Tinned cable ?

[steveh]

I am looking to rewire our boat with tinned cable. I can purchase 3 core butyl covered cable (one spare core !) from a electrical supplier for approx half the price of 'marine ' cable. Is there a difference in specification or only the normal marine markup. Any advise appreciated.

 

[charles_reed]

Look in the RS Components catalogue (you'll have to buy 50m rolls) but they're as cheap as any wholesaler.

 

[philip_stevens]

Marine cable should be tinned copper cable. It is difficult to obtain, but it will repay itself in its length of life against ordinary (untinned) copper cable. Charles recommends RS,
http://www1.rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/initSession.jsp
as I would, but also look at
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/index.html
for cable in cut lengths.
Butyl cable is the heat proof type you would use for an immersion or storage heater - unnecessary for marine use, as the covering is slightly softer and cheaper than rubber, but dearer than pvc covered cable.

regards,
Philip

 

[Guest]

As far as sheathing materials are concerned, two considerations for marine use are:
1. Reaction to fuel and oil contamination, where run through the engine compartment.
2, Reaction to long term exposure to UV radiation, where exposed.
Otherwise, most modern sheathing materials are perfectly acceptable for boat domestic use.
You are certainly right to use tinned, multi strand cable and I would say that this is the most important criterion.
As a side issue, America has a National Standard applied to boat wiring which specifies that terminations should be crimped, not soldered. Crimping is quicker, more convenient and, provided a ratchet crimping tool is used, extremely reliable.

 

[Stemar]

Re: terminations should be crimped

What's the advantage of crimped connections over solder?

Last winter, I spent a "pleaseant" afternoon replacing corroded crimped connections on my, admittedly elderly, motorbike. I always believed that a soldered connection is, in effect, one piece, with no join to corrode.

Certainly agree with the advantage of tinned conductors. The bike's weren't, and was black for several inches under the insulation. I had a hell of a time getting the copper clean enough for a good join.

 

[charles_reed]

It\'s not the first time the official standards wer

I'd agree that crimped connectors are the major reason for breakdowns in marine wiring - and they take some time to trace.

The oxidised cabling is always on the -ve return.

I suspect most wiring needs renewing after 12-15 years.

 

[ccscott49]

You should use crimped connections, soldered ones, corrode and become brittle, crimped ones also corrode, but not normally with tinned cable.

 

[ean_p]

but this of course is only if you use the best quality tinned copper terminals(with spring locks if you can afford them), and not the normal alloy 'Lucar'units that most people are familiar with.......find them if you can...then use them....with a little solder......