Old timer at my shop changed how I look at wire splices

I used to be all about using those push-in connectors for everything. Figured they were faster and good enough. Then this guy named Dave, been doing avionics since the 80s, watched me splice some nav light wires and just said 'you trust a spring to hold a plane together?' He showed me how he does a proper Western Union splice and then solders it. Took maybe 2 extra minutes. Now I can't unsee the difference. Any of you guys still use the push-ins or did you learn the hard way too?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_wells425d ago

Buddy of mine used push-in connectors on his trailer wiring. Said it was fine, saved him time. Well he's towing his boat down the highway and the right turn signal just stops working. He pulls over and finds the connector had melted from the heat and vibration. The whole harness was a mess. Took him half a day to rewire the whole thing. Last I heard he went out and bought a soldering iron the next morning.

daniel_lane3025d ago

Wait, Dave didn't hand you a tube of JB Weld and tell you "that's for the real serious connections"? I'm kidding, but seriously, push-in connectors have their place (like maybe in my kid's toy helicopter), not in anything that leaves the ground. I learned the hard way after a push-in on my boat's bilge pump vibrated loose, and guess who got to wade into ankle-deep bilge water at 2 AM? Dave's right, that extra two minutes of soldering is way cheaper than a new alternator or worse.

elizabethhayes25d ago

Is anyone else picturing @christopher_wells4's buddy pulling over on the highway with a melted trailer harness thinking "shoulda just taken those two minutes"? I've seen guys swear by push-ins for low-vibration stuff like ceiling fans, but even then they can back out over time. The real issue is people forget heat cycles loosen plastic connectors, and soldering gives you a solid mechanical bond before the solder even hits. Also fair warning on that bilge pump story - I found one floating in a puddle once because the housing cracked from a cheap push-in that got brittle in the cold. Dave's method works because it's actually locked together before you add solder, not just relying on the melted metal to hold.