Switched from screw terminals to spring clamp connectors after 3 callbacks on the same panel in Cleveland.

Those screw terminals kept loosening up from vibration in a commercial freezer installation, but the spring clamps have held solid for 6 months now with zero issues, has anyone else made the swap for high-vibration spots?

4 comments

4 Comments

ruby_jones1mo ago

Hard disagree on this one. Spring clamps have their place but swapping out screw terminals for them in a high-vibration spot sounds like a band-aid fix. Real issue there is probably the panel location or mounting, not the terminals themselves. Screw terminals with ring terminals and a dab of Loctite would have solved that freezer problem just as well. Spring clamps can be a pain to troubleshoot later, especially if you need to land multiple wires in the same slot. Is anyone really checking the torque specs on those screw terminals before blaming vibration?

vera_robinson361mo ago

Yeah you're probably right, I was just overthinking it.

joel_clark371mo agoTop Commenter

Funny you mention Loctite, because I once used purple Loctite on a set of bathroom fans in a hotel and it somehow made the screws impossible to get out six months later. Still not sure if that was a reaction with the aluminum or just my bad luck with fasteners. Point is, sometimes the fix you think is solid just creates a new headache down the road.

phoenix2461mo ago

Wait, are we really gonna act like spring clamps are the problem here and not the real root cause? @joel_clark37 I think you hit on something bigger with your Loctite story - those quick fixes we swear by can totally backfire. The thing is, screw terminals with ring terminals and Loctite might work for some but I've seen that combo lock up just as bad as your bathroom fan situation if the environment isn't perfect. Spring clamps aren't perfect either but I'd rather have a quick disconnect option when I'm troubleshooting a freezer that keeps dying than fight with seized screws. The real issue is picking the fastener that matches the ENVIRONMENT, not just what feels solid right now.