Interior wiring?

[Russ]

Does that tape come in BLUE?

Yes



According the the website: "The extra polymers infused in the blue makes it go on 2% faster than the standard black tape. That's why we named it 35."

Cool!

[RobertB]

Does that tape come in BLUE?

Nope. You can only get this high-performance tape in black with a white container.

As with many high-performance things, the best is rarely available in BLUE.

I always believe the best thing come in blue

I had to marry this one

[Dark and Stormy]

This looks like good wire but why the extra expense? You can get duplex marine grade wire 12 AWG for $0.79 per foot http://tinnedmarinewire.com/wire/index. ... 2031983829 - the Mil-Spec wire is $.99 per foot for single conductor. You could use several hundred feet of the stuff - it adds up.

Confused emoticon? The 18 gauge wire is only 24-29 cents per foot (depending on qty) and should be sufficient for nearly every circuit.

I like it because it's super flexible, makes great looking wiring harnesses, and printed labels (under shrink wrap) read really well on it. I agree that it probably should not be used for battery cables.

[RobertB]

Interesting that you are using 18 AWG - how are you keeping the wiring runs so short?

For a 10% voltage drop and a total conductor length of 30 feet (so only 15 feet between source and component being powered) the circuit should carry no more than 5 amps (or for 10 amps, a total conductor length of 15 feet, 15 amps 10 feet). A 10% drop is generally too much for electonics and navigation lights so I use the 3% drop tables. In this case, 18 AWG is good for 5 amps, total conductor length of 10 feet = source to component only 5 feet away.

My experience with wiring my is that many wiring runs from the fuse and breaker panels either side of the top of the ladder (my setup, added a breaker panel to the fuse panel) easily exceed 15 feet. Consider that a wiring run is from the battery - to the breaker - to the component being powered. Just to get from the battery to the breaker is easily 15 feet (x2 conductors = 30 feet).

My suggestion is to use 14 AWG minimum and 12 AWG or even 10 AWG for the longer and higher load runs.

[Dark and Stormy]

Doh! I'm glad you brought this up... I'm used to using this stuff on motorcycles and cars where the voltage drop isn't as much of a consideration (and where the indicators are much lower current).

[RobertB]

One way I minimized total condutor length was to have a pair of bus bars for grounds - one at the breaker panel and one near the battery. Only components mounted near the breaker panel use the bus bar there. All others only have a long run on the positive lead to the breaker and back by using the bus near the battery.