Choosing Connectors for Rewiring

[Travelnik]

Bill- I don't see why that wouldn't work.

When I was building boats, I'd install wire chases using PVC pipe, and put long runs of that through bulkheading, then pull a string through to pull wires.

How pull the string you ask? Simple- tie it to a cotton ball, and use a vacuum on the other end ;)

OK, that is brilliant! I never would have thought of that!

Grog to ya!  :D

[PommyDave]

"How pull the string you ask? Simple- tie it to a cotton ball, and use a vacuum on the other end"...

Wow, Charlie. I never heard that before. That's brilliant, and so simple.

[ralay]

Wow, this is an old thread.  I can answer my own question now: yes, they're worth the money.  Never buy them from the store.  Get them from genuinedealz or other similar websites.

[Owly055]

It is an old thread....... I've fought with these for years.  Heat shrink is of little value unless it contains a resin that flows out and encapsulates the connection.  Good connectors are expensive......... period!!   The difference between quality and junk can often be weather the barrel is split or not, and weather there is resin or not. Good crimpers drive down into the connection rather than just squeezing it.    I used to solder but that makes things brittle..............    Silicone dilectric grease is a valuable tool.

                                              H.W.

[ralay]

I mean some like this:

http://www.bestboatwire.com/16-14-awg-heat-shrink-ring-terminal-10-hole-25-pack

They have a resin that will glue the heat shrink right to the wire.  They're also translucent once they've been heat shrunk, so you can see the nice shiny wire in there.  They work great and are indistinguishable for the ones that are $1/piece.  I tore out everything that had any other type of connectors and replaced them.  I also keep some a tube of dielectric grease in my electric box to recoat anything I'm working on. 

The only electrical problems that we still have stem from switches that aren't used very often.  We have a set of red lights that are only used at night, offshore and a reading light in a bunk we don't usually sleep in. They don't get switched very often, so the connections in the switches have enough time to build up oxidation.  Sometimes I have to switch them back and forth a couple dozen times to wear it off and get the light on.  It's not a big enough problem for me to want to spend time/money to change them, though.