Practical Sailor just finished their long term wire test and it is a good read. The article closely echos the observations I've made over the years.
You can read it, if a member, or you can purchase it or join: PS Wire Article (LINK)
Some key points they make:
*They used ratcheting crimpers that make near air tight connections.
* The fine strands of "boat cable" crimp better forming a gas tight, air tight mass at the crimp which is even visible at the microscopic level.
*Tinned wire suffered less corrosion than bare copper
*Machine Wire THNN (MTW) suffered less damage under the insulation than SAE wire did.
*Heat shrink crimps offered excellent protection to even the cheapest un-tinned wire and it was still "pristine" behind the seal after a year in the accelerated salt spray corrosion chamber.
*If "cheap" SAE wire is used it is the most likely to fail along its entire length. They suggest this is possibly due to poor jacket insulation but could also be due to creep. The act of simply replacing a crimp on this wire could mean replacing the entire length of wire.
*Un-tinned machine wire THNN (MTW in the article) performed better than SAE wire perhaps due to the higher quality jacket. Unfortunately THNN is only approved for certain uses due to it's larger strands and should not be used in vibration prone installations..
*The bottom line on wire was that UL1426 tinned "boat cable" is the "right choice".
There is a lot more to the article, and I only hit some of the more key points. I don't want to take a way from PS by giving it all away. If you don't have a subscription, treat yourself to an x-mas present..
You can read it, if a member, or you can purchase it or join: PS Wire Article (LINK)
Some key points they make:
*They used ratcheting crimpers that make near air tight connections.
* The fine strands of "boat cable" crimp better forming a gas tight, air tight mass at the crimp which is even visible at the microscopic level.
*Tinned wire suffered less corrosion than bare copper
*Machine Wire THNN (MTW) suffered less damage under the insulation than SAE wire did.
*Heat shrink crimps offered excellent protection to even the cheapest un-tinned wire and it was still "pristine" behind the seal after a year in the accelerated salt spray corrosion chamber.
*If "cheap" SAE wire is used it is the most likely to fail along its entire length. They suggest this is possibly due to poor jacket insulation but could also be due to creep. The act of simply replacing a crimp on this wire could mean replacing the entire length of wire.
*Un-tinned machine wire THNN (MTW in the article) performed better than SAE wire perhaps due to the higher quality jacket. Unfortunately THNN is only approved for certain uses due to it's larger strands and should not be used in vibration prone installations..
*The bottom line on wire was that UL1426 tinned "boat cable" is the "right choice".
There is a lot more to the article, and I only hit some of the more key points. I don't want to take a way from PS by giving it all away. If you don't have a subscription, treat yourself to an x-mas present..
