I want to extend a couple of electric wires coming out of a ceiling to get to a hole at the top of a lighting fixture. Let's assume for the sake of discussion the lighting fixture is fixed and will not be moved, rotated etc.
I'm used to this kind of wire connectors:
(obviously I'll need just two 1-to-1 units in this case.)
and I could use those – except that I don't have enough cross-section for them. The wires will be located between the top surface of the lighting fixture and the ceiling, and will not have more than a few millimeters of spare height. Here's how it looks (black blob is the hole):
How do I connect the wires in a stable fashion, hopefully without too much fuss? Are there special thin-profile connectors I could get?
PS – I live in Palestine/Israel in case that matters w.r.t. tools/equipment available to me.
Best Answer
Use a crimp joint with heatshrink
Join the wires with a crimp. This is a permanent means of connecting wires that, done properly, will never come loose. It involves crushing another piece of metal into the wire with a special tool.
It is, however, critical that you use the correct size crimp for your cable, and the correct tool. Test the crimp by trying to pull it apart - they should hold at least 5-10kg force.
Insulate with heat shrink tubing. This is a special type of tubing that can be slid over the cable then heated, causing it to shrink radially and seal onto the wires/cables. Ideally you would use one sleeve over each individual crimp/conductor, then another larger diameter layer over the sheath of the whole cable (assuming you are joining sheathed cable).
Apply heat using a hot air gun or blow torch - avoid applying too much heat.
The shrinking effect prevents the sleeve from moving, and reduces any gaps. Glue lined heat shrink is available if the joint needs to be watertight.
Image courtesy Smial of Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 2.0 DE.