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Author Topic:   16' wiring questions

jxs226 posted 04-22-2002 05:39 PM ET (US)
Folks - I am in the process of re-wiring my '64 Sakonnet with a fused system replacing the old naked buss bar. I will be placing a Blue Sea Systems 3AG fuse block under the console. I will feed the block straight from the battery with 10 ga Triplexx wire. Is 10 ga heavy enough? Is Triplex a bad idea? My block has the grounding hookup, so I was planning to connect the Triplex ground to this, terminating back at the battery's negative pole. Am I totally wrong here? Terminals will be adhesive-lined, heat shrink forked spades and circles of appropriate size.
Many thanks.
Justin
jimh posted 04-22-2002 11:37 PM ET (US)
My guess would be that TRIPLEX wire (Cf. http://www.sailnet.com/store/prodimage/160x160/anc131310.gif ) is probably intended more for 115VAC wiring.
In typical boat DC wiring only two conductors are generally used: (+) and (-).
Ground, especially on a fiberglass boat, is a somewhat arbitrary notion.
In AC wiring the ground conductor is provided as a safety device. In low voltage DC wiring a ground conductor is generally not used as part of the wiring and distribution of the DC voltage.
A wire of 10-AWG is usually rated for 30-Amp capacity, which should be very good for serving as the battery mains to your console.
In DC wiring the conduct size is typically chosen to provide a particular minimum voltage drop OVER A CERTAIN LENGTH. So while a 10-AWG conductor can carry 30-Amps, there may be situations where it would not be recommended to use that size conductor for a cable run of a particular length.
triblet posted 04-22-2002 11:51 PM ET (US)
I agree that Duplex boat cable would be more
appropriate.
If it's any distance from the battery to the
fuse block, put an inline fuse or fusable
link in right at the battery.
I use rings for everything. Never a fork.
I have what I think is the same fuse block.
You have to turn hard, but the screws will
come out.
Blue Sea will sell you most any label you
want for $.50 + $.50 per order shipping.
There's a list of the available labels on
the Blue Sea website.
V
jxs226 posted 04-23-2002 07:22 AM ET (US)
Thank you for your insight, Jimh and triblet. My battery is located back near the bilge, so I will indeed toss a fuse inline there and go with duplex rather than triplex. I've been doing a lot of reading on bonding and it had me totally paranoid about grounding everything, especially the metal gas tanks, something I'd still like to do somewhow...?
Triblet: I ordered a bunch of labels for the fuse block and await their arrival. I owe the selection of this fuse block to you and your discussion of it here on the Forum. Have you grounded anything on your Montauk?
I'm still thinking I should ground where I can, but if I really shouldn't be so worried about it, I'll gladly let it go.
J

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Author	Topic: 16' wiring questions
jxs226	posted 04-22-2002 05:39 PM ET (US) Folks - I am in the process of re-wiring my '64 Sakonnet with a fused system replacing the old naked buss bar. I will be placing a Blue Sea Systems 3AG fuse block under the console. I will feed the block straight from the battery with 10 ga Triplexx wire. Is 10 ga heavy enough? Is Triplex a bad idea? My block has the grounding hookup, so I was planning to connect the Triplex ground to this, terminating back at the battery's negative pole. Am I totally wrong here? Terminals will be adhesive-lined, heat shrink forked spades and circles of appropriate size. Many thanks. Justin
jimh	posted 04-22-2002 11:37 PM ET (US) My guess would be that TRIPLEX wire (Cf. http://www.sailnet.com/store/prodimage/160x160/anc131310.gif ) is probably intended more for 115VAC wiring. In typical boat DC wiring only two conductors are generally used: (+) and (-). Ground, especially on a fiberglass boat, is a somewhat arbitrary notion. In AC wiring the ground conductor is provided as a safety device. In low voltage DC wiring a ground conductor is generally not used as part of the wiring and distribution of the DC voltage. A wire of 10-AWG is usually rated for 30-Amp capacity, which should be very good for serving as the battery mains to your console. In DC wiring the conduct size is typically chosen to provide a particular minimum voltage drop OVER A CERTAIN LENGTH. So while a 10-AWG conductor can carry 30-Amps, there may be situations where it would not be recommended to use that size conductor for a cable run of a particular length.
triblet	posted 04-22-2002 11:51 PM ET (US) I agree that Duplex boat cable would be more appropriate. If it's any distance from the battery to the fuse block, put an inline fuse or fusable link in right at the battery. I use rings for everything. Never a fork. I have what I think is the same fuse block. You have to turn hard, but the screws will come out. Blue Sea will sell you most any label you want for $.50 + $.50 per order shipping. There's a list of the available labels on the Blue Sea website. V
jxs226	posted 04-23-2002 07:22 AM ET (US) Thank you for your insight, Jimh and triblet. My battery is located back near the bilge, so I will indeed toss a fuse inline there and go with duplex rather than triplex. I've been doing a lot of reading on bonding and it had me totally paranoid about grounding everything, especially the metal gas tanks, something I'd still like to do somewhow...? Triblet: I ordered a bunch of labels for the fuse block and await their arrival. I owe the selection of this fuse block to you and your discussion of it here on the Forum. Have you grounded anything on your Montauk? I'm still thinking I should ground where I can, but if I really shouldn't be so worried about it, I'll gladly let it go. J