Wire and Cable…what types and where to buy?
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A question I often get after sending someone home with a power system is what wire should I buy and where? Very good question and absolutely worth considering when building out a moving, vibrating, hot/cold, wet/dry box of metal on wheels…and if you’re catching this blog in its early stages I will undoubtedly be updating this page sporadically.
So lets get into it:
Stranded vs. solid
One thing that I see often in DIY builds is the use of solid core or low class stranded wire to run their circuits. This solid core wire is not recommended in moving applications such as vans or boats due to the potential for this solid core to chafe, break, or otherwise work loose from connections. Victrons Wiring Unlimited recommends not just a stranded wire but fine stranded wire. I’ve seen lots of big box store “stranded wire” being used for DC circuits in vans but they may only have 20 or so solid copper strands. The wire itself is semi rigid and still susceptible to the dangers of using solid core wire. At the very least use stranded 100% copper wire and battery / welding cable. I currently only use marine grade tinned copper wire and cable in all of my systems.
OFC vs CCA
OFC stands for oxygen free copper and CCA stands for copper clad aluminum. When I was first building vans I made the mistake of using CCA wire for my circuits because it was cheap, flexible, and stranded but I was ignorant to the fact that aluminum only has about 60% conductivity compared to copper. The copper cladding bit enhances the aluminum by providing some corrosion resistance, enhanced conductivity, and gives it some physical strength but overall it's not the wire we want to use in our builds. And it's very easy to overlook this, both in the name of the wire and in the actually color of the wire as CCA will look copper in pictures! So when you're shopping for wire at the very least make sure you are buying 100% oxygen free stranded copper wire and cable.
Marine or tinned wire
Now tinned copper takes your wire to the next level and is essential in marine and van applications. This is because the tinned coating on the outside of the copper is highly resistant to corrosion from salt water, moisture, and other environmental factors. If you've ever seen a really funky looking green copper pipe in your basement, this same corrosion can happen in your van’s or RV’s electrical system and can lead to increased resistance and loose or broken connections in your wiring. I build many van and electrical systems with plain ole 100% fine stranded copper wire and cable and no doubt all of them are fine out there on the road. The issue comes into play when there are water leaks, or other environmental factors like humid salty air from living near the ocean or salt under your van from winter roads or even heavy oxidation that can accelerate the corrosion on common copper conductors. This goes the same for tinned copper lugs. Also, using decent heat shrink on your connections provides additional barriers to preserve your copper conductors.
So, where do I buy my wire:
So I try to buy marine grade wire and cable whenever possible, there are some instances where I reuse copper wire and thats ok too, I use my best judgement. When it comes to brands of course Ancor and Pacer are well-known but there's other no names out there that are just as good and can be found on Amazon or small suppliers like Greg's Marine Wire Supply.
Artek Energy: https://artek.energy/collections/cables-and-connectors
Gregs Marine Wire Supply: https://gregsmarinewiresupply.com/
Novino Marine Grade, 4awg to 18awg (Amazon affiliate): https://amzn.to/4dkM6CR
CWR Wholesale (business wholesale only): https://cwrdistribution.com/
Wirefy Heat Shrink Tubing, Adhesive Lined, 3:1 Ratio: https://amzn.to/43pqFvX