[MarkSF]

I want to tidy up this rats nest. It's a view of the bulkhead between the lazarette, and the cabin :

The old one inch conduits (you can't see one of them, but it's there!) carry 12V and ground to the breaker box. The rest is a mixture of 12V, NMEA 0183, an antenna cable, and NMEA2000. Oh and upper middle of the pic is a 110V cable to an outlet.

I'd like to use a bunch of Ancor self-extinguishing conduit to tidy this up.

I understand that low voltage and 110V should be separate, so I'll use some 1/2" separately for that 110V line.

I think the rest will then fit in one 1" conduit.

Anything wrong with my plan?

I also plan to cover the back of those two electronic units : they are a voltmeter, and a solar charge controller.

 

[Group9]

I have an older Mako center console (1991) and all of it's wiring is run in plastic conduit. It takes a lot more pounding than my sailboat ever does and no wiring failures.

 

[mad_machine]

Done properly, conduit can really extend the life of your wiring as it is not completely supported instead of hanging from straps every so often.

the downside is it is now a lot harder to run new wires or replace old ones.. it can also hide corrosion from view.

Personally, I think it is a great idea

 

[denverd0n]

One consideration is that wires run inside a conduit hold more heat. Hence, if you have any wires that are near the limit for being under-sized, putting them in a conduit could be an issue. If your wires are all quite adequately sized, though, should be no problem.

 

[newhaul]

Auto makers do it every day just make sure wires are correct sized for their load. The hi volt wires (110 here) are better not in closed they develops more heat to disapate. Homes here don't put them in plastic wire looms like that.

 

[jimgo]

You mention NMEA and RF wires. I'd look at separating those. I'd be concerned that the antenna might cause cross-talk with the NMEA-compliant wires. Maybe I'm just being over-cautious, but especially when you're transmitting (which probably isn't that often), you may experience some issues.

 

[poopdeckpappy]

the downside is it is now a lot harder to run new wires or replace old ones.. it can also hide corrosion from view.

What you can do is leave a couple pull strings in the conduit with small steel washers tied to the end. You can either tuck the string in the ends of the conduit Then retrive as needed with a small telescoping magnet or cut a small slit in each end of conduit to secure string until needed.

And avoid using wire with connnectors ( if possible ) inside the conduit, if you can, make a new run

 

[MarkSF]

You mention NMEA and RF wires. I'd look at separating those. I'd be concerned that the antenna might cause cross-talk with the NMEA-compliant wires. Maybe I'm just being over-cautious, but especially when you're transmitting (which probably isn't that often), you may experience some issues.

Good idea, and thankfully I achieved it by accident! NMEA and radio antenna never run together, by pure luck.

Here's the finished result. I wish I could do something better with the NMEA 2000. Simnet is such a better system, much neater to wire. (and I have a Simnet network plugged into the NMEA 2000 one, works perfectly)

Now I just have to figure out if having the Xantrex charger chassis grounded to the engine heat exchanger (yes, you read correctly) is a good thing!

 

[boatpoker]

Good idea, and thankfully I achieved it by accident! NMEA and radio antenna never run together, by pure luck.

Here's the finished result. I wish I could do something better with the NMEA 2000. Simnet is such a better system, much neater to wire. (and I have a Simnet network plugged into the NMEA 2000 one, works perfectly)

Now I just have to figure out if having the Xantrex charger chassis grounded to the engine heat exchanger (yes, you read correctly) is a good thing!

There should be only one DC negative ground on the engine, I'm guessing you have more than one if the heat exchanger is involved.

Is that white thing in the bottom of the photo a battery box ? if so, either it or the charger has to be moved. You cannot mount a charger over batteries.

 

[MarkSF]

Well the references I've found, state directly over the batteries. It's debatable whether mine is directly over...;-)

The outputs aren't fused, either!

Well Rome was not built in a day, as they say.

 

[mad_machine]

Auto makers do it every day just make sure wires are correct sized for their load. The hi volt wires (110 here) are better not in closed they develops more heat to disapate. Homes here don't put them in plastic wire looms like that.

Homes are built as cheaply as possible.. but in areas that will see exposed use, wires are enclosed in metal conduit all the time.. either rigid or flexible. The point is though, there are not many wires in that conduit.. most times just a ground, neutral, and a hot.. maybe, just maybe, two separate circuits.

Properly sized, wire can get warm, but never hot enough to burn

 

[MarkSF]

Well I looked around, and Bristol ran most of the 110V lines inside the plastic conduit, so I think I should be OK adding it to this part of the 110V line. Maybe I should check how warm it's getting, next time the fan heater is on and drawing 15A.

 

[pdqaltair]

I boils down to the need for physical protection; if the locker could have traffic or storage, something must be done, if not, it only makes troubleshooting take longer. Last longer? If there are enough straps, the wire will last as long as the boat unless physically damaged. Comparing the vibration on a car with a boat is apples to hand grenades. The other reasons wire is loomed on a car is manufacture and maintenance; manufacture goes faster and mechanics are kept out of the bundles. They can also consult the manual and know what is in the bundle and where things go. Totally different.

That said, I've loomed wires a few places, where they are outside dedicated panels or voids. Sometimes a physical cover or guard is an even better idea, if stuff can shift of a person fall.

 

[SloopJonB]

You cannot mount a charger over batteries.

Why not? How far away must they be separated?

 

[mitiempo]

You can but the off gassing from the batteries will corrode its internals and its life will be shortened. Assuming flooded batteries of course. In a separate compartment works well if the batteries are still close to the charger.

 

[Maine Sail]

Properly sized, wire can get warm, but never hot enough to burn

There are however caveats...

Until you have high resistance...... I see "properly sized" melted and burned wire all the time due to high resistance....

Until you have a dead short.... Fire a dead short from a battery bank into an unfused but otherwise properly sized wire and it will go to flames...

 

[Maine Sail]

You can but the off gassing from the batteries will corrode its internals and its life will be shortened. Assuming flooded batteries of course. In a separate compartment works well if the batteries are still close to the charger.

If the charger is not also "IP" or ignition protection rated then it is not advised to mount it even in close proximity. This charger is IP32 rated but still not advisable to mount one in a battery compartment, if it can be avoided...



"True Charge 2

This battery charger is ignition protected
equipment, so it can be installed in areas
containing gasoline tanks or fittings which require
ignition-protected equipment. Nevertheless, Xantrex
recommends that it is safest not to install any kind of
electrical equipment including the Truecharge2 Battery
Charger in these areas.

The Truecharge2 Battery Charger should be installed as
close as possible to the batteries, but not in the same
compartment to prevent corrosion. Avoid excessive cable
lengths and use the recommended wire sizes. Xantrex
recommends installing with cables sized to achieve less
than 3% voltage drop on battery cables under full load.
This will maximize the performance of the charger."

 

[boatpoker]

Why not? How far away must they be separated?

As Mitiempo said "gassing". Batteries produce hydrogen gas when charging. Hydrogen is lighter than air, corrosive and explosive. Not a good thing to be feeding into your charger.