Should old wire be replaced?

[ian19147]

The dc wiring on our boat is 21 years old. The terminal connections and busbars show significant corrosion. My initial thought was to clean the bus bars, breaker terminals, put on new ring terminals and verify all connections. I have traced and labeled all the wiring and the insualion jacket appears to in good shape. Should I be concerned about the wire inside the insulation? Does it deteriorate with age?Roger

 

[ian19147]

The dc wiring on our boat is 21 years old. The terminal connections and busbars show significant corrosion. My initial thought was to clean the bus bars, breaker terminals, put on new ring terminals and verify all connections. I have traced and labeled all the wiring and the insualion jacket appears to in good shape. Should I be concerned about the wire inside the insulation? Does it deteriorate with age?Roger

 

[Paul K]

Probably

Our boat is also about 21 years old, and its wiring shows significant corrosion on the terminals and busbars too. We clean them off and keep using the system until it stops working. My boat partner is an electrical engineer who loves to figure out where the problem is. He's found that most of the problems are at the terminals and busbars so far, though we've had to replace some instruments that corroded inside as well. He's replaced some of the wiring, especially near the engine, where vibrations and heat seem to have affected the copper more. Eventually he'll probably replace all the wiring in our boat. It may take him another five years, though. He doesn't seem to be in much rush, and neither does the wiring. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Paul K]

Probably

Our boat is also about 21 years old, and its wiring shows significant corrosion on the terminals and busbars too. We clean them off and keep using the system until it stops working. My boat partner is an electrical engineer who loves to figure out where the problem is. He's found that most of the problems are at the terminals and busbars so far, though we've had to replace some instruments that corroded inside as well. He's replaced some of the wiring, especially near the engine, where vibrations and heat seem to have affected the copper more. Eventually he'll probably replace all the wiring in our boat. It may take him another five years, though. He doesn't seem to be in much rush, and neither does the wiring. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.