Waterproof connectors ?

[rwidman]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

I took the plastic insulators off of the inline crimp connectors, crimped them bare, then soldered, then heat shrink tubing, then electrical tape over that. I once bought some connectors labelled "weatherproof" and they basically looked like the normal connectors with longer plastic sleeves. Prob are better options but that's what I had on hand and I usually only use my trailer to launch in the spring and to retrieve in the fall.

Crimping tools are designed to take the insulating sleeve into account. You would have to use a smaller die to crimp them correctly.

Crimped properly the crimp produces a "cold weld", that it, the metals are compressed together so tightly that air (or solder) cannot get into the crimped joint.

 

[KellyC]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

If you are looking for the butt splices and such with the heat shrink and adhesive in them, I picked some up at my local ACE Hardware yesterday and they are cheaper than what you can get at the local NAPA. I paid like 11 bucks for 25 connectors and at NAPA it was like 8 bucks for 3. Just letting you know of a decent place to get waterproof connectors.

 

[proaudioguy]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

Crimping tools are designed to take the insulating sleeve into account. You would have to use a smaller die to crimp them correctly.

Crimped properly the crimp produces a "cold weld", that it, the metals are compressed together so tightly that air (or solder) cannot get into the crimped joint.

Correct! Never solder a crimped connection. Makes it brittle. Solder was not designed to be a mechanical connection anyway. Bad crimps come from bad connectors and the WRONG crimper being used, as well as user error.

http://drdon.com/albums/Never Solder Multi-Pin.pdf

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

I picked some up at my local ACE Hardware yesterday and they are cheaper than what you can get at the local NAPA.

I tried some of those so called waterproof connectors you get at hardware stores. They are not even close to being as good as the Ancor ones.

 

[sasto]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

Actually spelled Ancor.

A rainy day.....and I can't spell, never was good. Probably been spelling it that way for awhile. Sometimes I just don't know better. Maybe your correction will stick with me....Thanks

 

[KellyC]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

I tried some of those so called waterproof connectors you get at hardware stores. They are not even close to being as good as the Ancor ones.

I did not see anything wrong with the ones that I picked up from ACE. They did just as the Ancor advertise, made good connections and they sealed very well. I made a connection on a piece of wire and then took it apart to check it out and it seemed to do as advertised. Not saying Ancor is bad or anything, just saying that they worked very good as far as I could see.

 

[sasto]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

I did not see anything wrong with the ones that I picked up from ACE. They did just as the Ancor advertise, made good connections and they sealed very well. I made a connection on a piece of wire and then took it apart to check it out and it seemed to do as advertised. Not saying Ancor is bad or anything, just saying that they worked very good as far as I could see.

I don't find anything wrong with them either. The ones I've used from Ace were good.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Waterproof connectors ?

I get a good laugh when I see a boat trailer with wire nuts on the wiring.

Makes me wonder what the boat's wiring looks like.

I limit the amount of wirenuts on my boat 37-1/2.
Per wire run.
If I need a longer wire I then use those sky blue inline wire splicers you squeeze together with pliers.
And then I wrap it with half a roll of electrical tape.