“Don’t use electrical tape to hold wires together like I do”

Well, if electrical tape is holding stuff together, that's the first thing I wouldn't let happen to me!

If your using tape to hold wires together, that is your first mistake. Use a solid length of wire or solder it together. Do it right the first time to avoid problems like you encountered.

Dave

Electrical tape is not designed to hold wires together! They should be soldered, screwed to a terminal strip or fastened some other way - ANY other way other than electrical tape!

at least use wire nuts to join the wires.

The title of this post should be “Don’t use electrical tape to hold wires together like I do”

WOW Seaboard, my guess is that you won't be doing that again. Electrical tape has one purpose - TO INSULATE.  If you must splice two wire together and you don't feel comfortable soldering, use this splice then you can insulate it with electrical tape such as Scotch 33.

Wirenuts, terminal strips, and a soldering iron are a model railroader’s best friends...

Rich Melvin posted:

Electrical tape is not designed to hold wires together! They should be soldered, screwed to a terminal strip or fastened some other way - ANY other way other than electrical tape!

Hey it worked just fine for the past 9 years.Besides I am not that good when it comes to soldering.

wild mary posted:

WOW Seaboard, my guess is that you won't be doing that again. Electrical tape has one purpose - TO INSULATE.  If you must splice two wire together and you don't feel comfortable soldering, use this splice then you can insulate it with electrical tape such as Scotch 33.

 

Now the diagrams you have here.Is how I had the wires together.I then had tape around them.

NS6770Fan posted:

Wirenuts, terminal strips, and a soldering iron are a model railroader’s best friends...

Believe me I am taking notes.

NYC Z-MAN posted:

The title of this post should be “Don’t use electrical tape to hold wires together like I do”

O.K. point taken.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, if electrical tape is holding stuff together, that's the first thing I wouldn't let happen to me!

Hey it held together for a very long time.And I thought that was what electrical tape was for.After all it is called electrical tape.

david1 posted:

If your using tape to hold wires together, that is your first mistake. Use a solid length of wire or solder it together. Do it right the first time to avoid problems like you encountered.

Dave

What I did was twine the wires together.Then put the tape around them.I am thinking about clamps.

seaboardm2 posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, if electrical tape is holding stuff together, that's the first thing I wouldn't let happen to me!

Hey it held together for a very long time.And I thought that was what electrical tape was for.After all it is called electrical tape.

What do you use duct tape for ?

NYC Z-MAN posted:

The title of this post should be “Don’t use electrical tape to hold wires together like I do”

I’m sure a lot of us have opened shells to see 2 or 3 PCB’s sandwiched and taped together.  Remove the tape and all the residue from the adhesive left on the board.  I don’t know if it is electrically conductive.  If yes, I could see possibility of carrying voltage across the solder traces.  If not conductive, great.  But the point is that the holding ability of the tape adhesive degrades over time and has the consistency of sticky glue or maple syrup.  I use wire ties if I can.  Solder or wire nut connections.  Tape is the last thing I use.

seaboardm2 posted:

wild mary posted:

WOW Seaboard, my guess is that you won't be doing that again. Electrical tape has one purpose - TO INSULATE.  If you must splice two wire together and you don't feel comfortable soldering, use this splice then you can insulate it with electrical tape such as Scotch 33.

 

Now the diagrams you have here.Is how I had the wires together.I then had tape around them.

When you got a splice like this put shrink-wrap around it and apply heat to it. (A hair dryer will do for a heat gun...). Much, much better than tape!

Duct tape is for HVAC ducts.

Wire wrapping as shown above is a prelude to  soldering.

If you do not feel you can solder go check out some model RR soldering You Tubes.  Consider searching OGR archives.

I have used wire nuts for many years, including in RVs. I have never had a wire nut connection fail, even with the vibration and pounding of highway use. Simple, cheap, quick.

Lew

Lately I have become a fan of heat shrink tubing for insulating wires vs electrical tape as I have found over time electrical tape looses its sticky ness and fails to hold. I still solder wires together, but before I solder the wires together I slip on a section of heat shrink tubing to one of the ends of wire, twist them together, solder the twisted joint and then slip the tubing over the joint and finally apply heat gently and evenly over the tubing to make a nice secure neat connection.