It’s possible that some boaters are already familiar with this phrase, but others may need a little help understanding what it means. The phrase in question is AWG marine battery cable, and while it may sound simple, there might be a little bit of particular attention that appears to be going into it that makes it usable in a certain set of circumstances.
When it comes to wiring a boat, you might assume that you could just use any old copper battery wire. Technically, you could, but marine battery cable offers a number of advantages over copper cable that has not been properly treated or built for use in the ocean.
As a general rule, people who aren’t well-versed in electrical wire and cable tend to interchange the terms “wire” with “cable.” According to the strictest definition of the term, electrical wire applies to a single conductor; once you add more than one conductor, the term is changed to cable.
It is common practice for cables to be braided together from a number of smaller conductors, and this is done so that the cable can be more flexible. The cable’s ability to withstand repeated pressures and bending will improve with increasing strand count and thinner conductors used in the construction of the cable. As a result, it will be much easier to fit into the final layout.
In order to maintain their flexibility, cables such as AWG marine battery cables and welding cables must be built from conductors that have a large number of conductors. One of the most popular misconceptions is that all wires and cables are composed of copper. The fact is that there are many electrical conductors, but copper isn’t the only one or even the greatest.
When it comes to strength, copper possesses a reasonable amount of tensile strength while being extremely malleable and flexible. It’s also rather inexpensive to acquire. It also has a relatively low conductivity, which means that electricity may flow through it without causing undue heat buildup. As a result of these factors, copper is now a commonly utilized conductor.
In certain cases, alternative conductors have proved more successful than copper as electrical conductors, including aluminum, gold, or even silver. When it comes to high-tech electronics, gold is a strong conductor, even outperforming copper. It’s also chemically noble, so there’s no need to worry about rust.
Additionally, marine battery cables must handle the continual motion of a boat, whether it’s from the waves or the vibration of the engines, in order to keep working properly. This puts a lot of strain on the boat’s structural components, including its wires and cables. As a result, the high strand count of these cables provides them with the highest amount of flexibility possible, allowing them to be used safely at sea.
When it comes to the tinning of copper conductors, this has everything to do with their resistance to corrosion in the face of environmental factors. It’s worth taking a minute to think about how wires and cables would fare in rough seas. A combination of saltwater and native copper is extremely corrosive, and this combination can be deadly. In order to withstand the weather, marine battery cables are tinned in AWG marine battery cable.
That’s all there is to it when it comes to the facts about marine-grade, tin-plated cable. For anyone seeking a variety of wires for their business or even their own boat, EWCSWire.com is a great place to start. There are a variety of these cables available, all of which are more than capable of withstanding corrosion and serving as wiring in a variety of marine environments. Visit their website or get in touch with them at 800-262-1598 to learn more about their products and services.
