How to Install Butt Connectors on Electrical Wire

A wire stripping and crimping tool for insulated fittings.

Anywhere you need to splice or terminate a piece of stranded wire, an insulated connector will do the job.

1. Purchase insulated butt splices at a hardware or auto supply store. The splices should accept the gauge of wire being spliced. If spade or ring end connectors are required, they can also be purchased, either singly or in an assortment.

2. Purchase a pair of crimping pliers designed for crimping insulated connectors. Most of these crimping pliers have wire strippers in the handle.

3. Strip the wires to be spliced with a butt connector. Place the wires in the proper diameter slot in the crimping pliers handle, leaving about 3/8 inch of wire exposed beyond the slot. Squeeze the handles together and pull off the insulation.

4. Twist the stranded wire and insert it into one end of the butt connector. The insulated part of the wire should extend into the butt connector to prevent shorts. If you strip off too much wire, cut a bit off the end of the wire.

5. Place the butt connector into the compression slot marked with the gauge of the butt connector being crimped. Be sure the crimping jaws are positioned over the stripped portion of the wire. Squeeze the handles together with enough force to crush the end of the butt splice.

6. Repeat with the second wire inserted into the other end of the butt connector.

7. Test the splice by pulling on the wires.