Skip to main content

Choosing the Right Battery Cable Wire


Battery cable wire comes in a great variety of sizes and types for all kinds of different applications. Determining what type of cable is correct for your project is going to come down to the demands of the project. Battery cables are used to bring power to an engine of some kind, be it a marine engine, a power converter kit, or the engine of a car. As a result of the various applications for battery cables, there are a few major factors to keep in mind:

Connector Types
Thickness (Gauge)
Length
Insulation

Choosing a battery cable connector type that is incompatible with your battery’s terminal can be both irritating and dangerous. It’s therefore very important to inspect your battery’s terminals and see what types of connectors work with them. If you are replacing cables with a new set, this step can be as simple as choosing a cable with the same connector type as your old cables.

Once you’ve determined your connector type needs, you will want to think about the thickness, or gauge, of the cable that the project will require. Larger batteries require larger gauge battery cable wire in order to transfer the current. The stronger the electric current going through a cable, the thicker the cable needs to be. You will need the thickest cable when working with heavy equipment engines and marine engines, as well as for projects in which the current needs to be transferred over a greater length of cable.

The next consideration in choosing battery cable is to decide what length of cable you will need. For most projects, it is best to try and minimize length needs because the greater the length of the cable, the thicker it will need to be to safely transfer the battery’s electrical current. If you are planning on moving batteries, plan ahead and purchase thicker cable in anticipation of the distance requirements of such a project.

The final factor to consider is the type of insulation required for your cable’s final environment. If you are working on a marine project, it is very important to get marine grade wire. Cable that is not marine grade is very risky to use on a marine project, as most cables are not prepared to be consistently around water, especially corrosive salt water. For other purposes, consider checking the cable for SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) approval. The SAE is a massive group of professional engineers who publish vetted technical standards for all types of engines, both for use on the road and more. Cables that meet SAE standards can be quickly cross-referenced for approved use by checking the SAE’s official guidelines. It is also important to consider if there will be any oils, acids, or solvents in the area of the cable. Each of these environmental risks requires special considerations in regards to insulation type.

Once all four of these factors have been surveyed, you’re ready to choose the battery cable wire that is right for your needs. Interested in finding out more? Contact us at 800.262.1598 or sales@ewcswire.com!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Guide to Choosing Electric Wire Cable

If there’s one thing that’s sure in the world of electrical supplies, it’s that you’ll always find yourself out of supplies just when you thought you had enough for a current job. With the diversity to be found in the shape, structure, and styling of residential, commercial, and industrial building plans, you can never fully know exactly what you’ll need before you get your hands on-site. With that in mind, there are some steps you can take when stocking up that will help ensure you’re the most prepared you can be. This guide will help you stock up on electric wire cable before every job, so you can get to work stress-free. Step One: Get Colorful No job will go smoothly if you can’t tell your wires apart from one another. Not only will uniformly colored electric wire cable make the job at hand more difficult, but it will also make future repairs considerably more difficult. Make sure you plan to have multiple colors of cable on hand before every job. You’ll thank yourself when y...

The Importance of Fire Alarm Cables

There are few things more important than fire safety. Without the proper fire electrical equipment set up in a small home or a big building, one small fire that starts anywhere in the building can cause a huge safety issue. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an average of seven people die from fires on a daily basis. The fact that this could be prevented makes the situation that much worse. When any type of building gets ready for people to move into it, whether it’s to work or to live, one of the most important things to check is fire safety. Fires spread like no other, so ensuring that the building has the proper fire safety tools to help prevent fires from starting and spreading with no warning to the other occupants in the building is a major factor in the overall safety of the building. Besides actually having a smoke or fire detector in place, one of the most important things all fire alarms need to have to ensure the safety of the building’s occu...

Things To Look Out For When Looking For Welding Cable For Sale

Are looking for a welding cable for sale online? If you are, then you must be aware of what they are designed for—not for an undemanding profession, that’s for sure. Welding cable is designed for electric arc-welding machines, it is a conductor that carries the power to fire up the metal rod so that a welding professional can get the work done. However, for a welding cable to properly perform what’s it supposed to do, it should meet the right standards for it to be strong enough to perform its job. Why Must a Welding Cable be Durable? This job is not for the weak and that’s not limited to the professional himself but the cable as well. It’s important to know that you’re getting nothing but the most durable and flexible welding cable there is. There’s a current passing through those wires after all. The last thing you need is for your welding cable to overheat, impeding a speedy welding process. You also don’t want your welding cable to ...