Heat shrink solder connectors

[JRT]

I saw these and thought they looked interesting and useful. Any comments or issues?

120PCS Solder Seal Wire Connectors - Sopoby Heat Shrink Solder Connectors - Waterproof Solder Butt Connector Kit Insulated Automotive Marine Electrical Wire Terminals: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

120PCS Solder Seal Wire Connectors - Sopoby Heat Shrink Solder Connectors - Waterproof Solder Butt Connector Kit Insulated Automotive Marine Electrical Wire Terminals: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

 

[Justin_NSA]

We used to use something like those on military programs at Boeing. Heated them with an infrared lamp. Tricky to avoid melting nearby connections.
These don't list marine standards of that matters to you.

 

[dlochner]

I saw these and thought they looked interesting and useful. Any comments or issues?

120PCS Solder Seal Wire Connectors - Sopoby Heat Shrink Solder Connectors - Waterproof Solder Butt Connector Kit Insulated Automotive Marine Electrical Wire Terminals: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

120PCS Solder Seal Wire Connectors - Sopoby Heat Shrink Solder Connectors - Waterproof Solder Butt Connector Kit Insulated Automotive Marine Electrical Wire Terminals: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

This product comes up periodically. It is generally a bad idea. The solder is a low temperature solder, something that would melt if the wire overheated due to excessive, engine temperature, or a short. If you check the specs they are only rated for temperatures to 257° and the solder melts at 280°.

There is no mechanical connection.

 

[Maine Sail]

Those terminals are not ABYC complaint. We have some superb quality crimp/solder UL Listed & USA made heat shrink terminals but they are about $1.70 each. Best bet is to use the correct crimp tools and then use FTZ, AMP, Molex or Ancor heat shrink terminals.

Marine Wire Termination

Marine Wire Termination - The Tools PREFACE: This article is long and rather detailed. It is written in two parts and covers crimp tooling, terminal selection, types of terminals and includes plenty of do's & don'ts. The

marinehowto.com

 

[Justin_NSA]

I bought my crimper from MS. Heat shrink and regular crimps take different tools

https://shop.marinehowto.com/t/crimp-tools

 

[JRT]

Thanks for the feedback, will skip them for sure now!

 

[heritage]

I have tried these in my shop for various wire connections. I had trouble getting the larger butt connectors to work well. The larger gauge wire acted as a heat sink which allowed the plastic to start melting before the solder did. I did have good luck with the smaller connectors, 22-26 gauge which can be difficult to butt join with crimpers. The connector has a ring at each end that shrinks around the wire jacket that seals and tightly holds the two wires together. I won't use on the boat as long as they are not ABYC approved.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

None of these quick connection easy splice gadgets are good choice for high voltage or high current applications - if the joint becomes resistive creating heat, the solder will fail. They all inherently use low temperature solder regardless of how much they charge.
If you need to do connections, do it properly.

 

[cagreen75]

I recently purchased a hydraulic crimp tool from Harbor Freight that is superior to any other method I have ever used. Far too many times using regular crimp tools and testing the connection afterward the crimps often fail. Hydraulic is the way to go in my book as you will break the wire before you will pull it from the connector. They also use terminals without plastic insulators which are cheaper and when shrink-wrapped look like they were professionally done. Yes it takes more time, but a loose or failed connection when you are out in the boat is not only aggravating but can turn into an ugly day with friends and family.

 

[Tipsynippertoo]

I would not use these as it is probable you will have a poorly solder joint within the connector. The ones I use are the crimp connectors, which also have a heat shrink outer with a melting sealant within, once you have crimped the joint you can give it a good pull to check the wires are secured correctly, and then heat them with a lighter or hot air gun to seal them. The sealing compound not only prevents moisture getting in, it also holds the wires together mechanically. If there is a split in the outer plastic coating then the glue inside when heated will seal the split.

 

[jssailem]

recently purchased a hydraulic crimp tool from Harbor Freight

While Harbor Freight can supply you with tools at a low price, often the quality of the item is different or performs mostly but not exactly as the higher priced tool.

When the project is critical in nature as some boat projects are, I choose to use the tools that give me the best results. This may mean I rent a tool or I have the item professionally made for me.

@mainesail tested a number of different tools then showed the different end results of the tools performance. Making Your Own Battery Cables - Marine How To

I know it is a long post on his site, but the long term safe performance on your boat is in the details.

For those projects which I don’t want to be forced to fix in a storm while trying to find the port entrance thru the rocks, shoals and breakwaters, on my boat the details matter.

“It is your boat and your choice”, were words I heard and have taken to heart from a knowledgeable sailor.

 

[Megaman]

I ordered them ,from an on line, side bar advertisement, about 3.5 weeks ago.
Still waiting for delivery. Must be coming by "slow boat"

 

[dlochner]

I ordered them ,from an on line, side bar advertisement, about 3.5 weeks ago.
Still waiting for delivery. Must be coming by "slow boat"

Or not coming at all. Which might be a blessing in disguise.

 

[Leeward Rail]

They are Junk except for emergencies maybe.

Could likely work as a fuse due to it's low temp solder. Hehe.

IMO a good crimper and waterproof heatshrink combined with liquid tape is a better option.

See for yourself:

 

[rschuss]

The problem with soldering is that the solder wicks-up the wire and becomes a brittle joint. Use crimp connectors. Unless you are doing industrial crimping, a hand tool will do very well at making a gas tight connection.

 

[Witzend]

In a related thread (24 AWG Wire) I mentioned using Solder Sleeves to splice between different wire gauges. This probably was a lapse in judgment for an application on a recreational boat, did not think this through carefully, my bad!!!

In 1998 I took over a company that manufactured mil-spec computers (ROLM Mil-Spec Computers). These nuclear hardened computers launched nuclear warhead missiles such as Trident, Peace Keeper, Tomahawk, and were rated from -40-105deg.c. Solder sleeves were used ubiquitously. The problem with using them on a boat for any critical wiring is using the proper technique for installing them. They are tricky to use!!!
high temperature Teflon coated wire should to be used (which you don't find on boats) and the use of the correct heat gun w/proper tip so that it heats the device to the correct temperature uniformly.
Raychem makes them, but I would not necessarily recommend using them unless the above conditions can be properly met. Other than that they are a very good way to splice wires.