Electrics

[Ed Z1-R]

VDUK yer right some folk find rewire as VOODOO
As long as you aint colour-blind its a piece of cake
the only hard thing with it is to:-
Guesstimate the amount of wire required + sleeving and connectors.
once you add the 3rd wire to the loom tape it up at every "hand width" as you add the wires tape them up too.(keeps it neat)
Dont forget the "drops" eg. the Earth(black/yellow) and regulated feed(brown) have the most drops.(now practise soldering skills)
use non adhesive tape on loom.
Leave the tails long.(you dont want to fluff 2nd fix)
When wiring to the lamp/switch gear allow for the turn of steering.
If you wanna use block connectors remember............
Well.i stick to bullets all the time.
Lawdy another thesis
On the current ZeD the wiring was
Ripped the lot out and start again. Halfway there on first fix

[mikey]

It realy is a skill id love to learn can cope with most mechanical stuff but leccys for me cant do so ralphy when i do re wire mine maybe you could teach?

[Steve Cooke]

Mikey rewiring seems more daunting than it is, it is actually very simple especially if you have a pattern to copy, one point to note which many seem to omit is that if you do have to solder a connection it should be cleaned afterwards as the flux is very corrosive and can do more harm than good.

[mikey]

You do live and learn on this site steve i never knew that about solder, on the
odd time i have solderd a joint together just left it as it was

[Pigford]

Ralphy, Mikey, I'd like to join the party as the RedZed will need a wire re-furb in the near future
Any excuse for a Biscuit-fest

[Ed Z1-R]

I wager you will find its the flux in PLUMBING soldering is corrosive
Really you chaps, if you can strip the bike/engine and rebuild then the sparx is easy peasy.
Ive kept a pattern as reference(but if one changes components or relocates it goes to pot)
So stop mincing and get on with it

[Steve Cooke]

Ed it's not just plumbing flux that is corrosive I use many types to solder Copper, Stainless,Zinc all of which are corrosive to some degree. and when wiring boats it is best avoided altogether as the environment coupled with vibration accentuates the corrosion/breakdown.

[Dark Skies]

The only solder suitable for electrical work contains resin flux which is non-corrosive. Most other solders contain an acid flux and must not be used for electrical work - unless you want your wires to turn to dust. Word!

[Steve Cooke]

Correct, and that is how you often find them 'turning to dust'.

[RALPHARAMA]

To be honest I have totally rewired a number of boats and done quite a lot of other wiring over the years and I have never seen any evidence of corrosion from electrical solder. I do try and avoid solder where possible because the solder flows into the individual conductors in a flexible wire, making the wire essentially not very flexible, thereby making it more vulnerable to breaking from vibration movement. Heat from poor connections, especially caused by poor crimping often leads to localised heating which make what strands are still connected oxidise more and makes the joint even less conductive until it all breaks/turns to dust etc. Good quality multicore electrical solder contains a non-corrosive flux. What is a bit crap is the new non-lead solder than we are being forced to use by the tossers at health and safety. When ever I see proper lead/tin solder for sale I always buy it. I have quite a bit in stock, but am always looking for more as it becomes harder to source

[Steve Cooke]

I agree with all you've said there Ralph but I can't understand how you have not come across corrosion at soldered connections before, I have also wired many boats up to sixty footers and I am working on them on a regular basis and I find corrosion is common place where soldered connections have been made, i'm convinced myself and also informed by a reliable source that it is often down to the incorrect or inferior quality of the solder or the over heating of the connection whilst soldering. My friend who is a marine electrician of some forty years here at Shamrock Quay would concur with me on this issue as we have discussed it many times.With regards to solder if in doubt leave it out, a properly crimped connection is nearly always preferable.

[RALPHARAMA]

I have to say that I also tend to agree with you and never use soldered joints unless really necessary, but I have always done it for my previous reasons. IF one uses Bakers fluid or Fluxite to prepare and solder larger joints than that must be removed. Mind you I tend to buy decent stuff from RS or similar reputable supplier. I think that problems more often occur on boats when someone who has no understanding of the wire gauge required for longer runs on boats starts wiring. I have to say that though there are few soldered joints on Cevema, there are quite a few on the backs of the fuse carriers on the instrument switchboard. I rewired her from the keel up about seven years ago and there have been no electrical issues at all. Save the tricolour on the top of the rig when numpty brains in the crane in Watchet smacked it. I went up in the bosuns chair and wrapped it in self amalgamating tape as it's impossible to change the light fitting with out removing crane head and as the standing rigging is attached to that - it's a mast down situation and I'm not doing that to fix another light up. It still works!

[mikey]

Well i orderd me new wiring loom today as it went tits up last night and its going to ralphs to be done the guy has helped me out so much with this never be able to thank him enough, so thought what the heck while its off the road have the bodywork blown over as well dropped it off to night with local guy i used before, Ace of sprays,up and coming sprayer in bristol, got a slightly weeping fork seal do that as well and hopefully glue it all back together before the yorky rally

[Ed Z1-R]

I only use resin flux(electronics),and yes i solder the least amount of soldered joints(only for drops) as they are rigid,also in places where they dont bend, Mr K uses a crimp connector for this.
But never at the crimped connections as its suicide
At joints i use a minimal length 5mm and the minimum amount of heat / solder and use heat shrink sleeving.
Works for me.
Also when crimping do not twist the wire