Among multi wire connectors, heat shrink butt splices are some of the toughest. They offer an extra layer of protection against mechanical and environmental damage and are relatively easy to install. You will only need a high-quality butt connector, a crimping tool, a source of heat, and all safety precautions followed.
As to the tutorials, you can find lots online, for example, the following one. But when it comes to wire connectors and crimping tools, consider choosing them on WirefyShop.com to make sure you get the best deal of quality and cost.
What Are Heat Shrink Butt Connectors?
These are electrical multi connectors that have a coat of a heat shrink insulation material around the whole connector. They were initially used to seal one wire, but now the range of use has expanded. It works as a regular butt connector, only that when applying heat, the insulation shrinks and hugs the wire tightly, offering extra protection and strength.
Such insulation prevents premature corrosion and pull-outs, prolonging the life of a cable. When buying a set in a shop like WirefyShop, you get terminals with the same quality of insulation yet different gauge sizes (within the range of 24 to 8 gauge, usually).
How to Use Heat Shrink Butt Connectors?
With the right wire crimping tools and a bit of patience, you’ll finish installation in less than 15 minutes:
- Check if all the elements, including the crimping tool, correspond in size;
- Prepare the wires by removing the top coat to the length specified by the size of the connector you use;
- Slide the wire from one side of the connector;
- Crimp it tight to make sure you connect metal to metal. Use a high-quality crimp tool like those from WirefyShop;
- Tug a little to make sure the crimp is successful;
- Do the same to the other side and the second wire;
- Rotate the connector slowly while applying heat to it using a portable blow torch or a heat gun;
- Wait for it to cool and check if everything’s even.
This is all you need to complete a multiple electrical wire connection using heat shrink splice.
As you can see, the only difference in these multi wire connectors is that they need an extra step to be installed. However, this also makes them the strongest butt connector type. They usually provide waterproof qualities and can be used in your car, outside, and with other applications where environmental damage is evident. Make sure the insulation material is of a high quality so that the element can provide damage-resistant qualities.
Among all connector types (2-pin, T-tap, ring terminal, etc.), butt connectors can be applied in a wide range of industries (marine, automotive), and don’t take a long time to install. Whether it’s an appliance plug at home or two of the electrical wires in your auto, a couple of handy tools and 15 minutes of your time will do the job.