CT, I bought some lengths of 00 size insulated copper wire. I got mine at a scrap yard but you can get it at Home Depot, etc.
I cut pieces in pairs and twisted them into twisted pairs. This reduces interference with the compass to large degree and some say it reduces RF radiation too. My house battery is amidships. I ran four twisted pairs: from the battery to the bow, port and starboard, and from the battery to the stern, port and starboard. From the battery they ran port and starboard from the battery, up to the hull/deck join, thence to the bow and to the stern. I used tye-wrap ties and sticky pads to secure them on the hull. When I was done there was at the hull/deck join, throughout the boat, a heavy twisted pair with 12 VDC available. The two twisted pairs that met at the bow both feed the electric windlass. The windlass is never starved for juice, especially when things get tough and it needs power the most. On that dark and stormy night when you can hear the seas smashing on the rocks behind you and you really really really want to get that anchor up you will bless yourself for those big, fat, wires. All the other loads are fed by "off stickers". To do this part you absolutely need a big honkin' soldering iron of at least 150 watts. I got mine at an antique store years ago. This type of soldering iron has a heavy copper tip about a half inch in diameter and 1 1/2" long. You need the heat in this big tip in order to get enough heat into the 00 buss wire to get its temperature up high enough for the solder's flux to work and for the solder to melt into the stranded copper and make a proper bond. Be sure to remove, clean, and replace the tip periodically to insure good heat conduction. Also keep the tip dressed and clean for the same reason. Alternatively, I have seen good work done with non-electric soldering irons. The are big copper heads on a steel shaft and with a wooden handle that are heated by a flaming torch, such as a propane torch.. I prefer the electric type rather than having a roaring flame to deal with. BTW, I have soldered stainless with ordinary solder using my 150 watt iron, non-cored solder, and "Stay Kleen" flux. Very handy if you want to solder a ground lug to stainless. Any attempt to use a smaller iron will result in a half-assed job that is bound to fail. It is essential to have a big iron to get enough heat into that massive copper buss line. Remember the engineers number one directive: "Do it right or do it over (and usually under less convenient conditions)." Get some insulated copper stranded wire, about 6 or 8 gauge. Cut off two pieces about 10 inches long. Strip back about an inch off one end and 3/8" on the other. Bend the one inch end at right angles and tin. Tin is to saturate the strands with solder. Be generous with the solder. Attach ring terminals to the other end. I like to solder after squeezing the terminals on. Where you want the offstickers for the local load, with a sharp knife slice off some insulation from the big buss wires, just enough to be able to attach the offstickers. Stagger the bare places so there can be no shorting. When the copper is nicely exposed clean the copper well, including in between the exposed strands. The next step is to tin the exposed copper. You don't have to tin all the strands through the cable, just the exposed ones. But tin them well. Use rosin core electrical solder. Again, don't be stingy with the solder. Then, while the wire is still hot, put the tinned leg of the offsticker against the tinned buss wire and apply the soldering iron. This is where the generous tinning pays off because you don't have to add more solder. Also keep in mind that the molten solder tends to move toward the heat. So apply the heat to the top of the joint to encourage the solder to not fall the the joint. This holds true when tinning too. As soon as the solder melts and the offsticker suggles up against the big wire remove the heat. If you wait too long you take a chance of all your precious solder might drip off. It takes some practice to do it easily and correctly. When the two joints are cool I sometimes tape the positive joint. I don't know why. There is little chance of some metal getting between the two. I don't bother with the negative which is at ground anyway, but suit yourself. I put a red tye-wrap (flea market) on the positive wire. If all is done properly this results in a well-made connection that will not fail. There are two ways I terminate the offstickers. The first is a heavy duty terminal block. These are plastic strips with screw terminals on them. You can buy them storebought or make them from some starboard and fasteners. Attach the offsticker to the block and then attach the loads to the block through in-line fuses to protect the feedlines. Another termination for light to medium loads is a nice black plastic terminal block I found at NAPA auto parts stores. It has slots for eight blade-style automotive fuses, and a 1/4" spade lug for each load wire. There is a stud for the positive wire to feed the fuses. I add another similar stud (flathead machine screw) to terminate the negative lines. The electrical industry has some nice large yellow metal ring terminals that clamp on these big buss wires for their end terminals. I also use Copper Shield, a lot like Never Seeze but for copper and copper alloys. I put this glop on the wires and other hardware to help ward off corrosion. Go back a few weeks later and tighten the clamps again. The wires sometimes "settle in" from temperature changes and loosen up. This approach to 12 VDC used on my boat has worked beyond my expectations. I rarely have any problems and when I do, it is always some half-assed connection I should not have done and now must do over. Don't hesitate to email me if you have any further questions. Norm S/V Bandersnatch Lying Julington Creek 30 07.695N 081 38.484W ----- Original Message ----- From: CT To: [email protected] Sent: 7/22/2008 10:05:21 AM Subject: [Liveaboard] Electrical Norm, Your short description of electrical wiring intrigued me but Im not sure I fully comprehend the setup. Can you amplify a little? Thanks. CT 30°24'43.07"N 88°34'1.90"W
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