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Yes

4 (23.5%)

No

6 (35.3%)

Doesn't Matter

4 (23.5%)

Wire Nuts Are Evil

3 (17.6%)

Total Members Voted: 17

[Frank DeWitt]

Sometimes we decide something is safe because of the physics involved.  Sometimes we think it is safe because that is the way we do it.   I have found home wiring from the late 1800s and early 1900s that did not use any boxes.  Seems wrong.

Then I found this.
Is it safe?



http://www.electrical-contractor.net/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/213916/1.html

[Stephen Swaffer]

Code only allows mounting brackets like that for low voltage/power limited circuits over here.  Also lack of staples securing the wire is unsafe.  I have heard of people being injured because a toggle bolt tightened up on a piece of unsecured romex and became energized-the incident I heard of happened with a bathroom towel bar - obviously not a good place for that to happen!

I am sure a lot of people get away with doing it that way-for a while.

[Frank DeWitt]

I am sure a lot of people get away with doing it that way-for a while.

It is not code in the US but a lot of people have been getting away with it for a long time in Australia where this picture was taken.

[Mike Sokol]

Sometimes we decide something is safe because of the physics involved.  Sometimes we think it is safe because that is the way we do it.   I have found home wiring from the late 1800s and early 1900s that did not use any boxes.  Seems wrong.

Then I found this.
Is it safe?

One of the functions of the "j-box" is to contain any sparks from loose wiring connections (such as wire nuts). Without a non-flammable box to contain them, those sparks could easily ignite flammable materials in the walls. And an electrical fire inside of a wall is very bad.

One of the reasons that old K&T wiring didn't catch fire as often as you might imagine may be that those were soldered connections. While wire nuts are certainly safe if properly installed, I would consider a properly soldered and taped connection to be far superior to a wire nut connection, at least as far as spark potential.

Now, I'm not advocating a return to the days of molten solder pots held over your head while standing on a ladder. But wire nuts and modern screw-connected receptacles are not designed to be mounted next to flammable material. They both need to be in non-flammable boxes.   

[Jonathan Johnson]

Upon seeing this, but before clicking in the link to the forum where this picture came from, I quickly recognized this as being from somewhere outside of the United States. My second thought was that maybe the electrical devices (switches, receptacles) that were to be installed included surface mount boxes which would contain the connections.

Then I clicked the link and learned the truth. Oh, my.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Sometimes we decide something is safe because of the physics involved.  Sometimes we think it is safe because that is the way we do it.   I have found home wiring from the late 1800s and early 1900s that did not use any boxes.  Seems wrong.

Then I found this.
Is it safe?

Safe is relative.  Presumably someone has done statistical analysis to understand the ramifications of various building practices, though like government, building codes tend to meander over time.

[Stephen Swaffer]

I should have taken another picture.  Saturday I rewired a fan on a grain bin.  Old wiring = 8-3 indoor romex, line end supported by terminal screws on breaker in an outdoor panel with the cover open, ran about 50 feet, mid way was a splice (no box-result of being run over with a mower), load end ran though a piece of flex, but no strain relief.  Been that way for a couple of years, and no one got hurt.  With this as your sample group, statistically it was safe (even with the hole in front of the open panel that made you lose your balance and fall towards the open panel.)  I'm guessing no insurance company would want to cover the install though.

Tom is right though-safe can never be an absolute-it is really about minimizing risk, or at least getting it to an acceptable level which varies depending on your standard.

Mike has advocated using the NEC as the standard here.  By that standard the OP is not safe.

[Frank DeWitt]

Mike has advocated using the NEC as the standard here.  By that standard the OP is not safe.

But by Second Edition AS/ACIF S009:2006. It is safe.  I don't think it is.  I would prefer boxes. But codes are local.  If I had a trained professional build a house in Australia there would be no boxes.  Btw I understand that wires are terminated differently and wire nuts are not used. 

Please understand that I am not advocating not using boxes.  I am just pointing out that codes may or may not be enough.  We actually need to think through what is safe and why.  Mike points out that a box will contain sparks and help prevent fires in walls.  A good point and I agree with it.

In another thread I said that our church goes beyond code with electrical safety in our Baptismal.  We did that because we thought it through and decided that NEC was not enough. 

Understanding the why as this forum keeps teaching us is better then only knowing the code.

[Steve M Smith]

We don't use wire nuts in the UK.  They looked positively scary the first time I saw one!

Mike points out that a box will contain sparks and help prevent fires in walls.  A good point and I agree with it.

Although it would be better not to have any sparks to contain!


Steve.

[Jeff Bankston]

We don't use wire nuts in the UK.  They looked positively scary the first time I saw one!
Although it would be better not to have any sparks to contain!


Steve.

wire nuts are awsome ! i use Ideal brand wing nuts. uh oh i just told everyone i'm a wing nut job !

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