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

Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Are You Prepared For Work?

Any sort of technician knows that they cannot complete their tasks without the correct tools and accessories. That includes the items that they’re installing; without a pipe to work with, what exactly is the plumber supposed to connect to your sink? Moments arise where the items required for the job are not available, and this can be incredibly frustrating for both the technician and the client. Sure, there are just some things that you can’t prepare for. If a job requires an unusual cable or wire, it’s unlikely that you’ll have one on hand. However, for the jobs that require a common cable and wire that you work with daily, it would be silly to not come equipped with this item. Whether you need to fill up your arsenal to better ready yourself for any project, or you’ve come across a project that requires a unique item that you need to order fast, EWCSWire has got you covered for all of your electrical wire needs. No matter what you’re looking for, we’ve been servicing technicia...
Post a Comment
Read more

Important Things to Know when Buying Alarm Cables

When you’re looking for wires and cables, EWCSWire can surely help. EWCS stands for Electric Wire and Cable Specialists, because that’s who they are. The people at EWCSWire really know their stuff about all the different kinds of wires and cables—their uses, accessories, and what safety requirements need to be met in order to be useable. Whatever type of wire or cable you need, EWCSWire has the stock and the knowledge to help you get everything you need. EWCSWire even has a selection of alarm cables, whether you need security alarm cables or fire alarm cables . But it’s important to be aware that when shopping for these kinds of cables, there are important safety guidelines that make each type of wire different. These cables have been put to the test to ensure that they meet certain standards. Plenum-Rated Cables EWCSWire offers security alarm and fire alarm cables that adhere to the codes that qualify them for a plenum rating. Plenum is the name given to any space in a build...
Post a Comment
Read more