Shrink wrap as conduit?

[redhead]

We have non-marine heavy duty welding cable connecting battery bank to inverter and we are thinking of using shrink wrap (we found it in 4' lengths) to re-cover the neoprene coated welding cable.

Anybody tried this before?

[skipmac]

Assume you mean shrink tubing? Shrink wrap, at least around here , means the stuff in large sheets or rolls.

Shrink tube can be a bit stiff so could be a problem if you have to move or bend the cable. Otherwise, that's what shrink tube is for, to cover and protect wires.

So how come? Is the old insulation deteriorated?

[model 10]

Our boat was wired with welding cable, back in the day. The insulation is pretty much shot. Dry and cracking. I have put shrink tube on some of the ends but it's hard to do the part that's in a bundle. Seems like it's time to change out the cable if you need to re-insulate the whole thing. Shrink tubing is not that thick and the stuff with the sealant inside that melts, is quite brittle.

[skipmac]

I would also suggest that anywhere the wire passes through a bulkhead or anywhere else it could chaff to use a grommet or other, more robust, protection.

[redhead]

First of all,yes, I did mean shrink tube -

The old insulation is 10 years old but appears in good shape. We have had lots of shaking heads and groans from the surveyor and the electrician we had on board. They started talking about not being code, so I don't know if they are sincere or blowing smoke up my stern.

Any feedback on covering the individual cables with split loom?

Thanks all!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by redhead

First of all,yes, I did mean shrink tube -

The old insulation is 10 years old but appears in good shape. We have had lots of shaking heads and groans from the surveyor and the electrician we had on board. They started talking about not being code, so I don't know if they are sincere or blowing smoke up my stern.

Any feedback on covering the individual cables with split loom?

Thanks all!

So what part of this are they saying is not up to code? If the insulation isn't bad then are they saying it isn't rated for the use IE does the wiring pass through an engine space and isn't rated for that?

Is it just that the stranding isn't as fine as "marine" cable or the individual strands aren't tinned? I would defer to the experts but I didn't think tinned, fine strand wire was required by ABYC code, just recommended.

Or is the wire not properly secured to bulkheads or not protected by grommets or the end connections not properly covered???

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by redhead

We have non-marine heavy duty welding cable connecting battery bank to inverter and we are thinking of using shrink wrap (we found it in 4' lengths) to re-cover the neoprene coated welding cable.

Anybody tried this before?

I have seen this done. Still, the usual welding cable insulation plus "normal" shrink tube is flimsy compared to a proper UL cable sold for marine use, particularly if exposed to diesel or oil.

Make sure you have a BMRF fuse in your positive battery terminal. That changes the consequence of a short in battery cables from a boat fire to a blown fuse. If you have ever seen a fire caused by battery cables you will understand.

Also consider proper heatshrink with thick skin and adhesive such as the one sold by Genuinedealz.com. The regular one is a wast of time and money IMHO.

Cheers

C

[Reefmagnet]

Some welding cable can perish overtime because it contains natural rubber to stop it melting in contact with hot objects. Other welding cable is synthetic and won't have this problem. The best welding cable has dual sheathed insulation and you can see the two kinds of insulation clearly when at the end of the cable.

If you want to protect the cable the best stuff to use, imo, is cloth electrical insulating tape.

[SVJennie]

Shrink tubing is fine to use to insulate wires. Not sure exactly what you have, but if you feel it is too thin as some have suggested, use multiple layers. As for it making you wires too stiff, you can shrink it in place - after all, you are not going to be trying to use it to help you weld some irregular structure.

As for the adhesive, i.e., if you want it, there are many on the market that will stay flexible/not crystallize for many, many years - if ever. I will let others make that suggestion.

For whatever it's worth, although it was some years ago, I worked as a senior R & D lab tech for a company that manufactured only heat shrinkable products.

Good luck!