Serious question, what's your go-to for old, brittle wire now?

I mean, I was up in this attic in Phoenix last week, maybe 120 degrees easy, trying to pull a new run for a motion sensor. The old 22/2 from the 90s just crumbled in my hand like a dry leaf. I had to cut back almost six feet to find anything solid enough to splice onto. Ended up using some of those gel-filled crimp caps, which held, but it took forever. What do you guys use when you hit that super brittle stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_stone20d ago

Oh man, that "gel-filled wire nuts you heat with a lighter" thing got me. I tried that once in a crawlspace and nearly set my hair on fire leaning in to shrink it lmao. Ended up just using a ton of electrical tape instead, which probably wasn't smart but it worked for that old brittle mess.

karenf401mo ago

Honestly, that "crumbled in my hand like a dry leaf" thing is so real. A buddy of mine had the same nightmare in an old garage. He ended up having to cut way back and use a whole bunch of those gel-filled wire nuts, the kind you heat with a lighter. Tbh it was a huge pain and took him most of the afternoon just for one connection. He said he'd rather just run all new wire next time if there's any way to do it.

jessefoster1mo ago

Actually, that gel-filled heat shrink method is a solid fix if you do it right. It seals out moisture and makes a connection that'll last another twenty years. Running all new wire sounds good until you're tearing into walls and spending a fortune on cable. Sometimes a proper repair is the smarter move, not just the easy one.