Exterior 12volt cable

[Shane anthony]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to pick up some black cable to power 12V lights on the rear tower. And also replace some old cable back there also. Would the black Ancor marine grade cable be the right choice for exterior cable runs or is there something better? There’s not much info on using it on exterior and UV resistance. Thanks in advance

[Russ]

"resists salt water, battery acid, oil, gasoline, heat, abrasion and ultra-violet radiation"

This stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/Ancor-Marine-Gra ... B000NUYFVM

[C Buchs]

I've bought some wire from Amazon and also bought my new outboard battery cables from here https://www.boatwireusa.com/. Check pricing from both sources.

Jeff

[Shane anthony]

"resists salt water, battery acid, oil, gasoline, heat, abrasion and ultra-violet radiation"

This stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/Ancor-Marine-Gra ... B000NUYFVM

Great! I really appreciate it! It sucks having to learning new stuff and constantly wonder if you’re doing it correctly.

[Shane anthony]

I've bought some wire from Amazon and also bought my new outboard battery cables from here https://www.boatwireusa.com/. Check pricing from both sources.

Jeff

I will thanks

[OverEasy]

Hi Shane Anthony!

Just make sure it’s “stranded” & “tinned” wire and not just plain copper.
The stranding helps it remain flexible ( everything in or on a boat is subject to movement) and not fatigue.
The tinning helps keep corrosion at bay and helps prevent corrosion from working its way back along the wire under the insulation.

While the insulating jacket can protect the exterior of the wire cable from a variety of threats like oil, fuel, water, sunlight, etc it doesn’t protect the ends where moisture can/does migrate in along the strands (and never dries out) which can lead to copper corrosion.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Shane anthony]

Hi Shane Anthony!

Just make sure it’s “stranded” & “tinned” wire and not just plain copper.
The stranding helps it remain flexible ( everything in or on a boat is subject to movement) and not fatigue.
The tinning helps keep corrosion at bay and helps prevent corrosion from working its way back along the wire under the insulation.

While the insulating jacket can protect the exterior of the wire cable from a variety of threats like oil, fuel, water, sunlight, etc it doesn’t protect the ends where moisture can/does migrate in along the strands (and never dries out) which can lead to copper corrosion.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Thanks I’m finding 14/2 Anchor cable only comes in white. Was trying to find black to match other wire runs on the exterior. At this point I’d just use white to keep moving along but I read something about black being a better choice against sun exposure? I accidentally bought a roll of single 14 AWG Anchor but would rather not run singles and instead run 14/2 or 14/3. I might be overthinking this and boaters are just using anything that’s stranded and tinned in PVC jacketing? I’ll be using marine heat shrink at all my connection points.

[OverEasy]

Hi Shane Anthony!

Use black is generally more UV resistant than white…generally….that’s if one is choosing between say either white or a black which are both having UV rated wire insulation. This is why most power utility lines exteriors are black when insulated.

If choosing between a non-UV rated r a UV rated wire I’d suggest going with the UV rated regardless of color.

Be aware that certain colors do better than others regarding color fading… reds, pinks, oranges, yellows tend to fade more followed by blues and greens…it has to do with the dyes used…this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Black insulation tend to hold up well because of it opacity (lack of letting light pass through). Blacks tend to block light transmission closer to the surface of the insulation better than whites. As light penetrates any polymer (ie.: vinyl) the light, generally UV spectrum, tends to cut the chemical bonds of the polymer which leads to surface and sub-surface imbrittlement which leads to cracking which leads to a loss of insulating capability.

Most often, for the sake of functional simplicity, marine wires are singles rather than coaxial or grouped in a common sheath like house type Romex. On boats it’s been the convention to have individual positive wire runs for individual controlled circuits and have a larger common return negative return run. This saves space within the limited space aboard a vessel, reduces the number of installed wires, saves weight and material costs.

NOTE 1: The important thing is to have a properly sized negative return run wire size. To do this one figures out the maximum load for each of the circuits, add them together, multiply by at least 1.5 and then look up in the wire current capacity chart what size of stranded wire gauge is required.

NOTE 2: Each operable circuit should have its own appropriately rated circuit protection device such as a fuse or circuit breaker.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Shane anthony]

Hi Shane Anthony!

Use black is generally more UV resistant than white…generally….that’s if one is choosing between say either white or a black which are both having UV rated wire insulation. This is why most power utility lines exteriors are black when insulated.

If choosing between a non-UV rated r a UV rated wire I’d suggest going with the UV rated regardless of color.

Be aware that certain colors do better than others regarding color fading… reds, pinks, oranges, yellows tend to fade more followed by blues and greens…it has to do with the dyes used…this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Black insulation tend to hold up well because of it opacity (lack of letting light pass through). Blacks tend to block light transmission closer to the surface of the insulation better than whites. As light penetrates any polymer (ie.: vinyl) the light, generally UV spectrum, tends to cut the chemical bonds of the polymer which leads to surface and sub-surface imbrittlement which leads to cracking which leads to a loss of insulating capability.

Most often, for the sake of functional simplicity, marine wires are singles rather than coaxial or grouped in a common sheath like house type Romex. On boats it’s been the convention to have individual positive wire runs for individual controlled circuits and have a larger common return negative return run. This saves space within the limited space aboard a vessel, reduces the number of installed wires, saves weight and material costs.

NOTE 1: The important thing is to have a properly sized negative return run wire size. To do this one figures out the maximum load for each of the circuits, add them together, multiply by at least 1.5 and then look up in the wire current capacity chart what size of stranded wire gauge is required.

NOTE 2: Each operable circuit should have its own appropriately rated circuit protection device such as a fuse or circuit breaker.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Wow! Lot of informationvery much appreciated thank you! As of right now I’m just adding a mast anchor light and a couple round flood lights on the rear tower. But I’m sure I’ll need some bells and whistles down the road when I figure all the basics of sailing out.