Water Proof Butt Connectors
 

The other day i was at west marine because I wanted to pick up some of the waterproof butt connectors (the ones with heat shrink ends). Can anyone answer why it costs $100 to $130 for a 100 count vs. a standard butt connector that is $20 to $30 for a 100 count? I have a hard time believing that shrink wrap costs that much more when incorporated into a butt connector. I can go buy shrink wrap and soldier the connection and still have a cheaper, sealed connection.. Hopefully I can find those things cheaper somewhere else.

go to an auto parts store or online, they are a lot cheaper but still way overpriced imho

I just ordered the ones from delcity.net They have shrink wrap and the solder joints in the middle. I paid .70 each for them. The ones you want are only .35 each.

http://www.delcity.net/store/Butt-Co...s/p_791881.a_1

That's West Marine for you. Whatever they're asking, you can usually at least half it for what it costs elsewhere.

$0.30 a piece when you get 100:
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/pro...x?SKU=70101311
They have other sizes, too, just search.

Those marine connectors are a little more then just a shrink wrap sleeve. The ones i use have a sealer that bonds to the wires casing. You also want a connector with a brazed butted seam, the little split in the metal where you crimp it is sweated together. Del City has good quality terminals at good prices. Careful when price shopping terminals there are some fine and very small details that are easily overlooked.

Del City has great stuff, was gonna link it but just saw it above.

nice butt . . . . gonna have to check that out looks like a good price . . . . :D

Wire terminal crimping lesson #1:

Never Never Never use an insulated butt splice terminal!!!!

Why? You can never control the proper amount of crimping force applied to the terminal and therefore applied to the wire core. More specific-----You have no idea of your crimp height tolerance.

Now for you bush leaguer's, if you think this is bullshet, well continue on. For Professional's, continue reading.

For this application, use a non-insulated butt splice of the proper dimension for your wire gauge. Apply a "light" crimp only to hold the wire core in place. Solder both ends of the terminal, carefully without applying too much heat. Insert a dual wall shrink tube piece over the butt splice with plenty of overlap on both ends. Heat to properly seal the dual wall tube. Now you have a professional wire circuit connection that will perform in even the most harsh environment.

Anything wire related i am sure you are at the forefront of. Richard i thought i read somewhere that soldered terminals should not be used on boats any thoughts on this? I cannot remember who told me this but the reasoning was sound, unfortunately i cannot remember that either. I still like the idea of soldering raw terminals and shrinking them. I think it may have had something to do with how the wire flexes, if the solder wicks up the wire it has a hard pin point where the wire goes from the flexible state to rigid. Heck it might'a been you that told me :D

Just thought I'd throw in my 2cents. I work in aviation so most of my knowledge comes from that, but I never use soldered connections in aircraft wiring due to the fact that at the point where the solder and wire meet it creates a stress point and is prone to breaking with vibration.
When I need a butt splice that is sealed from the elements I use an "Enviro" splice http://www.edmo.com/index.php?module...&prod_id=18887 Best out there.....but expensive (just like everything else in boating or aviation). Also you'll need the special crimping tool to install them at a "slight" additional charge.

Let me make sure I heard that right... With insulated, you typically put more pressure to the crimp (or not enough and the wire comes out) and that you can actually have too much pressure on a crimp? I never heard that before, but defnitely glad to learn something new. Def gonna look at a new approach to wire terminals.

I use the 3M butt splices with the shrink tube, but I fill them with dielectric grease first then insert the wires. I also use a T&B post style crimp tool, it gives me a more reliable crimp. In Michigan where they use salt in the winter, I have found this works.

They generally don't want soldered joints in marine use because solder travels up the wire and causes a stiff joint and with greater vibrational loads it will result in fatigue and failure. Also most soldered joints are done poorly and result in a high resistance joint. But i have yet to see a joint fail due to soldering.. in marine or automotive use that gets more use then a boat does....just saying...

1) Solder has no place on a boat. But in all honestly, the wire should be secured so there is no movement.

2) research 'racketing crimpers', such as Ancor, Greenlee, Idea.
They don't release until you fully crimped your connector. These aren't your cheap Walmart crimpers that strip, crimp, cut bolts, pliers, etc. JUNK!. You'll have a few $100 min. for a quality set of crimpers for all applications: double crimp, insulated crimp, non insulated, battery sized cables, etc. A different tool for every type of connector. The real high end crimpers can be sent in and calibrated. :)

Do it right with the right tool :)

yep...i have a Thomas Betts ratchet crimper at home....and in times of panic/dispare i do have a hand crimper, but i should just toss it out as its a 50/50 chance of piercing the jacket of the connector each time you crank down to crip with it!

Back when i was working at Motorola, it was fun to see a new guy try and crimp something with the wrong crimp die in the tool. Only to jam it cause they have too smal of a die and too big of a connector and watch the fear turn to panic when they cant open the crimpers back up :D

Here's a method that works well for me. YMMV

Strip wire ends
Coat wire ends with No-Alox
Insert into uninsulated connector and crimp with ratcheting crimpers
Seal with adhesive lined heat shrink

Take care with your "Butt"!
 

My preference and opinion is to use a proper type and size bare metal butt crimp connector, crimped with the proper tool and then use heat shrink tube with heat activated sealer already coated in the tubing. Soldering is not ideal in marine wiring as previously said because in harnesses and rigging where the connection will get flexed, bent and vibrated the solder joint is to stiff and can break and then be a "biatch" to find!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

What a real crimp looks like. :)
6AWG, 266 individual strands, with no air space. Under a 10x eye loop, still looks like 1 solid piece of wire. Crimped with my Greenlee crimper, then cut in half at crimp point.

Isn't a Speedo considered almost waterproof?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist. :lolhit:

Regarding solder, fairly bold statement. Care to back it up with some facts?

heres an interesting thread i came across the other day...
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...soldering.html

common knowledge in marine rigging, don't solder anything because the wires need to flex to withstand the pounding they get in a boat.

Same reason you wouldn't use solid wire in place of stranded.

for a 20ga wire strip 3/16" from each wire, get an experienced tech with a quality iron to tin both wires quickly to avoid solder wicking up the wire, use a piece of shrink just large enough to fit over the joint and around 3 or 4 times the length of the joint (3/16"), once the connection is made correctly(by that experienced tech), shrink the tubing. always make connections in a straight run area and not in a curve or high stress area. I have been wiring aircraft for over three decades as well as several complete rewire jobs in about everything out there that moves and in every environment out there. I have never seen one of these connections fail.. If you are not experienced at soldering do not attempt this.

bobbo

A lot of my electrical experience has come from a cruisers/sailers forum I participate on that has several marine qualified electrical technicians from around the world that share their knowledge. I trust there experience.
I could ask the same thing....Is your above post your opinion or does you have some facts by professionals to back up? I have yet to run across anyone who is in the marine electrical business that suggests soldering. Not to say there aren't any, just have yet to read of any.
Just look at your wiring on your boat, how many connectors are soldered from the factory?
Only solder joints I ever come across that I can recall on boats are usually aftermarket stereo installs. Seems backwards, as most own crimpers/connectors bought from Walmart, vs owning a solder gun.

The condition of a hot wire making the solder soft and pulling out, not the 1st time I've read that. Not uncommon for someone to keep blowing fuses, so they install a larger fuse. Now they have a fuse with a higher rating than the wire it is supposed to protect.

After rereading this thread I'm compelled to mention something far more important than the connections when considering a wiring repair/modification.

Routing of the wiring after the connections are made.. A properly built and routed wiring loom will support and protect each of the connections.

No matter how good that connection is, it will fail 100% of the time if it is not routed and tied into the loom in a way that supports and protects the connection.