Why each toolbox wants a handful of jelly crimps

Common readers will know that I like the Wago lever nuts for making stable, dependable connections in home mains voltage wiring. However one other connector I discover myself utilizing lots is the jelly crimp. In reality, I used some right this moment to repair some damaged wires in a doorbell.

Jelly crimps are the mainstay of telecom installations and restore (at the very least right here within the U.Okay.). I used to be launched to them a few years in the past by an engineer who gave me a handful of them, and ever since I have been hooked.

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These connectors come underneath a lot of completely different names, however jelly crimps is what they’re finest often called. 

The “jelly” bit within the title comes from the truth that the ends are full of a dielectric silicone sealant that each provides additional insulation and likewise makes the connection weatherproof.

They arrive in two-way (known as UY) or three-way configurations (known as UR), relying on whether or not you need to join two or three wires collectively, and so they have been particularly designed for becoming a member of stable core copper or aluminum phone and communications wires.

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Together with the UY and UR configuration variations, there’s additionally completely different sizes relying on the outer diameter of the wire you are going to be connecting utilizing the jelly crimp. Common UR and UY are for thinner 22-26 awg wires with an insulation outer diameter of 1.52mm, whereas the UY2 and UR2 sizes accommodates the thicker 19-26 awg wires with a most insulation outer diameter of two.08mm.

You may discover a lot of completely different manufacturers on the market, and they are often hit or miss, and I’ve seen low-cost ones crumble or not include any gel. I’ve a supply within the telecom enterprise that retains me provided, however in case you’re having to purchase them on-line, I like to recommend going for the 3M Scotchlok model. 

I discover the two-way ones to be probably the most helpful, with a 100 pack of UY and a 100-pack of UY2 being sufficient to cater for my wants.  

They’re useless straightforward to make use of. 

You narrow the cable, poke the ends in all the way in which (no must strip the insulation), and squeeze the button to snap them down and chunk by the cable.

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That straightforward!

Their major use is on phone wiring, however I’ve additionally used them on alarm programs, doorbells, audio system, and different low-voltage functions. These connectors can deal with as much as 50V, so do not use them on mains voltage in case somebody — presumably you — dies. 

The connections are extremely dependable, and so long as they are not submerged in water, they’ll final for many years (and even submerged ones have a protracted life, in my expertise).

There’s a particular instrument for doing the squeezing you could choose up for $15. When you crimp lots then this may make sense, however I discover I can use my finger and thumb, or a pair of Knipex mini waterpump pliers to do the job.

Did I point out that they’re extremely satisfying to “pop”?