What Color Wire Nuts To Use?

Monday, January 29, 2018 - 4:52pm
What Color Wire Nuts To Use?
This post was written with the expertise of Luke Electrical, an Adelaide Electrician in South Australia.

When dealing with electricity, you will want to use the proper wire nuts. There are a couple of reasons that they are coded with color. We will go over them in this article along with which ones you should use for different tasks. Always make sure you use safety! Let's get started!

What Are Colored Wire Nuts?

Wire nuts are plastic connectors often called wire connectors. They are used to connect two pieces of wire and twist them together. This is a much easier approach than electrical tape.

They are easy to use and you can go back and twist them right off if you ever need to revisit the situation.

Wire nuts or connectors keep the wires connected tightly that way they do not lose connection.

What Are Wire Nuts Used For?

Wire nuts or connectors are used to connect two wires without the use of electrical tape. They twist the two wires together forming a tight and durable connection. They also ensure that the wires won’t come apart or be exposed if used properly. They generally are only used in a low-voltage setting.

Do not plan on being able to use them for high voltage projects. They are not designed for the such. Wire nut connectors should only be used for low-voltage settings!

The Appearance of Wire Nuts

Wire nuts come in five different colors. We will go over the meaning of each in just a moment. I do want to let you know that with every color comes a different size hole of the wire nut. This is not the same with every manufacturer of wire nut connectors.

The outside of a wire nut is ridged. This makes it easy to grip that way you can twist them over the wires in an easy manner without losing your grip on the wire nut. This is convenient especially if the wires are in a hard to reach the spot. This helps you keep hold of them. All wire nuts are different with variance.

The Different Types Of Wire Nuts.

There are different kinds of wire nuts for different jobs. Some wire nuts twist on, while others are made to just push directly onto the wires. There are even some wire connectors that are made specially to be waterproof. This is great for any areas of plumbing or even outside uses.

The waterproof wire nuts are filled with a type of gel to seal the wire nut connection.

Why the Different Color?

This can be a confusing aspect. The different color of wire connectors does not make up for anything special. What I mean is, it does not signify anything other than size. The different color wire nut, a different size it will be. This is important! Here are some important tips below.

  • Always follow the directions on the packaging. - Every package of wire nuts will tell you what size gauge of wire will fit into each nut. You do not want extra space. This can start a fire! Make sure you use the proper size! Make sure the wires are not loose!
  • Wire Should Be Stripped.- When stripping your wires, you will need to strip them at different lengths. www.electrical101.com has more information on the sizes and stripping of the electrical wires.

How Do You Use A Wire Connector?

The first thing that comes to dealing with ay electricity, is using safety. I want to go over how to use a wire connector the safe way. It is important to know which size wires you will be dealing with. Always follow the directions of the manufacturer wire nuts. A stated above, each manufacturer makes their wire nuts in different sizes. Let us go ahead and go through the simple steps of using a wire nut. Please note that this is the commonly used twist on wire nut connectors.

Steps to use a wire nut:

  • The first step is to turn off the power. Never try this with the power on. It can result in serious injury or death.
  • Next is to choose the appropriate size wire nut. You do not want the wrong size, as stated above.
  • After you have done these two steps, you should then strip your wires back accordingly.
  • Once the wires have been stripped place the wire nut over the two wires together.
  • Twist and your set.

As you can see the process is very simple. Make sure that the wire nut is firmly twisted over the stripped wires. Some people suggest wrapping them with electrical tape. A lot of electricians would disagree with that.


You can find more information at www.doityourself.com in the link. I also have linked a video to youtube here. I hope all this help! Be safe and thanks for reading!

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