Where Is Marine Electrical Wire Useful?

[Greg Anixter]

You probably knew that household wiring was usually made from copper conductors. Copper has excellent conductivity, low resistance, and is fairly ductile, so it can be bent into shape mechanically where necessary. It’s also fairly affordable, making it a useful material for wiring.

What you may not have known was that household wiring is limited in its scope of applications, and that there are many other specialized forms of wiring that are useful within their scope of use.

For example, photovoltaic cables are, among other things, resistant to weathering and UV light so that they can be used outside with solar arrays. Welding cables that are meant to be used with welding equipment have to be made as flexible as possible while still remaining resistant to the widest range of environmental stressors possible.

Another specialized form of electrical wiring is marine electrical wire, also known as marine grade cable or wire. While marine grade wire and battery cables are also made using copper conductors, they have a few specialized traits that make them more useful where they are intended to be used, which is, chiefly, in marine environments.

High quality marine electrical wire is made from a very high count of thin copper conductors. The purpose of this is to make the wires as flexible as possible, so that they can be worked into a tight space. The problem here is that thin copper conductors will, by their nature, have a higher surface area than thicker wires. This exposes them to a higher risk of corrosion, which is something that saltwater is unfortunately capable of producing.

Therefore those very fine conductors are individually tinned to give them a high degree of resistance to the corrosive influences of marine environments. Individually tinned copper stranding gives the wires extra longevity, which is valuable in that sort of scenario.

For the most part, marine electrical wire is useful in nautical wiring, which means they are commonly used for marine battery connectors, but they are also used elsewhere in the wiring of vessels to distribute power. In addition, marine grade wire can be used with marine circuit breakers to enhance the safety of the control panel.

Most of the utility of marine electrical cables revolves around their use at sea, although there are other situations in which marine grade wire or cable could be useful. Anywhere experiencing a climate or environmental conditions that will adversely affect copper might be a prime candidate for marine cables or wiring.

If you’re looking for tough, reliable marine grade wire and cable from a provider that also offers excellent customer service, set your sights on EWCS Wire. Their team will answer any remaining questions you have and can set you on your way with whatever marine grade cable your situation requires.

You can easily shop through their collection online on their website, EWCSWire.com, whereby you can communicate with them via their site’s live chat feature. You can also send them an email requesting more information to [e-mail] or give them a call at 800-262-1598.