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Old 30-09-2015, 10:49   #16
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

I'll respectfully disagree with some of the posters on upsizing wire. You have done the voltage drop calc and #18 awg shows less than a 3% drop. It also passes the ampacity test.

All that's left is physical strength. If you can install the 2/c jacketed #18 cable in such a way that it is protected from physical damage and is properly supported, then I would go with it.

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Old 30-09-2015, 11:00   #17
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

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Originally Posted by EllesBelles View Post
Length of run, amperage, if to be run in engine compartment (heat), and wire type (# conductors) are all factors in determining wire guage. We always over spec as it is inexpensive insurance against fire. Also if you are doing any extensive cruising the thicker insulation of larger wire aids against wear from vibration, even with appropriate fire rated wire split loom. ABYC has charts for determining gauge based on run length, amperage and ecuipment type. Google voltage drop calculator and ABYC for info. Hope this helps.
Thanks, I have a voltage drop calculator on my ipad and have been using it exensively. with all my planned runs I'm not over 1.9% voltage drop even with 18awg. though admittedly 16/2 is much easier to find.

In a lightening strike, 18awg wire isnt all that will be damaged, and at the cost of 18/2 wire that's the smallest part of the repair list!
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Old 30-09-2015, 11:23   #18
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

To Secondwind410: Have any links for those dollar LED lights. I'm all over that for my boat. Seems like a great way to go!
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Old 30-09-2015, 11:47   #19
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

I've redone 3 sailboats with these:

Cordcraft Surface Mount LED Light | Canadian Tire

They used to be cheaper. For the current price I would shop around a bit. However, they work great, and take only minutes to install.

My kids didn't care about lights...they wanted 12v outlets near their bunks to charge their devices.
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:02   #20
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

Excellent, thanks! I will shop around. Also I hear you on the 12V outlets. Those and dedicated USB outlets are a must have these days!
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:06   #21
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

An interesting thing concerning LED lighting, if you want switchable red and white lights you can do that with two wires, using the existing wires in many places like spreader lights. Put the LED's back to back and then use a fancy switch that just reverses polarity.
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:09   #22
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

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Excellent, thanks! I will shop around. Also I hear you on the 12V outlets. Those and dedicated USB outlets are a must have these days!
Careful with the USB outlets. Most devices draw only 0.5 amps, but IPADS and IPAD mini's require 2amps!! This requires a high output USB port. I bought a bunch of these:

Black Universal Dual USB 12V in Car Charger Adapter for iPhone iPad iPod Samsung | eBay

Buy it at a store (in Canada) and you'll pay 10 times the ebay price.

Note that it has a 2.1amp port for ipads!
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:20   #23
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

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Careful with the USB outlets. Most devices draw only 0.5 amps, but IPADS and IPAD mini's require 2amps!! This requires a high output USB port. I bought a bunch of these:

Black Universal Dual USB 12V in Car Charger Adapter for iPhone iPad iPod Samsung | eBay

Buy it at a store (in Canada) and you'll pay 10 times the ebay price.

Note that it has a 2.1amp port for ipads!
Also be aware that ASUS tablets wont charge on standard USB chargers! they might use USB jacks but they require 15v!!!!!
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:26   #24
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

I just got done doing the same project on our Catalina 30. All the cabin lights, nav lights, nav station, old fluorescents, etc. You are so right, much cheaper than a few years ago.Most of existing wiring was in good shape, it was nearly all 14 guage and it works well. We can cruise around half the night now with lots of lights on and almost no power draw Even our SH AIS has a lower draw than our old VHF. The entire lighting project was under $200 and I have lots of extra bulbs left! Well worth it.
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:40   #25
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

We're still looking at fixtures but right nowthese look good:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00

and the prices are very reasonable
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:48   #26
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

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ABYC has charts for determining gauge based on run length, amperage and ecuipment type. Google voltage drop calculator and ABYC for info. Hope this helps.
Easier to find on the Blue Sea website, they have a great wire sizing and fuse sizing PDF.
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:48   #27
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

Some LED's are noisy enough to interfere with VHF and SSB reception, especially if mounted anywhere near the antenna. For that reason, I changed my running lights back to incandescent.
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Old 30-09-2015, 12:54   #28
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

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Easier to find on the Blue Sea website, they have a great wire sizing and fuse sizing PDF.
Just download "DC wire sizer" for iphone or ipad. It' even easier! just sleect the amp draw and the distance (one way) and it calc's it for you!
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Old 30-09-2015, 17:28   #29
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

Another case of a whole lot of amateurs giving poor advice. Not one person caught that by going to lighter wire gauge than original circuit, you also need to change the branch fuse or breaker to less than or equal to the maximum current the new wire run will support.

Warning! Incorrect wiring and current limiting, even to very light loads like LED lighting can burn your boat to the waterline in the event of a wiring fault.

If you don't know what you are doing, hire a true professional. The safety of your vessel, person, and crew is at stake.

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Old 01-10-2015, 05:22   #30
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Re: Rewiring for all LED Lighting

Hello, pcmm. I am going to rewire my Westsail 32 this winter. Everything posted sounds like it came from a book i have called ( Sailboat Electronics Simplified) By Don Casey, Mcgraw Hill. I bought it used on Ebay for $4.50 +free shipping. A wealth of knowledge, and it shows you how to test (w/ multimeter) just about every electric or electronic gismo on a boat ! The cool thing i learned is to put "wire and cable markers" (1/4"x1/4" numbers) on each connection, then slide clear heat shrink tubing over the connection and heat. Do the same on the other end, and you have a sealed connection you can always, easily trace. I'm a carpenter not an electrician, however armed with this book i feel confident tackling any and all electrical issues, and or upgrades. This book is a "must have" !!!!!! www.internationalmarine.com


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