Help me correct this

[WDW]

While investigating to find the bypass valves for the on-demand Truma we had our dealer add to the coach when we bought it, we discovered these electrical connections with wire nuts. I know that that is not safe or correct for MHs, so point me in the right direction of what I should replace these with.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

WDW-

Where I have found (or added ) wire nuts, I apply vinyl electrical tape around them to keep the nuts from loosening.

You can protect them by enclosing in a junction box, but the same problem (of the wire nuts coming loose) exists inside or outside a junction box.

[MrMark52]

Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1

WDW-

Where I have found (or added ) wire nuts, I apply vinyl electrical tape around them to keep the nuts from loosening.

You can protect them by enclosing in a junction box, but the same problem (of the wire nuts coming loose) exists inside or outside a junction box.

Agree with what is said above with the following clarifications -

All electrical connections should be contained inside a Listed electrical enclosure (i.e. electrical box) with some form of cover.
The purpose is to capture any arcing or sparking that may occur at the electrical connection and prevent fire of flammable materials in the vicinity.
FWIW - you will find RV and motorhome’s don’t typically have Listed electrical boxes behind the 120VAC receptacle’s - because they are designed to contain any arcing and sparking - it generally takes special tooling to assemble or attach Romex to this type of receptacle (although with a little ingenuity, it can be done without).

For safety reasons, electrical tape wrapping the base of the wire nut to the wiring that it is securing minimizes the risk of the wire nut coming off the connection due to thermal expansion and contraction - which in turn minimizes the chance for arcing/sparking) which leads to fire.

And FWIW#2 - whenever 2 or more wires are to be joined with a wire nut, the wires must first be stripped and twisted together in clockwise direction before installing and securing the wire nut to the connection.

[Fiesta48]

Are the ground wires also tied together?

[Skip426]

I'll assume the wiring was for the original water heater 120 volt supply.

Only seeing one white wire with a cap , if there is only one black wire with a cap, then testing to see if the wire is live is the next step .
Could be the installer disconnected the wiring in the 120 volt circuit breaker panel too. If the wiring is dead , you can leave it as is .
If live , placing it inside a box , is required.

[bigb56]

Originally Posted by MrMark52

And FWIW#2 - whenever 2 or more wires are to be joined with a wire nut, the wires must first be stripped and twisted together in clockwise direction before installing and securing the wire nut to the connection.

This has been an ongoing debate in the trade for decades, to pre-twist or not? Some wire nuts even say on the box not necessary to pre-twist. When attaching solid to stranded I never pre-twist, let the stranded lead a tiny bit and it will all pull together tightly. Solid to solid I sometimes twist if there are more than 2 wires, however no code or product instructions require pre-twisting. When pre-twisting one must be careful not to damage or abrade the conductors.

[bigb56]

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

Are the ground wires also tied together?

In every junction box all grounding wires must be connected even if there are multiple circuits in the box. Additionally, if the box is metal, the grounding conductors must be grounded to the box with a listed grounding screw or clip. (The screws that hold the lid on are not to be used to connect a grounding conductor).

[Mudfrog]

If you aren't comfortable working around electricity, MAKE SURE THE CIRCUIT IS DEAD! (no shore power, no genset power, no inverter power).

Not that it matters, but it looks like there's only one wire underneath the wire nut. In other words, a terminated circuit. Whether or not it is, I'd just make sure the wire nuts were secure and then add a bit of tape to keep them from loosening. It wouldn't hurt anything to wrap tape around the whole shebang afterwards.

You can always add a box to tidy up things if you want. Get the wires into it first, then follow the above procedure for insulating them.

[Dutch Star Don]

They just capped off a wire they're no longer using. I would put a tag on it, explaining what it was for, and then tape it over with electrical tape. You can turn the circuit off if that wire is hot, but that may turn off other things powered by that circuit.

[Gary RVRoamer]

What Don said. But regardless, it's always wise to tape a wire nut so that it can't wiggle use. Especially in an RV, where road vibration and wide temperature swings can loosen most any connection.

[mlpeloquin]

Are both the hot, neutral, and ground wires single ended? Second is the hot, black wire, live? Use a non contact voltage tester with the RV plugged in or the generator running. The non contact voltage testers do not cost much. Do tape the wire nuts on, but use a good electrical tape like 3M. Most cheep electrical tapes unwrap over time. Sometimes within a day they start to unwrap. Single ended or not, the Romex needs to be inside an electrical box. As sated, if the box is metal, the box must also be grounded. A box cover must also be used. If the Romex is single ended, a tag should be put on the Romex and box stating that it is single ended and unused and that it is or not live. I think I stated everything everyone has stated, but in one place so you could follow it easier.