Any opinions on multiple RS-485 devices with Wego nuts?

[Mark McLeroy]

Hi All.
I am about to undertake the task of replacing several control boards on my Intellicenter due to the lightning strike we took about a month ago. We have four RS-485 devices (the heater, the pump, the Intellichlor, and now the high power Wifi antenna.) I know you can connect more than 1 device to a RS-485 controller port on the controller cards but the stranded wire makes if a sloppy install (the connection lugs are so close together I am concerned about shorts). I would like to hear some opinions on connecting the green cables from 2 devices with a Wego nut and run a 3rd sold core wire to the controller connector and do this for the other conductors as well.

Thanks.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

There should be no issues with connecting everything together with wire nuts or Wego devices and then just running one set of wires to the com port.

They also make an com port extender module, which has several com port connectors all connected together.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

It's standard electrical practice (might even be code) to wire-nut stranded wires together with a solid wire, and then attach only the solid wire to the end point (like to the terminal screw of a light switch or electrical outlet). This is because stranded wires to not make for good mechanical connections to things like screw or other types of terminals. The same would be true for the connections you're talking about.

Personally, I solder everything. So I would solder all the wires together, along with an additional solid wire, and then attach that one solid wire to the Comm terminal. That's just me. It's extra work, and makes future disassembly more complicated, but it eliminates loose connections and future compromised connections due to corrosion.

 

[SoDel]

As a little tangent, if the connections are outdoors, however you decide to go about this, anti-corrosion gel on the wires and in the wire nuts or Wegos isn’t a bad thing.

Super Lube 82016 Anti-Corrosion & Connector Gel, Translucent Amber: Power Tool Lubricants: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Super Lube 82016 Anti-Corrosion & Connector Gel, Translucent Amber: Power Tool Lubricants: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

 

[Dirk]

As a little tangent, if the connections are outdoors, however you decide to go about this, anti-corrosion gel on the wires and in the wire nuts or Wegos isn’t a bad thing.

Super Lube 82016 Anti-Corrosion & Connector Gel, Translucent Amber: Power Tool Lubricants: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Super Lube 82016 Anti-Corrosion & Connector Gel, Translucent Amber: Power Tool Lubricants: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

I keep forgetting, but this is on my list. I want to treat all the connectors on my pool pad: the COM wires running to my pump and the connectors for my IntellipH and IntelliChlor. I'm going to coat all the pins, male and female.

We've been tracking and troubleshooting an over-current problem that sometimes occurs with an IntellipH/IntelliChlor setup. We think the trouble might start when corrosion starts to build up on the pins of a certain connector, which then causes just enough resistance to create heat. It snowballs from there and eventually the entire connector melts! Point being, anything you do to minimize connector corrosion on a pool equipment pad is probably worth the effort.

 

[SoDel]

I keep forgetting, but this is on my list. I want to treat all the connectors on my pool pad: the COM wires running to my pump and the connectors for my IntellipH and IntelliChlor. I'm going to coat all the pins, male and female.
Ate
We've been tracking and troubleshooting an over-current problem that sometimes occurs with an IntellipH/IntelliChlor setup. We think the trouble might start when corrosion starts to build up on the pins of a certain connector, which then causes just enough resistance to create heat. It snowballs from there and eventually the entire connector melts! Point being, anything you do to minimize connector corrosion on a pool equipment pad is probably worth the effort.

Many (most?) oxides of conductive stuff is non-conductive and can easily result in very tiny conductive paths that can get very hot. Yet another approach is to use an anti-corrosive conductive paste (of course, with care for where it goes, so not usually recommended for usual folks) which may solve that type of difficult issue. I, like you, like the idea of soldering where possible. Unfortunately, lots of places where that isn’t possible.

Since you know what you’re doing, one of many to consider:

https://www.amazon.com/NO-OX-ID-Special-Electrical-Contact-Corrosion/dp/B00HDF9EXE?th=1

 

[DrewLG]

For anyone who isn't absolutely certain of their soldering skills... If you do decide to solder connections like these, keep in mind that when electrical codes require mechanical connections rather than soldered connections, it's for a good reason: Mechanical connections are harder to screw up, easy to inspect, easy to disassemble, and they're stronger against mechanical stresses. Plus, wires can get hot if there's a fault -- potentially hot enough to melt solder.

So if you do solder, remember that solder isn't glue, and make sure that the solder joint is backed up by a good mechanical connection between the wires.

 

[Dirk]

So if you do solder, remember that solder isn't glue, and make sure that the solder joint is backed up by a good mechanical connection between the wires.

Something I hadn't considered, great point. I do have some low-voltage solder connections that are relying on the solder for the mechanical connection. These are insulated with adhesive heat shrink tubing, which might provide a tiny bit of support. But for the most part, and any time 120V is involved, my solder connections are covered/insulated with wire nuts, which in essence make them a very solid mechanical connection that is virtually corrosion-proof.

I assembled my outdoor 12V lighting wires like that. They pretty much lay in the dirt, and are subjected to all sorts of abuse. For those I used the type of wire nuts that have the water-proofing "goo" inside them, in addition to soldering every connection. That was a real pain, dragging the soldering station all over the yard, but it's been 7+ years rock solid. That was the weak link in my previous home's garden lights, where corrosion was a constant battle. I think my present system might outlast me! These guys (sometimes in the irrigation department):

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DryConn-Aqua-Red-20-Pack-Aqua-Wire-Connectors/3377352

 

[Dirk]

Since you know what you’re doing,

Ha, fooled another one!

I had a question about the best grease to use, and honestly has been part of why I've yet to buy the stuff I need for my pool pad, as I wasn't sure which to use. They seem to all claim to enhance the electrical connection, but some seem to be non-conductive, where others are conductive?

So my first thought was: what happens if I inadvertently span two connections with the stuff? Will that make a short? And if I use the non-conductive stuff, uh, isn't that actually insulating the connections if it gets in-between the metal-to-metal contact? That's where I got stuck, and the Amazon descriptions weren't helping.

 

[SoDel]

Ha, fooled another one!

I had a question about the best grease to use, and honestly has been part of why I've yet to buy the stuff I need for my pool pad, as I wasn't sure which to use. They seem to all claim to enhance the electrical connection, but some seem to be non-conductive, where others are conductive?

So my first thought was: what happens if I inadvertently span two connections with the stuff? Will that make a short? And if I use the non-conductive stuff, uh, isn't that actually insulating the connections if it gets in-between the metal-to-metal contact? That's where I got stuck, and the Amazon descriptions weren't helping.

If there’s any chance the stuff will get or migrate where you don’t want it to go, use the de-electric non-conductive type. It won’t actually insulate metal-to-metal contact but does form a hermetic seal around the metal, precluding oxidation. I use the de-electric type on marine use low voltage connectors as well as on direct burial splices. It works as advertised . If it’s for a connector that gets connected and disconnected frequently, reapply occasionally (like once a year).

Some applications are suited for the conductive type and where the connection is going to be made under pressure, like a bolt-lug or large wire-nut or screw terminal clamp (so if the spot you need it lends itself to the conductive type, belt and suspenders). The theory is the grease part of the paste is squeezed by the connection pressure leaving the conductive particles at the actual places of contact to improve the connection. The grease part precludes oxidation.