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Installing Perko switch?
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Author:  07H200SS [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Installing Perko switch?
Just wondering what kind of connectors you guys used for making new battery cables up? We have some copper ones here at work, but worried about them reacting in a moist enviornment. I plan on using some 2GA. welding cable we have to make the cables.
Author:  aguyindallas [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
I had my cables made by somebody who does marine "stuff" and they used copper on them.
Author:  07H200SS [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
Didn't they turn green and corode?
Author:  aguyindallas [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
Well, since I put it in a week ago, nope, haha. Seriously though...take a look at your factory wires...copper terminals.
Author:  07H200SS [ Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
Just out of curiousity where did you mount your switch?
Author:  Walt [ Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
Tin your ends before crimping!
Author:  aguyindallas [ Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
07H200SS wrote:
Just out of curiousity where did you mount your switch?


Its on the starboard side. I mounted the other battery on the port side, in basically the same location. I had some 10 foot each color wire made (from a guy on ebay)...cost me about $45.00 for those. I bought some cable clamps and some black wire loom to cover the wires. I ran the wires around the front end of the engine bay. It looks factory, or better. I attached the cable clamps with the existing screws for the brackets that are used to secure the side panels of the engine bay.

Image
Author:  Jim_R [ Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
These guys have great prices on honest to goodness marine grade battery cable and will install terminals for you at a buck an end. I bought from them when I added my second battery & switch and they do real nice work.

http://genuinedealz.com/
Author:  aguyindallas [ Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
Jim_R wrote:
These guys have great prices on honest to goodness marine grade battery cable and will install terminals for you at a buck an end. I bought from them when I added my second battery & switch and they do real nice work.

http://genuinedealz.com/



Thats who I bought my wires from....good people, good prices and good fast shipping too.
Author:  wkearney99 [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
I picked up the wire from http://www.skycraftsurplus.com as their prices were pretty good. I used Ancor brand marine ones from the boat store. The kind that require a hammer strike crimper, which I found cheap at a local auto battery store. Like one of these:

Image

One smack with a BFH and it's crimped tight. Then cover the ends with marine heat shrink tubing. Just remember to put the heat shrink on the wire BEFORE you attach the connectors. And once you're done make SURE the wires are securely held in place throughout their placement in the boat. Vibration is your enemy (which is why you never solder wires in a boat).
Author:  cougarcruiser [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
There's always solder... crimp as best you can, then solder the heck out of it.
Author:  07H200SS [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
wkearney99 wrote:
I picked up the wire from http://www.skycraftsurplus.com as their prices were pretty good. I used Ancor brand marine ones from the boat store. The kind that require a hammer strike crimper, which I found cheap at a local auto battery store. Like one of these:

Image

One smack with a BFH and it's crimped tight. Then cover the ends with marine heat shrink tubing. Just remember to put the heat shrink on the wire BEFORE you attach the connectors. And once you're done make SURE the wires are securely held in place throughout their placement in the boat. Vibration is your enemy (which is why you never solder wires in a boat).

Luckily for me we had one of these at work.
Author:  wkearney99 [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 3:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
cougarcruiser wrote:
There's always solder... crimp as best you can, then solder the heck out of it.


NO NO NO NO! Do not solder wire connections in a boat. Solder makes a hard joint, one that's too brittle for the vibrations in a boat. That's why the ABYC recommends against using soldered joints. That and a crimped connection has enough 'give' in it to maintain a SPARK FREE connection.
Author:  Walt [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
From being an electrician, and doing thermography I found a good connection was made by "tinning" the connections. That means soldering the wire before crimping. It gives much more surface area in contact with the lug. It shouldn't make the joint less flexible, or brittle either. Just my $.02.
Author:  wkearney99 [ Sat Feb 14, 2009 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Installing Perko switch?
It's one thing to be dealing with a connection that's stationary. When neither side of the connection is going to have any movement then solder makes for a great connection. But when there's movement, even minute amounts due to vibration, you're asking for trouble. Cars generally don't solder any wire connections, nor do airplanes. Same thing for boats. This is due to vibration eventually breaking the solder joint. Broken joints mean not only lost or intermittent connections, they also mean greater risk for electrical sparking. A battery cable in an engine compartment is not the place to have sparks. Either from gasoline or a failing battery outgassing hydrogen. Ka-BOOM!

Note I'm talking about connections where wire is involved. Obviously there are plenty of soldered connections inside devices on boats, cars and planes. But those joints aren't going to move. Nor do the components using them usually have enough weight to leverage the connection loose. A battery cable is heavy and probably not fully supported, so soldering really is a bad idea for it.

Yeah, it might never fail. But the side effects of failure range from the boat being left dead in the water, or you being blown clear out of the boat (and literally dead in the water). But hey, go with what you think works, just be informed.
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