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Please excuse my lack of technical terminology. We recently had a dimmer switch installed, and the electrician installed a twist cap on the end of the two twisted stranded steel wires but only taped the two twisted solid copper wires, saying this is the way to do it (that there are no caps big enough to cap the solid wires). Is this correct? I always thought you capped the ends of both twisted pairs of wires for safety–that the tape would eventually wear out. Thanks.
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No. This is wrong. There are "wire nuts" big enough to stick your finger in. This is not safe. I think it used to be done that way though.
The silver wires from the dimmer were probably plated copper.
*Doug, yipes! Get a different electrician- NOW!All wires should be either fastened with screw-on"wirenuts" - caps... or be crimped with either a stake-on or Buchannan type crimp. Twist and tape just won't do.
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Please excuse my lack of technical terminology. We recently had a dimmer switch installed, and the electrician installed a twist cap on the end of the two twisted stranded steel wires but only taped the two twisted solid copper wires, saying this is the way to do it (that there are no caps big enough to cap the solid wires). Is this correct? I always thought you capped the ends of both twisted pairs of wires for safety--that the tape would eventually wear out. Thanks.