bigal.nz 59 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hiya, We have a few bulkhead lights on the boat which I have been removing to do some other work. All the lights are now LED. The have been joined to the 12v wire with a terminal block with the screws, but these days would it be acceptable to use quick connect clips? I would be a heck of a lot more convenient. Thoughts? AG Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazyhorse 47 Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hiya, We have a few bulkhead lights on the boat which I have been removing to do some other work. All the lights are now LED. The have been joined to the 12v wire with a terminal block with the screws, but these days would it be acceptable to use quick connect clips? I would be a heck of a lot more convenient. Thoughts?m AG What's a quick connect clip? Photo? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigal.nz 59 Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 like this Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazyhorse 47 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 These might be an over kill but will last a long time. $2.46 ex china. Personally I don't like crimp connectors, over time the salt air screws with them. If you are not needing to remove the lights again anytime soon, solder, shrink tube and nail varnish is all I do, sealed for life. Solder the two conductors side by side, coat with nail varnish, let dry then shrink tube over the top. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Interestingly ABYC prohibit soldered connections. They require crimped connections. I use a lot of crimps, but for proper life, you need to use a real, ratchet crimper,and quality terminals. The best sort have heat shrink resin cores, and completely seal the terminal. They are not cheap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazyhorse 47 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Interestingly ABYC prohibit soldered connections. They require crimped connections. I use a lot of crimps, but for proper life, you need to use a real, ratchet crimper,and quality terminals. The best sort have heat shrink resin cores, and completely seal the terminal. They are not cheap. Thats crazy! Why? Then you had better rip apart all your factory soldered plugs that come on the end of bulkhead mounted sockets and crimp them? Same difference? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 ABYC standards prohibit soldering as the solemeans of making a connection because the newly solid wire is subject to cracking or breaking through vibration and flexing. A more practical solution is to use a crimp connector described above. Wires should never be joined simply by soldering and taping (or heat shrink); however, if solder is used, use only 60%/40% rosin core or solid solder, soldering after the butt connector is crimped. Acid core solder as used in plumbing may never be used in any electrical wiring. This is a great article about how to do it... https://marinehowto.com/marine-wire-termination/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazyhorse 47 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Done lots of install work and found loads of crimp connectors with bad connections, one guy had a 600w (from memory) inverter and the connection was bad enough you couldn't touch the connector, it was that hot. It was badly crimped however. I can see the over the top panic that MSA commercial use inspections would bring, aircraft demand the same standards but we are talking private owned boats. We are talking (fused) 12v LOW wattage supply, not 200 amp battery connections which I always crimp and solder. This is LED lighting the guy is installing, maximum current about 3 amps and probably a lot less per light. As for vibration, a boat is worse than driving on our roads? Really? Flexing I can't comment about. Never had an issue with it. I would assume commonsense would be enough to secure loose wiring from movement? A properly soldered joint will last indefinitely. Sealed well from outside moisture, it's as strong and reliable as the wire itself. The only downside is HEAT. Should the conductors temperature rise I think it's about 160deg C then the solder will melt and the connection is compromised, the reason why I insist on crimped connections on all high current devices, starter motors, windlasses etc. Good discussion though! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fish 0 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 We use quick connect clips on our lights and other electrical connections. No drama. If you are changing a light fitting and already have the wire run to the location (but its just a tad short), then they are handy. Also handy for future servicing of various items. No idea who the ABYC are, they probably say I can't have eggs for breakfast either? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 We use quick connect clips on our lights and other electrical connections. No drama. If you are changing a light fitting and already have the wire run to the location (but its just a tad short), then they are handy. Also handy for future servicing of various items. No idea who the ABYC are, they probably say I can't have eggs for breakfast either? https://abycinc.org/default.aspx Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fish 0 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 https://abycinc.org/default.aspx Thanks IT, American Boat and Yacht Council. The American's have banned Kinder Surprise because the small toys inside can choke toddlers. Yet more toddlers are killed by guns than choking. Therefore, I take anything the American's do or say with a grain of salt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Yep, agreed. I soldered connections for years without issues. Sometimes, on private boats, I still do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ladyhawk 37 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Interestingly ABYC prohibit soldered connections. They require crimped connections. I use a lot of crimps, but for proper life, you need to use a real, ratchet crimper,and quality terminals. The best sort have heat shrink resin cores, and completely seal the terminal. They are not cheap. Speaking of crimps and the associated tooling, what brand terminals and ratchet crimper do you use/recommend Matt? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I use ancor crimpers, and normally their terminals as well. Occasionally utilux ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Nothing wrong with the 3m ones. Where did you get them from? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigal.nz 59 Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 If I was going to use quick connect I would use the heat shrink style ones. As pointed out when your doing work, its so convenient to be able to quickly disconnect. The heat shrink also helps ensure a good connection. You can get duraseal and 3M ones on ebay at a reasonable price if your in no hurry ex USA or UK. I stay away from the Chinese stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigal.nz 59 Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 So cheap on ebay $12NZD : https://www.ebay.com/itm/100pcs-1-5-2-5mm-Heat-Shrink-Butt-Wire-Connectors-Crimp-Terminals-Blue-3M/311526592273?epid=1754482199&hash=item48886e8f11:g:NiMAAOSwGotWmDbm:rk:2:pf:0 Locally you would pay that for 10pcs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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