Blackburn XT23 CROSS-TAP CLAMP CONNECTOR

Two conductors: the main run plus one tap. The clamp has a single secondary port, so it makes one tap off a through run. If you need to break out more than one tap at the same point, you need multiple clamps or a multi-port connector.

The XT23 is listed at a 3/8 inch outside diameter, which is the size of the conductor opening the clamp is built around. Measure the actual OD of the cable you are tapping, including any strand count difference, and match it against that figure before ordering.

The XT23 is a bare copper alloy casting with silicon bronze bolts, which is a copper-to-copper connector. Bare copper against aluminum sets up galvanic corrosion, so for aluminum or mixed copper-to-aluminum taps use a plated dual-rated connector instead rather than this bare one.

It makes a branch off a continuous run without cutting the main conductor. The main cable sits in one side of the clamp, the tap conductor in the secondary port, and bolts pull the two together. Typical uses are grounding grid taps and branch feeds where the through run has to stay intact. Order it as Blackburn part number XT23.

Mechanical, not compression. The XT23 clamps down with bolts, so it installs with a wrench and a torque setting instead of a hydraulic or battery crimp tool, and it can be loosened and re-made later. Contractors who do not want to carry a crimp head and dies to a single tap usually go this route.

The body is a copper alloy casting with silicon bronze bolts, supplied bare with no plating or coating. Copper alloy and silicon bronze are the standard pairing for copper conductor work and resist the galvanic problems you get mixing dissimilar metals. Because the finish is bare, an exposed or buried installation should be protected with the appropriate oxide inhibitor and cover per your spec.

Sold each. One XT23 clamp is one tap, so count your tap points and order that many. For a three-phase run tapped at one location, that is three clamps.

India is the stated country of origin for the XT23 cross-tap clamp connector. If your project carries a domestic-source clause, that matters at submittal time.