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Battery Cable Requirements


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I'm adding a second battery to my 99' Response LX, and the salesman at West Marine told me I have to use "Tinned Copper" battery cable for my project. He said that regular automotive copper cable will obviously work, but insurance companies will only cover electrical fire damage if Tinned Copper battery cable is being used. Can anyone verify this? The "tinned" cable seems A LOT more expensive, otherwise I'd just go for it. Thoughts???

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I agree with LJ.

Then again, I think I've only seen one stereo install ever that used marine power wire.

Ill bet Your stereo wire isn`t in the bilge and has fuses also. unlike your battery runs.

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The OP mentions adding a second battery, not re-wiring his primary runs (when I did that I did buy the tinned good stuff). If what we're talking about is the wire required to hook a second battery into a boat's electrical system, I'm not sure I see much difference between a wire from a battery to an amp than from a battery switch to a battery? or the common ground jumper wire between batteries?

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The OP mentions adding a second battery, not re-wiring his primary runs (when I did that I did buy the tinned good stuff). If what we're talking about is the wire required to hook a second battery into a boat's electrical system, I'm not sure I see much difference between a wire from a battery to an amp than from a battery switch to a battery? or the common ground jumper wire between batteries?

Sorry I took it as running new runs to the alt. either way I would use tinned wire.

Boz- tinned wire is were they cover the copper wire in a thin coat of tin to keep it from corroding.

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tinning makes wire more resistant to corrosion.

I'm not saying it's not important, but how many trucks are out there on the road that are parked outside all the time and get driven through salt on the roads and who knows what other kind of weather, without tinned wire?

And then compare to a boat that sees 50-100 hours of use annually and is otherwise parked in a garage with a cover on?

We aren't talking about boats that spend their whole lives moored in humid salt water, after all.

As LJ says, when I've done this sort of wiring I've used the tinned marine stuff. Good source here: http://greatlakesski...tery-cable.html

But I've never used tinned wire for my amps, and they have the potential to pull a lot more current than the rest of the stuff in the boat.

Edited by shawndoggy
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