Can we talk about using wagos on 10 gauge wire?

I tried those big blue lever nuts on a 30 amp circuit for a water heater in an attic near Atlanta last August and they started feeling warm after 20 minutes of running, so I learned the hard way that not every connector is rated for the heat buildup and you really need to check the fine print on the ampacity specs, has anyone else had trouble with oversized wagos on heavy loads?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert27518d ago

Man that's a rough way to learn about ampacity derating.

nancy_owens17d ago

Yeah "rough way to learn" is spot on. My buddy @robert275 had a similar thing happen running 12/3 Romex through a tight attic. He stuffed it in with a bunch of other cables and the breaker kept tripping under half load. Took him three trips to figure out he had to derate for the bundle. Burnt up an afternoon and had to rerun everything with bigger wire.