Speedrite split bolt joint clamp (20 pack)

Details

A split bolt clamp takes two conductors into a slot and squeezes them together with a nut. It is the standard way to make a connection that has to carry current reliably: lead-out to fence wire, underground cable to the line, ground wire to ground wire. The advantage over twisting is contact area under sustained pressure. A twisted connection relies on the springiness of the wire, which relaxes over time and lets oxide build up in the gap. A split bolt keeps the two surfaces pressed together, so a joint that reads clean today still reads clean in three years. Clean the wire before you clamp it and get the nut properly tight, not just snug. If the joint is going to sit in a wet spot or underground, either move it above ground or seal it, because a split bolt standing in water through a wet spring will corrode and become the mysterious voltage drop you spend a Saturday looking for. Twenty to a pack is enough to do a whole system at once, which is the right way to do them.