Casita battery charging while driving

[alan H]

We used that brush electric tape a lot when I worked at power company... it works very well

[mary and bob]

In the truck shop where I worked (Ryder) we had butt connectors that had shrink tube on them plus solder in the center that would melt when we heated it with a mini torch. Currently available from Ryder fleet products, about $.75 each

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

...On another point, has anyone tried the "brush on electrical tape"? I tried it on a boat trailer that regularly goes for a bath. So far so good.

Go back and read the thread and you will find..

Originally Posted by gordon2

....
I have often coated scotch-locs on the exterior of the camper with liquid electrical tape. That seems to prevent most problems, even with the inferior ones (assuming they made a good connection to start with).

I've used Liquid Electrical Tape for decades. The only down side I see, and the reason it is not used in production, is that you have to wait for it to dry.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

In the truck shop where I worked (Ryder) we had butt connectors that had shrink tube on them plus solder in the center that would melt when we heated it with a mini torch. Currently available from Ryder fleet products, about $.75 each

If the wires are soldered before crimped, the crimp can fail.

[redbarron55]

Personally I brought the whole cable from the 7 pin flat trailer connector into the trailer and attached a terminal strip to tie all of the wiring into the system of my rebuilt trailer.
When I installed the PD converter/charger I used the first fuse location to install a 20 amp circuit breaker as the feed from the Tow Vehicle to the 12 volt DC buss.
I think a better thought out connection with a fuse or circuit breaker is necessary not only because of a possible short on the trailer end, but also a possible short on the TV side as the trailer battery is just as much a source of current as the TV battery.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by gordon2

If the wires are soldered before crimped, the crimp can fail.

It is a regular butt connector that you crimp, then heat to set the shrink tube and at that time the solder in the center melts. I don't think anyone would heat it first before crimping. Sorry I mentioned it if it has caused confusion.

[redbarron55]

Originally Posted by gordon2

If the wires are soldered before crimped, the crimp can fail.

The butt splices he is talking about are not crimp style, but rather the wires are inserted in a "tube" of solder with flux inside a semi-transparent heat shrink tubing.
The center part where the solder tube is located is heated with a small torch or electric heat gun to melt the solder and fuse the wire. The heat shrink draws up to help push the solder into the joint and the ends shrink and seals the joint.
These things work pretty well and seal the joint quite well.

If the wires are tinned then they will fuse easier.
You can see the solder melt and flow through the heat shrink and also see the hot melt sealant flow and seal the wire.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

It is a regular butt connector that you crimp, then heat to set the shrink tube and at that time the solder in the center melts. I don't think anyone would heat it first before crimping. Sorry I mentioned it if it has caused confusion.

Dont be sorry.. this is all information we are sharing, and hopefully is helpful to most and certainly to me. Thats what the forum is for.

I was thinking more along the lines of a ring connector. I have seen people solder the wire on thinking that was needed for a good electrical connection, and then crimping it. The crimp then is on the wire and solder which can be a problem. Hence my caution to the audience at large.

On the other hand if the connector is crimped first, then adding a little solder should be no problem. Some people seem to think it helps make a better connection and some think it does not help at all (but neither does it hurt, assuming a good crimp). I'm in the "it cant hurt" camp and sometimes add a drop of solder to a crimped ring connector. Of course a butt connector with insulated ends is different since the wire would be sealed up.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

The butt splices he is talking about are not crimp style, but rather the wires are inserted in a "tube" of solder with flux inside a semi-transparent heat shrink tubing.
The center part where the solder tube is located is heated with a small torch or electric heat gun to melt the solder and fuse the wire. The heat shrink draws up to help push the solder into the joint and the ends shrink and seals the joint.
These things work pretty well and seal the joint quite well.
Attachment 132264
If the wires are tinned then they will fuse easier.
You can see the solder melt and flow through the heat shrink and also see the hot melt sealant flow and seal the wire.

Pretty slick, but I would never be able to get over being taught & years of practice that one must make a good mechanical joint BEFORE soldering.

[Raspy]

I don't know if it has been made clear or not, but the reason you don't solder a wire before crimping it is that the connection can get hot from a large load. If it is soldered before crimping, the solder can melt from the heat and release the pressure of the crimp. Then the connection is loose and fails. I've had this happen in screw type connectors.

Soldering ring type crimp connectors after crimping, especially on battery lug terminals, seems like a good idea to prevent corrosion in the pocket. I've never had that type of connection fail. Corrosion around flooded batteries with ring type connectors is a constant problem.

Another way to deal with corrosion is to put No-Lox in the connector pocket before inserting the wire to crimp.

[Jon Vermilye]

There is also a good reason not to tin or solder the ends of stranded wire if you are going to put it under a screw. New York State decided to spec that the stranded 12/3 S wire used in our theatre extension cords be tinned. This was in 1968, where the connectors required the wire be wrapped under a screw. The problem - the "squashed" tinned copper wire stayed "squashed" & eventually the connection loosened & failed. The ability of the copper wire to "spring" against the screw was lost.

This was in a couple of miles of 10', 15', 25' & 50' cables. Became a major maintenance item. When we cut off the tinned ends & tightened the screws on bare copper, the connections held.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

The butt splices he is talking about are not crimp style, but rather the wires are inserted in a "tube" of solder with flux inside a semi-transparent heat shrink tubing.
The center part where the solder tube is located is heated with a small torch or electric heat gun to melt the solder and fuse the wire. The heat shrink draws up to help push the solder into the joint and the ends shrink and seals the joint.
These things work pretty well and seal the joint quite well.
Attachment 132264
If the wires are tinned then they will fuse easier.
You can see the solder melt and flow through the heat shrink and also see the hot melt sealant flow and seal the wire.

Sorry again, these are not the connectors I am talking about and I don't know how to link it. They are a common crimp type butt connector with heat shrink on them and a little spot of solder in the middle, so when you heat it to do the heat shrink the solder melts which supposedly makes for a better connection.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Raspy

... Corrosion around flooded batteries with ring type connectors is a constant problem....

You can say that again.. Last week I replaced this battery from a 2015 vehicle.

Lots of fiz when the baking soda solution was poured over it, before taking it to the recycle place.

[mary and bob]

The butt connector I am talking about are Phillips Industries 1-1862. Could someone here link that for me to clarify my statement.

[CarlD]

mary and bob



here is the link.

https://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/p...4g-p-v84-11862


Scroll over the icons at the top of the reply dialog box, you will find the insert link. Just paste your link there.

[mary and bob]

Thanks Carl, that is what I was talking about. Now someone can start the debate about what type of crimping tool should be used as there are differences there.

[CarlD]

I'll start the debate. For these types of connectors you should use a crimping tool with flat spots on both sides of the crimping area. This type of tool will not pierce the insulation like a pointed crimp tool. This statement is based on our experience building fire trucks, where every connection was a crimp style shrink splice.





This type of tool appears to supports both crimp styles.


https://www.zoro.com/klein-tools-cri...05/i/G0280341/

[mary and bob]

I agree Carl, you want a tool that does not pierce the coating on the connector. I have one that has slightly rounded areas in the jaws for different size connectors.

Edit: I removed the KD Tools part number as the current tool is different than the old one I have, so may not be the correct tool to use.

[gordon2]

The have the most minimal instructions on how to properly use these connectors - its mostly just crimp before heating. No suggestion on what temp heat to apply or how, and I can find no recommendation on the tools to use.

See
http://phillipsind.com/media//media_...al_1-15-16.pdf

[redbarron55]

Heat enough to shrink.
Use a heat gun as a match smokes up the wire.
A small pocket torch would do as well.
You can see it shrink an it will stop shrinking when done .