your grip which leaves room for error, causing OVER-CRIMPING OR UNDER-CRIMPING
Where as ratcheting style is more expensive – but you can adjust crimping force and
it will be the same every time – no matter how hard you squeeze it.
Just to give you an idea a quality plier style crimper made by Thomas and betts is priced
at around $40, while a RATCHETING style crimper made by the same brand is priced at over $200
OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE CHEAPER VERSIONS AVAILABLE IN BOTH STYLES, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A MULTIPURPOSE
TOOL (serving as a wire stripper and terminal crimper at the same time) BUT CONVENIENCE
OF USE AND CRIMPING QUALTIY DROP ALONG WITH THE PRICE
Crimping tools usually have different size openings, colored to match connector sizes
and marked whether they are for insulated or non-insulated connectors Now back to splicing:
Since butt connectors have a separator in the middle you want to take off no more than
a ¼ inch of insulation, otherwise you will leave some exposed wire out.
ONCE you strip both ends of the wire 1. Pick appropriate size connector;
Common Mistakes people make: - they pick a CONNECTOR TOO SMALL FOR THE
WIRE AND THEN JUST FORCE IT ON (leaving some wire STRANDS out of the connector)
- OR they pick a connector TOO LARGE for the wire, which leaves room for gaps, creating
a poor connection and an unreliable crimp (because the wire can just fall out - over
time) Once you found the right size connector – place
it inside a CRIMPING TOOL Point the SEAM in the connector toward the
valley of the crimping tool, OR if there’s no seam point the SEPARATOR TOWARD THE VALLEY.
Then slide your exposed wire into the connector and crimp it.
What you want to see is: - no large voids inside the crimp
- trapezoidal shape of the connector (not overly deformed)
- all strands are intact Then tug TO check the crimp is secure, and
repeat the process for the other side I personally prefer to wrap the repaired area
in electrical tape AFTERWARDS to add another layer of protection.
If you need to use heat shrink butt connectors make sure to use a crimping tool designed
for INSULATED connectors and terminals. Otherwise the insulating tube can get punctured and
when you HEAT IT UP to shrink it – the puncture will split open.
So in Conclusion! Crimping is easy and Fast, some argue it has superior mechanical characteristics
to other methods (if done right), involves fewer harmful or dangerous processes, and
works well in limited spaces. BUT – to make this a quality repair you
want to use quality tools AND CONNECTORS, which can be expensive.
Vinyl insulated butt connectors are not water proof Therefore repairs are prone to corrosion.
And now let’s move on to the next method! SOLDERING! – highly regarded by anyone who
deals with electrical repairs: Most people agree it is the most secure and durable way
to splice two wires together! For this method you need a soldering iron/
or soldering gun. Solder (60/40 rosin core solder – is
the best option for fixing wires (because lead based solder has lower melting point
and rosin flux helps solder adhere to wires better)
Shrink tubes and a heat gun are preferred if you want to make a sealed (waterproof)
repair, otherwise you can use some electrical tape
AS ALWAYS – links to the products you see in this video will be in the description
Now, Basic Steps: First
- remove ½” to ¾” INCH of insulation - slide a shrink tube on one side
- join the wires together; YOU CAN DO IT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS:
1ST OPTION - FAN OUT THE STRANDS, INTERWEAVE AND THEN TWIST THEM TOGETHER
2ND option - CROSS THE WIRES AND TWIST THEM AWAY FROM EACH OTHER
BOTH OPTIONS WORK EQUALLY WELL, Watch out for wire strands sticking out because
they can penetrate through A HEAT SHRINK tube Next - HEAT UP YOUR SOLDERING iron, And TIN
THE TIP (BY LETTING SOLDER MELT ON IT AND THEN WIPING IT OFF on a damp sponge.. TO LEAVE
just A THIN LAYER OF SOLDER - THIS helps with heat transfer and protects the tip from oxydation)
Then - heat the wire from underneath and feed the solder from up top until MELTing solder
wicks into the joint I personally LIKE to tap solder on the tip
occasionally to help with the heating process. Once the solder starts to melt slide it across
the exposed wire until the whole area is soldered. A common mistake I want to mention – when
people get impatient waiting for solder to melt on the wire they start melting it on
the soldering iron, because it melts much faster, letting solder
drip on the wire. It’s called COLD SOLDER – it makes a bad connection and a weak repair,
because solder doesn’t wick into the joint So Don’t do that, Also protect surfaces
from solder drops, work in a well ventilated area and stay away from flammables.
When the solder cools off – place a heat shrink tube over the repaired area and heat
it up until it tightly wraps around the wire. you can use a heat gun, or a BUTANE torch
to shrink it, or even a lighter, but you’re increasing the risk of burning through the
insulation… like this! SO IN CONCLUSION:
1. This is THE Most secure and durable way To splice a wire BUT it requires some practice
2. It may seem expensive (if you have to buy a soldering gun, and solder, and shrink tubes,
and heat gun), but once you have the tools - it is actually cheaper if you’re fixing
a lot of wires - because all you need is more solder (which is cheap)
3. Another downside of this method is - it is TOXIC, as I mentioned earlier - solder
fumes and lead require ventilation and thorough handwashing
Also the intense heat of the soldering iron tip can cause burns and is enough to start
a fire, and from personal experience I can add – this method is quite cumbersome and
hard to use in tight areas where space is limited.
And on this note we move on to the third and my most favorite way to repair wires:
1. Heat shrink SELF-SOLDER CONNECTORS! Basic process: STRIP THE INSULATION
- Slide the PROPER SIZE CONNECTOR on one side - Interweave the wires
- Center the solder connector and - Heat it up!
Doesn’t get much easier THAN THAT!!! THIS METHOD IS:
Cheap! Easy and Fast (IN One step YOUR WIRES ARE
soldered, sealed and insulated) IT CREATES A Durable and WATERPROOF connection
Providing excellent conductivity qualities! (CAN BE used in marine, automotive and aviation
industries) You could use a lighter to shrink it, but
I would advise you use a heat gun Or a butane torch! which I really like cause
– it is portable, it can work as a heat gun,
PLUS IT HAS A reflector tip TO ISOLATE THE HEAT FROM THE REST OF THE WIRES
IT CAN ALSO WORK as a soldering iron, HOT KNIFE, and as a torch (OF COURSE)
But coming back to our connector: It really gathers the best characteristics of both worlds
– the only downside is if you have a 100 wires to fix, it can get somewhat pricey. That’s it for this video – give it a thumbs
up if you found it helpful, I tried to keep it short and to the point
If I missed any pros or cons – share them in the comments below,
I appreciate your feedback. THE LINK to everything you SAW in this video
WILL BE IN THE DESCRIPTION! Thank you for watching, good luck and take
care!
