Date:         Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:20:05 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: How to deal with short ALT cable
Comments: To: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <105701cb2244$f6346320$e29d2960$@net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 12:36 AM 7/13/2010 Tuesday, Tom Hargrave wrote:
>A solder connection is good in that it excludes moisture at the joint,
>something important in marine applications. But it can make a "hard spot"

In the last ten years or so there are marine-grade crimp connectors
with shrink tubing and a sealing goo already installed -- in fact my
trailer lighting tap came with them.

Without...all the crimp connections on Scamp (salt water) failed in
the first fifteen years or so, by verdigris eating the wire off flush
with the end of the connector barrel.  The amazing thing was that
these connections, or the first few at least, were carrying full
working loads of several amps without noticeable problems right up to
the moment they literally fell apart -- the corrosive action was so
localized that the break was extremely short, so even one strand of
wire could carry the load.  After the first few failed I replaced all
of them and painted the ends with a couple coats of PVC "Liquid
Electrical Tape."  No further probs in the subsequent 25 years or so.

Yrs,
d