Brett Smyth of IDEAL Industries discusses the benefits that electricians can experience by switching from terminal strips to lever or push-in connectors.
Terminal strips have become a default setting for many electricians, mainly because they’re the method they’ve always used. But it’s our view that switching to lever or push-in connectors could help electricians save man hours and achieve more consistent and compliant installations.
Loyal subjects
One of the challenges we’ve found is that electricians can have a tendency to remain loyal to the installation techniques they used when they trained. Of course, expecting experienced professionals to adapt habits that have been ingrained in them over decades is like asking someone to ditch the sugar in their tea overnight. That’s why we’re working with colleges to support training of the next generation of electricians using lever and push-in connectors by offering complimentary products so that they can practice using consumables that are faster, easier and more consistent. We continue to believe, however, that there are also benefits for more experienced electricians willing to make the change.
Cost considerations
The other barrier to change is perceptions of cost. The unit price of connectors is slightly more than terminal strips, but the time savings they offer electricians should easily offset any additional costs. Indeed, connectors not only help to keep the job within programme, but can also reduce labour costs over the length of the project. Furthermore, making the switch removes any inconsistency associated with the tightening of terminal strip screws, thereby building value into the cost of the connectors by reducing the need for checks or call backs.
Advantages for electricians
Switching to connectors ensures that installations are consistently safe and compliant with current wiring regulations. The 18th Edition requires that traditional terminal strip connections should be accessible for annual inspections in compliance with BS EN 60670-22, which makes it difficult to select a suitable location for terminal strip connections, potentially leading to non-compliance for many projects.
Conversely, lever and push-in connectors are classified as maintenance-free when used in conjunction with an approved enclosure box, so can be part of a compliant installation anywhere within the property. Using connectors rather than terminal strips also ensures every connection is consistent because there is no variation in the tightening of the fixing screw that fastens the cable in place. IDEAL Industries’ Connectors even include a stripping guide to aid consistently accurate stripping of the cable prior to connection, along with a CPC port for relevant testing.
Developing opportunity
To further enhance these opportunities, IDEAL Industries has introduced the In-Sure Gen II Lever Connector. Robust and well-designed, it offers a user-friendly, cost-effective and quality-led alternative to terminal strips, enabling electricians to save time and improve quality on-site.
To browse IDEAL’s range of lever and push-in connectors, click here
