College of Engineering

and Technology
Department of Agricultural and
Biosystems Engineering
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES
Telephone: (053) 525-0140 local 1015
Email: dabe@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

ABEn 154-AAB Electrification and Control Systems

2st Semester, AY 2020-2021

INFORMATION SHEET No. 1

Common Wire Splices

I. INTRODUCTION

Wires splices are an essential part of any electrical circuit. When conductors are joined
together or connect to a load, proper splices must be used. Any electrical circuit is only as
good as its weakest link. The basic requirement of any splice is to be both mechanically and
electrically as sound as the conductor or device with which it is used (cedengineering.com)

When working with electronic equipment or with electrical wiring, it may from time to time
become necessary to splice or join wires together. Wire splicing is used when it is difficult to
replace the entire length of a damaged wire. However, the first choice should always be the
replacement of the entire wire when possible. Using splices to repair broken or damaged
conductors is not permitted for Class 2 and 3 products without customer approval. Wire
splicing may also be a necessary technique for original production assembly, in a customer
design to replace terminal blocks when the space is limited, or when the design revision
changes.

Hence, it is for Rural Electrification students to familiarize themselves with the different wire
splicing techniques ensure lasting electrical contact and physical strength.

II. THE COMMONLY USED WIRE SPLICES

1. Knotted Top Joint. It is used where the splice is subjected to strain or slippage.
When there is no strain, the knot may be eliminated.
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

2. Western Union Splice. It joins small, solid conductors. The Western Union
splice works best to splice together small, solid conductors. It is the most
common type of wire splice. To make the Western Union splice, first remove
about five inches of insulation from both wires and cross the exposed wires.
Wrap one wire around the other five or six times, and then do the same with the
other. Cut the excess wires off and pinch the ends down with pliers. Solder the
joint together and wrap tape around it.

3. Western Union Short Tie. It is a wire splice widely used or applied inside to
building. This splice is applied only to small solid wire. Western union long tie -
A splice which is similar to a western union short tie, only that the number of twist
at the center and at both end are more compare to a short tie.

4. Staggering Splices. Joining small multi-conductor cables often presents a

problem. Each conductor must be spliced and taped. If the splices are directly
opposite each other, the overall size of the joint becomes large and bulky. A
smoother and less bulky joint can be made by staggering the splices.
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

5. Fixture joint. It is used to connect a small-diameter wire, such as in a lighting

fixture, to a larger diameter wire used in a branch circuit. Like the rattail joint, the
fixture joint will not stand much strain.

6. Wire nut. It is a device commonly used to replace the rattail joint splice. The wire
nut is housed in plastic insulating material. To use the wire nut, place the two
stripped conductors into the wire nut and twist the nut. In so doing, this will form a
splice like the rattail joint and insulate itself by drawing the wire insulation into the
wire nut insulation

7. Split bolt splice. It is used extensively to join large conductors. In the illustration,
it is shown replacing the knotted tap joint. The split bolt splice can also be used to
replace the "butted" splices mentioned previously when using large conductors.
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

8. Pigtail Splice - (also called a rattail splice) is used to join two wires in location
where there is no pull or strain on the wires, such as inside metalenclosure.

9. Rattail Joint – is a wire splice mostly used in outlet and junction boxes. A splice
that is used in a junction box and for connecting branch circuits

10. Duplex Wire Splice. It is a wire splice used in joining wires in parallel
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

11. Ordinary cable tap joint. It is generally used where large stranded wires are tap
to a main or through conductor.

12. Underwriters Knot. In making up a drop cord, tie an underwriters knot at the
top so that the weight is supported not by the copper conductors where they are
connected to the terminals, but by the knot. It helps secure electrical connection
specially that of the plug. Since the ends if the wires (appliance cords) will be
looped under the two terminal of a made plug, they will be experiencing a significant
amount of tensile stress. Thus could be prevented by the under writers knot
because it will instead take the brunt of the stretching force and not the un-
insulated ends under the screw terminal.

13. Britannia Splice. This splice in applied in both inside and outside the building
to big solid wire where twisting is difficult

14. Terminating Joint. The joint where a wire connects to a device such as a switch
or receptacle is called a terminal. A wire wraps clockwise around a terminal
screw; the stew is then tightened.

15. Small Aerial Tap Joint –is a joint mostly used in location where wires are
subjected to considerable movement.
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

16. Terminating Fixture and others - is used where fixture leads are joining to the
end of the branch or conductor.

17. Ordinary Cross Joint - is used where two tap conductors are to extend away
from the branch conductor in opposite direction.

18. Fixture Splice - or fixture joints, are used to connect wires of different sizes.
This joint requires five inches of insulation stripped off the wire. Hold the wires
together and then twist them a few times with a pair of pliers. Both wires must
twist for the joint to be tight. Cut both ends of wire so that they are the same
length, and then take the twisted joint and bend it so that it lines up with the
wires. Take the cut ends and extend them perpendicular to the wire and the
twisted portion. Wrap these two ends in the same direction as the twist. Solder
the joint together and wrap tape around it.

19. Thro’ Fixture Joint - is used where fixture leads are connected to branch wire at
an immediate point

20. Scarfed Splice- is a splice similar in appearance with that of Britannia only that
its end is hidden

21. Duplex Wire Splice – is a wire splice used in joining wires in parallel.

22. Wrapped Tap - is used in large solid conduct where it is found difficult to wrap
the large tap wire around the main wire.

23. Split Cable Tap or Tee join - is most frequently used where small stranded wire
or cable are tap to a through conductor.

24. Ordinary wrapped cable splice – is a splice used in joining through conductors
that are stranded. This kind of splice is applied in the absence of the connectors

25. Plain tap or tee join - is mostly used in outside work for joining a tap wire to a
through conductor.

26. Knotted or loop tap joint - is mostly used for tapping a temporary wiring or
lightning system where soldering is not applied

27. Tap Splice - also called a tap joint, is used to connect a conductor to a running
wire. To make a tap splice, strip about 1½ inches off the running wire. Take the
connecting wire and wrap it once around the running wire. Now wrap the end of
the wire through the loop you just made. Then wrap the connecting wire around
the running wire about six times. Make sure the wire points away from the original
turn. Solder the joint and wrap tape around it.
 ABEn 147. Laboratory Exercise No. 5

28. Double wrapped cross joint - is used in the same manner and reason as the
ordinary cross join with the advantage of being stronger.

VII. LITERATURE CITED

1. Schaenzer, J.P. (1955). Rural Electrification (5th ed.). Bruce Publishing Company,
U.S.A.
2. Common Electrical Wire splices and Joint.
https://janmclaine.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/first-blog-post/
3. 14 kinds of electrical Wire Slicing. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3af4APaytU
4. Wire Splices and Joints. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ph/reyndrix/wire-
splices-and-joints/