sitelights
07-08-2001, 11:57 AM
Outdoor lighting installers seem to favor one type over the other; either using pierce-point only or hardwire only. I use both methods but the ratio is about 10:1 in favor of pierce points. I've already stated my opinion of Wire-Nuts(r) in an earlier post; we never use them or any kind of twist-ons.
Somehow the notion that pierce-point is a DIY technique while twist-on is the choice of the pros has become common in outdoor work. The exact opposite is true. The reason that pierce-points are disdained probably stems from the early days of low voltage outdoor lighting (pre-1975) when the folks at Loran, Inc. required, as a condition of their warranty, that their Nightscaping(r) fixtures be installed only with twist-ons.
The pierce-point connectors of that era were associated with the DIY market developed by Intermatic's Malibu(r) line of equipment. Things change but biases remain.
Some outdoor lighting manufacturers supply pierce-point connectors with their fixtures (Hadco, Kichler, Focus) while others such as FXL and Nightscaping(r) do not. Of the two connector types I have worked with Hadco's is superior to the Focus item and I have a large carton of unused Focus FA-05 Quick Connectors on a shelf in my warehouse. The Hadco Nightlife(r) LV3 connector is a much improved item that replaced their earlier (and terrible) "ramp" version. This is the quick connector of choice in our installations.
Pierce-point failures are almost entirely due to their use with 12 gauge (or less) cable and cable such as Paige's which has a very dense sheath that distorts the pierce-points. Since we never use less than 10 gauge main cable and the cable we use has a softer virgin PVC sheath, the pierce points provide an excellent lead wire/main cable connection.
The cut-and-nut method results in a main cable seriously compromised by all the failure prone conventional splices. As an example, a 150' run of main cable with 10 fixtures would have at least 20 splices; if some fixtures were moved to fine-tune the lighting effects deemed necessary during a night critique there would be even more. We seldom cut the main cable and then only to add a "spur" which is connected via the Buchanan method detailed in an earlier post.
The difference between amateur and pro installations is not simply a matter of doing something because that is the way everyone else does it; the method that provides the best technical solution should be the method of choice. When we are called in to repair someone else's work we invariably find poorly made or just plain deteriorated twist-on connectors; gel or electrician's tape liberally but ineffectively used does not protect the connection nor does it prevent water from wicking into the stranded cable which further compromises the current-carrying ability of the main cable. We have often picked up a full volt by cutting out all the bad twist-ons and crimp splicing clean copper.
Our call-backs for failed connections are practically nil and are usually the result of an impact-damaged LV3 or the failure to get the smaller points centered in the 18 gauge supply wire conductors. We get LV3s with all of the Hadco Nightlife(r) fixtures we use and we also purchase LV3s to connect other manufacturer's fixtures. If you have a box of these items on a warehouse shelf, let me know and I'll buy them from you for a buck a piece.
A more recent post "pierce-point connector types" in this forum compares three different connectors for those who want additional detail.
Somehow the notion that pierce-point is a DIY technique while twist-on is the choice of the pros has become common in outdoor work. The exact opposite is true. The reason that pierce-points are disdained probably stems from the early days of low voltage outdoor lighting (pre-1975) when the folks at Loran, Inc. required, as a condition of their warranty, that their Nightscaping(r) fixtures be installed only with twist-ons.
The pierce-point connectors of that era were associated with the DIY market developed by Intermatic's Malibu(r) line of equipment. Things change but biases remain.
Some outdoor lighting manufacturers supply pierce-point connectors with their fixtures (Hadco, Kichler, Focus) while others such as FXL and Nightscaping(r) do not. Of the two connector types I have worked with Hadco's is superior to the Focus item and I have a large carton of unused Focus FA-05 Quick Connectors on a shelf in my warehouse. The Hadco Nightlife(r) LV3 connector is a much improved item that replaced their earlier (and terrible) "ramp" version. This is the quick connector of choice in our installations.
Pierce-point failures are almost entirely due to their use with 12 gauge (or less) cable and cable such as Paige's which has a very dense sheath that distorts the pierce-points. Since we never use less than 10 gauge main cable and the cable we use has a softer virgin PVC sheath, the pierce points provide an excellent lead wire/main cable connection.
The cut-and-nut method results in a main cable seriously compromised by all the failure prone conventional splices. As an example, a 150' run of main cable with 10 fixtures would have at least 20 splices; if some fixtures were moved to fine-tune the lighting effects deemed necessary during a night critique there would be even more. We seldom cut the main cable and then only to add a "spur" which is connected via the Buchanan method detailed in an earlier post.
The difference between amateur and pro installations is not simply a matter of doing something because that is the way everyone else does it; the method that provides the best technical solution should be the method of choice. When we are called in to repair someone else's work we invariably find poorly made or just plain deteriorated twist-on connectors; gel or electrician's tape liberally but ineffectively used does not protect the connection nor does it prevent water from wicking into the stranded cable which further compromises the current-carrying ability of the main cable. We have often picked up a full volt by cutting out all the bad twist-ons and crimp splicing clean copper.
Our call-backs for failed connections are practically nil and are usually the result of an impact-damaged LV3 or the failure to get the smaller points centered in the 18 gauge supply wire conductors. We get LV3s with all of the Hadco Nightlife(r) fixtures we use and we also purchase LV3s to connect other manufacturer's fixtures. If you have a box of these items on a warehouse shelf, let me know and I'll buy them from you for a buck a piece.
A more recent post "pierce-point connector types" in this forum compares three different connectors for those who want additional detail.