{"id":451,"date":"2021-04-02T16:53:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T16:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/?p=451"},"modified":"2022-08-22T14:05:55","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T14:05:55","slug":"can-you-splice-or-join-heavy-duty-220v-200-amp-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/can-you-splice-or-join-heavy-duty-220v-200-amp-wire","title":{"rendered":"Can You Splice or Join Heavy-Duty (220v\/200 Amp) Wire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s one thing to splice a Romex cable or any other non-metallic cable that can be used to power most of your everyday appliance. However, when it comes to heavier wires, such as a 220 volt or 200-ampere wire, the sheer size of the wire can put doubts in the hearts of many. (Site note<\/em>: for a refresh on the distinction between volts and amps, our article on power adapters<\/a> covers towards the beginning).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t find yourself in this odd position, wondering if you can splice or join heavy-duty (200 ampere or 220 volt) wire, so it\u2019s natural to be a bit confused. Since it\u2019s not common for these wires to wear out or need replacement, it\u2019s natural to hesitate before making a final decision and wonder if its okay. Well the shrot answer is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can definitely splice or join heavy-duty (220v\/200 amp) wires instead of rewiring the entire run. You will need a heavy-duty junction box for this, but yes, there shouldn\u2019t be any problems with the setup.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning:<\/strong> We don\u2019t advise beginners to undertake the venture, though. You should have intermediate to advanced skills when handling such wires along with basic electrician tools. Do NOT skimp off of the safety measures, even if you have turned the main off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can You Splice or Join Heavy-duty Wires \u2013 The Details to Consider<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Heavy-duty<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

If your 220 volt or 200 ampere wire ever gets damaged or gets cut, you will find that the biggest issue that arises is understanding how to handle the numerous wires that run inside it. After all, it\u2019s most likely coming directly from your breaker box. If it gets cut in the middle somewhere and the colors are hard to identify for some reason of it there is already a joint in the middle, understanding which wire goes where can be a bit difficult. This is particularly true for older wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find that your 220 volt or 200 ampere wire or panel is already spliced or has a join in the middle somewhere, we sincerely recommend that instead of adding another join and damaging the integrity of the wire (and effectively turning your wire into a ticking time bomb) you should simply rewire the run. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another possibility where you might need to splice<\/a> or join heavy-duty wires together is to run a new wire from a point and install something new. Do not try to run a wire directly from the transformer. Not only will you be breaking every rule in the book, but you will also put your own and others\u2019 life at risk while doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get into a bit more detail. Once you cut the wire, the main problem you\u2019ll face is there the junction box or panel installed by your contractor (or if you bought a new box and didn\u2019t know what you were doing) will most likely not have any ground screws on the box, which will most likely leave you stretching your head (yeah this happened to us as well on our first go). What should you do with the ground wire in this case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should you simply cut the ground wire off since it has nowhere to go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, you will also find two hot wires (red or sometimes black wires) and a neutral apart from the ground wire<\/strong> (in most cases). We recommend using a tester to identify which wire is the hot one first. Let\u2019s consider what you can do in this case and how you should go about splicing the wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Splicing Heavy-duty Cables <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, we recommend that beginners don\u2019t try to splice <\/a>the wire unless supervised. This is a job for people with intermediate to advanced electrician skills. If you ask us, it is best you hired a skilled, licensed electrician to handle the job, but we understand the appeal a DIY-er has to do the job on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You will require the following tools;<\/p>\n\n\n\n