Will Bullet Connectors Take 240V?

[jamesmacc]

hi folks, picked up a 120l tank cheap on ebay. when i got it home i noticed the lovely safe wiring job the previous owner did to extend to wires, he twisted the wires together and left them un covered. for piece of mind incase anyone was to plug it in i got out my car wiring kit and used some crimp bullet connectors and insulating tape. what is the best permanent fix, solder or some kind of 240 wiring block? or is my temp fix good enough for a permanent fix.
cheers,
james

 

[ainsy]

I'm no expert - but I wouldn't be happy with that.

I would get a 'choc' box that has terminal block in it or an electrical joint box (often called a JB by electricians)

HTH

 

[IainMac85]

get yourself a strip of connector block that wil be sufficient, get one rated for the current tho for example 5amp or 13amp block, then heat shrink it to keep it dry (not that it should be submerged just for piece of mind)

 

[Geoff-]

I wouldn't be happy with bullet connectors either, they're intended for low voltage applications NOT 240V.

Use a terminal strip or what we call "BP" connectors which are used for joining mains wiring. Put your choice inside a junction box. And make sure you use mains rated cable throughout with the correct wiring colours - in Australia we use Brown for Active, Blue for Neutral and Green/Yellow for Earth. All mains wiring has the correct colour and sufficient insulation, if you use low voltage wire or connectors you are asking for trouble.

Anything's better than bare wires twisted together.. that kind of thing makes my skin crawl. But fix it properly and then you don't have to worry about it.

 

[jamesmacc]

get yourself a strip of connector block that wil be sufficient, get one rated for the current tho for example 5amp or 13amp block, then heat shrink it to keep it dry (not that it should be submerged just for piece of mind)

the lights are 3A shoul i get a 3A strip or 5A to be extra safe

 

[tribalbrit]

5 amp.

 

[scoobydiver]

Bullet crimps are rated for 240v and above so long as you get the correct size for the wire. Best bet would be to solder the wires together again and put heat shrink over them.

 

[cynic]

hi folks, picked up a 120l tank cheap on ebay. when i got it home i noticed the lovely safe wiring job the previous owner did to extend to wires, he twisted the wires together and left them un covered. for piece of mind incase anyone was to plug it in i got out my car wiring kit and used some crimp bullet connectors and insulating tape. what is the best permanent fix, solder or some kind of 240 wiring block? or is my temp fix good enough for a permanent fix.
cheers,
james

Extended the wires to what exactly, lighting, pump? Makes a big difference to the soloution.

Blue crimps work ok if used with the right sized wire and an appropriate rachet crimper.

 

[dgwebster]

its not really the voltage that is your issue, but the current you draw through at that voltage.

take a 240V 5amp extension reel and put 10kW through it and you'll soon see the wire melting/fuse blowing/fuse melting/plug melting/fire starting (or any combination of these.)

You can get a 5A joint block from a DIY store easily enough, either a dedicated housed unit or a strip for a couple of quid. Buy one and fit it soon.

 

[ainsy]

its not really the voltage that is your issue, but the current you draw through at that voltage.

take a 240V 5amp extension reel and put 10kW through it and you'll soon see the wire melting/fuse blowing/fuse melting/plug melting/fire starting (or any combination of these.)

You can get a 5A joint block from a DIY store easily enough, either a dedicated housed unit or a strip for a couple of quid. Buy one and fit it soon.

I agree!

Yes the bullet connectors are prob rated for 240v - but IMHO it is a risk. They say that a bungee cord could take your weight with half of the strands cut but I bet you wouldn't want to try it.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

You should check what they are rated if you can't do that don't use them, it's not the voltage they are rated at it's the amps they can carry. Most bullit connectors are used fir low voltage equipment. I'd use chop block, or solder and sleeve/heat shrink the connections if I were you.