This mechanical joint involves stripping two solid conductors, crossing them, and tightly twisting the bare ends around the opposite wire in a long spiral. It was originally developed to withstand high tension on long telegraph lines without pulling apart. While wire nuts and push-in connectors have largely replaced it for indoor wiring, it remains a reliable technique for extending solid wire under mechanical stress before soldering and taping.
Heard on the job
The inspector wants to see a proper Western Union splice before you solder and tape that broken ground wire.
Insider tip
The key to a solid joint is making at least five tight wraps on each side of the center cross to ensure the wire snaps before the splice pulls apart.
Also heard as
- Lineman's splice
- Lineman splice
Do not mix it up with
- Rat-tail splice: A rat-tail splice twists two parallel wires together to be capped, while a Western Union joins two wires end-to-end under tension.