Connecting wires at masthead - how?

Carib

Carib

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www.sailinginlimbo.blogspot.com
I have a new LED nav light to install, with short lengths of wire protruding from the sealed unit.

The mast isn't coming down, and I'm not about to take a soldering iron up (or a heat gun for that matter..) so I was wondering if there is some clever method (or even a simple one!) to get a good waterproof wiring connection without solder or heatshrink?

Thanks..
 
Carib said:
I have a new LED nav light to install, with short lengths of wire protruding from the sealed unit.

The mast isn't coming down, and I'm not about to take a soldering iron up (or a heat gun for that matter..) so I was wondering if there is some clever method (or even a simple one!) to get a good waterproof wiring connection without solder or heatshrink?

Thanks..
Click to expand...

Heatshrink connectors.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blue-Heat...ultDomain_3&hash=item3f19b024f9#ht_500wt_1413
together with blowtorch lighter
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HIGH-QUAL..._Smoking_LE&hash=item2571a6bc4d#ht_500wt_1180
 
Personally I'd take a gas soldering iron up - not much harder than any other type of connection really, and nicely reliable. It's what I used, albeit the mast was down (though I was having to hang over the stern of the boat above the yard).

A good compromise might be these things. You poke the wires in from each side, then run an electric hot-air gun over it. The solder melts and joins the wires, then the tube shrinks around it. At the top of a mast a blowtorch might be more convenient, but you need to be careful to be very gentle - waft it from a distance - or you burn through the tube (been there done that).

Talulah's ones are similar but use crimping rather than soldering.

Pete
 
Crimps

Good question Vic . I always knew what you might call inline crimps as butt joiners or crimps. More recently I have seen what might more instinctively be called butt crimps where the wires are twisted together then a crimp with a sealed end is slipped over and squashed. Perhaps that is what Philip Stevens is alluding to.
Be careful with silicon sealant as often they give off acetic acid in curing which can cause corrosion of wires. These sealants have a strong smell to aid identification. Lots of vaseline might be just as good.
I think I would be taking heatshrink tubing to go over a splice crimp and perhaps sealant as well then tuck it all inside the mast. But then I wouldn't be going up the mast and wouldn't have any wiring up the mast (little boat) olewill
 
Whatever you do to join the wires take a roll of self amalgamating tape up and wrap the finished stuff up in it.

I have just replaced a bilge pump assembly that has been down there for about 6 years. The pump was joined to the power feed with a 'chocolate block' type connector :( :(

On stripping the joint that had been wrapped in SAT the whole thing was as good as new.
 
Great, thanks - some good food for thought there, like the sound of the melting solder connections too. Didn't know about those. It occurred to me last night that I might profitably stick the insulated join into an old film container and fill that up with sealant as extra protection.
 
Carib said:
I have a new LED nav light to install, with short lengths of wire protruding from the sealed unit.

The mast isn't coming down, and I'm not about to take a soldering iron up (or a heat gun for that matter..) so I was wondering if there is some clever method (or even a simple one!) to get a good waterproof wiring connection without solder or heatshrink?

Thanks..
Click to expand...

You know deep down that these connections need to be really good if they are not to fail just when you need them and are least able to get up the mast. Middle of the night in the pouring rain rounding lands end maybe? :) So personally I would solder the connections to nice new fresh wire down at ground level where its easy to do a proper job, protect them with heat shrink, and then pull the new wire down through the mast.

Sure its more work now and a bit more expense but its less risky than soldering up on top of the mast when you have difficulty holding steady, seeing what you are doing and holding two wire ends at the same time. Etc Etc.
 
Now it might sound a bit daft but surely the difficult bit is going to be mounting the light, not the connecting of it up?
I'm assuming you're fitting a Lopolight as that has the wire tail built in.
 
I was assuming that this was one of the NASA Supernovas.. They also only come with about a 6" wire tail.

Personally I would not expect self amalgamating tape to last... It might work on indoor/inside wires but I have found it doesn't last long in direct sunlight.. (Unless you plan to tape over it again each year)

I actually used a pond connector when fitting my NASA tricolor/anchor bearing in mind that if it fails :) I might have to remove it... The connector sits on top of the mast and is not noticeable from the ground.

Something like this...
IP68 Submersible cable connector
 
Pulling a new wire through sounds appealing, but it's carnage if it jams half way.
Or if it's tied up with the instruments or VHF cable.
Depends on how it sits in the mast.
Any connector properly waterproofed with self amalgamating tape ought to do the job.
Even a good quality choc block, of the right size will be OK if done properly.
They are often better than amateur crimping, particularly where a £10 Halfords tool is involved.
Any connector is only as good as the stress relief where the wire finishes, whether it's solder, crimp or whatever. So make sure the wires are well anchored both sides of the joint.

You may find soldering hard if the wire is typically corroded, so maybe be prepared to renew the wire in the winter?
 
nimbusgb said:
Whatever you do to join the wires take a roll of self amalgamating tape up and wrap the finished stuff up in it.

I have just replaced a bilge pump assembly that has been down there for about 6 years. The pump was joined to the power feed with a 'chocolate block' type connector :( :(

On stripping the joint that had been wrapped in SAT the whole thing was as good as new.
Click to expand...

+1 Used it years ago and have yet to find anything else that will do as good a job.
 
Self amalgamating tape sticks to itself but not to the substrate.

It's important therefore that is is wound on tightly if it is to be waterproof. Not difficult because it is pretty elastic.
 
VicS said:
What is the difference between butt crimps and in line crimps.

Googled for both and seemed to end up with the same thing :confused:
Click to expand...

Sorry VicS, my terminlogy.

Its proper name is Closed end splice connector.

C534913-63.jpg


I use them when connecting any outside fitting on a ship, but pre-fill them with either a sealant or silicone grease. I then wrap them with self amalgamating tape as a "mechanical" protector.

I very similar item was used many years ago by BT (before the tiny plastic connectors became the norm), and these were pre-filled with a grease material, that when crimped, everything within was grease impregnated. I still have some of them.
 
philip_stevens said:
Sorry VicS, my terminlogy.

Its proper name is Closed end splice connector
Click to expand...
Thanks
I wondered if there was an in line connector designed so that the two conductors could be overlapped in the middle and crimped together... (I guess you cannot do that with the ordinary ones.)
 
The lucas type range does a simple barrel connector. Put a wire in from either end, overlap and crimp. Then bind up with SAT ( nice and tight ) Use 2 tiewraps to tie the riser end of the wire to something solid ( preferably in such a position that the joint is inside the mast ( may need to lift the mast cap to do this )

Short of anything else failing that'll live up there until the bulb goes, the plastic lens disintegrates from the UV or lightning strikes it. :)
 
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