Welding cable 70m2

[PeterCarole29]

I know very little about electrics and am always glad of advice. Can the well informed tell me .
When the copper wire in the cable goes black if the ends are cleaned and lugs fitted is it still useable.
Or has got to the end of its life

 

[Cush]

I look forward to hearing the answer too as I would have risked what you suggest. I’m sure an experienced electrician will pick this up for you

 

[Silvercity]

Hi, I’m not an electrician but I am a welder!… this happens in my own experience especially on exposed ends of cables which can creep along the cable especially if the sheathing is damaged or old. Copper reacts slowly with the oxygen in the air, oxidation. The process produces copper oxide, a brown or black compound, or tarnish.
As long as the cable isn’t damaged/“nicked” it should be fine to use just make sure the ends are clean at the terminals.
Hope it helps.

 

[bigtwin]

Hi, I’m not an electrician but I am a welder!… this happens in my own experience especially on exposed ends of cables which can creep along the cable especially if the sheathing is damaged or old. Copper reacts slowly with the oxygen in the air, oxidation. The process produces copper oxide, a brown or black compound, or tarnish.
As long as the cable isn’t damaged/“nicked” it should be fine to use just make sure the ends are clean at the terminals.
Hope it helps.

Great response.

Ian

 

[Silvercity]

Great response.

Ian

Nice Duke

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[Googlebot]

It’s fine, it’s just oxidisation. Cleaned up and cut back a bit and it will last forever.

 

[Lenny HB]

It will be OK but I prefer to make a connection to clean copper for peace of mind. It is normally only on the first few inches from the end so just cut the cable back until its clean.

 

[autorouter]

Cable for an environment where it's likely to oxidise (marine for example) have the strands 'tinned' so they look silvery, which protects them to a large extent.

Oceanflex Single Core Tinned Copper Cable | 12 Volt Planet

High performance, stranded, Oceanflex single core cable available in a range of sizes / ratings for general low voltage auto & marine wiring applications. From 12Volt Planet

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

When you crimp a lug onto thick copper cable, a good crimp will squeeze and deform the strands and cold weld them to the lug, and to each other, cutting through the oxide layers. So it's important to do a good solid crimp.

 

[Lenny HB]

Cable for an environment where it's likely to oxidise (marine for example) have the strands 'tinned' so they look silvery, which protects them to a large extent.

Oceanflex Single Core Tinned Copper Cable | 12 Volt Planet

High performance, stranded, Oceanflex single core cable available in a range of sizes / ratings for general low voltage auto & marine wiring applications. From 12Volt Planet

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

Agree much better, You should see the state of the poxy Hymer headlamp looms. These are the ones with the plastic headlamps, very poor quality thin wall insulation breaking down and spliting around the wire and being untinned wire the wire corrodes away. Fed up with repairing mine.

 

[PeterCarole29]

Thanks for all the replies,
I have a hydrolic crimper its the bees knees only a cheap ebay one but brilliant.
The browning goes a long way down the cable but i shall use it now clean ends and crimp them well.
I do have a pot of liquid solder cant remember where i got it 25yrs old. shaking it its still liquid .I shall have to see how to use it and see if its suitable

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[Lenny HB]

Thanks for all the replies,
I have a hydrolic crimper its the bees knees only a cheap ebay one but brilliant.
The browning goes a long way down the cable but i shall use it now clean ends and crimp them well.
I do have a pot of liquid solder cant remember where i got it 25yrs old. shaking it its still liquid .I shall have to see how to use it and see if its suitable

You shouldn't put solder on joints that are crimped.
Not sure what you mean by liquid solder.

 

[olley]

I think it's flux with solder particles in suspension.

 

[pappajohn]

You shouldn't put solder on joints that are crimped.

Why not Lenny?

 

[Googlebot]

Why not Lenny?

It makes the joint brittle.

Properly crimped joints are more than sufficient.

 

[pappajohn]

It makes the joint brittle.

Properly crimped joints are more than sufficient.

I agree, a crimp should be enough but I really can't see that happening on a 70mm2 crimp

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[Googlebot]

I agree, a crimp should be enough but I really can't see that happening on a 70mm2 crimp

I am not an expert, I could be wrong.

I would have thought bigger cable was worse as it isn’t as flexible?

 

[Lenny HB]

Crimping is a cold weld process, soldering fills the air gaps so the process can't complete. Also solder stays in a semi liquid state so the crimp will work loose and where the wire goes into the crimp any flexing makes it more likely to break if it is soldered.

Also you should never solder wires that are going into a terminal they will always work loose.

 

[PeterCarole29]

You shouldn't put solder on joints that are crimped.
Not sure what you mean by liquid solder.

I shall post a picture of it when i get it from the storeage as i keep looking at it and wondering

 

[autorouter]

As Lenny HB says, it's not a good idea to solder crimp joints. A well-made solidly crimped crimp joint is as good electrically as a soldered joint. However its long-term reliability in a vibration-prone environment like a vehicle is much better than solder joints.

When a wire is soldered, the solder wicks along the strands, and stops at a definite point. Under vibration, the wire flexes and all the stress is concentrated at the exact point where the solder stops. Eventually this causes stress cracking and joint failure.

Aircraft wiring uses crimps exclusively, having learned many lessons the hard way. My Audi manual specifically states 'No solder joints to be used on any wiring'.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

For many years when plumbing with old copper pipes I have used a strong mixture of table salt dissolved in vinegar to clean the copper before fluxing and soldering, rinse and dry before flux and solder. I have also used it on cable before soldering or crimping. It cleans the oxide off the copper wire very well and quickly then when heavily crimped it will not oxidise further.

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