Tried a Wago lever nut on a 10 AWG solid copper run and it popped right off

I was wiring up a subpanel in a garage in Phoenix last week. Used a Wago 221 on a 10 AWG solid copper ground wire. It clicked in fine at first but when I tugged on it, the wire slid right out. Turns out the 221 series is only rated up to 12 AWG for solid wire. Had to swap to a bigger Wago or just a wire nut. I learned to always check the rating on the package before trusting a connector. Has anyone else run into this with solid wire in the larger gauges?

2 comments

2 Comments

burns.fiona16d ago

Wait, is this really that big of a deal? I mean, you were using a lever nut on a 10 AWG ground wire in a subpanel, not like a main feeder or something. Seems like you just grabbed the wrong size, not that Wago connectors are junk. I've had them pop off on me too when I pushed them past their limits, but that's on me for not checking the box. Honestly, a wirenut would have done the same job just fine for that ground tie, and you probably had one in your bag anyway.

jordanl8216d ago

@burns.fiona Nah. Buddy of mine had a lever nut pop on a 12 AWG bond and it arced. Not worth saving 30 seconds.