Forester Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I have the clip on type BUT when i unclasp it (red one) from the leisure batt it comes out of it's plastic holder>Can any one recommend one type that is stronger i could use.ps it is on my caravan.ps again A VERY MERRY XMAS TO ONE & ALL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Some of these are not very well made I agree but they do the job well enough and are easy to get on and off. Unless the terminal is likely to come into contact with metal the loss of the plastic cover is not that important as for years battery terminals never had covers anyway and we all survived! However with the cover off the terminal clip might fall apart as the cover is all that keeps some of then together. That said they are simple enough to reassemble. If you really don't like them you can always get replacements from Halfords or a motor factors and change them to bolt on types. I would suggest soldering them to the cables rather than rely on the screw contact terminals to avoid the risk of corrosion causing a poor connection. Happy Christmas to you too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Tracker, you probably will not bleieve me, but a properly clamped cable with screw terminals is actually more reliable than a soldered one, epecially for starter cables. Best cable connection though is a properly crimped one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Jon - your battery and electrical knowledge far exceeds my own purely experience based learnings so I bow, rather surprisedly I must admit, to your superior knowledge! I am still amazed that a screwed terminal is deemed better than a soldered termina! Would that be screwed onto bare cable or tinned cable to stop the strands spreading? I would always clean and screw the cable if screws are fitted and then solder the whole lot solid - or is that not a good idea? I have also been known to flood a crimped terminal on a sea fishing boat where I thought that it might help resist the ingress of salt laden condensation between the strands - was I wrong to do this? Answers on the back of a £10 note please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 bare cable. Tinning relaxes and the joint loosens and you are also back to having a high stress point in the cable outside the connector. What is good is to have crimped ferrule on the strands. This then protects the strands from the screw. For corrosion protection you can use waterproof grease, or grease such as used on battery terminals after the cable is clamped. It is important the terminal is suitabe for the size of cable used. A soldered joint results in a higher resistance joint. The potential difference across the solder can result in corrosion as will any residues of flux. People use tinned cable ends though as it is quick and easy, but certainly is not the best method, but in high volume production of cheap equipment is better than bare stripped wires where some strands may not always be inserted correctly and gripped by the screw. Hope this helps explain, albeit badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Very interesting Jon and I appreciate the explanation. Other contributors on here and in magazines have often stressed the importance of soldered joints on things like solar panel and extra battery installations and I am surprised - but not disbelieving - to read that this is not necessarily the best way to secure low resistance joints. I do note that on original installations soldered joints are rarely if ever present, but I had put this down to time and cost savings as crimping and/or screwing is significantly easier than soldering on many occasions! I must confess to being an ardent fan of my soldering iron and I just love to watch the solder flow into and around a well cleaned and prepared job! Oh well yet another long time pleasure bites the dust! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Thank you Jon & Rich a very interesting thread & one i will take on for what you have said, We will be going to a site in Blackpool in January so i will strip the cables & put it on a connector that has screw terminals.Many thanks for the info.Chops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 If the reason you have clips ons is to make disconecting battery easier each time you lay up the Caravan then might be worh considering a battery isolation switch. As it is probably low current you have a couple of options. A proper dedicated battery isolation switch (search for battery isolation switch) , or you could fit a mains wiring type 40 Amp switch. Most now are same size as a normal light switch but with a larger toggle and guts. Jon. edit - some of the typos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 This website may prove useful: http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Derek Uzzell - 2009-12-22 8:32 AM This website may prove useful: http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php[/quote] Thanks Derek,I have looked at the cut off switches & just one more question my leisure batt is 110 amps what cut off switch do i need (totally thick on electrics) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 It does not matter what capacity your battery is as it is the maximum current that it has to handle - both in and out - that determines what grade cable you need. These days the engine alternator seems to be limited to charging about 10 amps with the on board and any solar panels charging at even less generally. If you switch all your lights and pumps and gizmos on together - not very likely - you will probably again not be using a great deal more than 10 amps. I would use about 30 amp cable because the thicker the cable the less loss you get as the current passes through the cable and try to site the switch as close as you can to battery itself to keep cable runs as short as possible. Think of a battery as a being like a water tank! If you only have half inch tube running in and out your water flow will be less than if you used one inch tube, and the longer the tubes the more friction and the less water will flow. Hope that helps! PS - I'm no expert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Forester If you plan to regularly disconnect your leisure battery physically from your caravan's electrical system (eg. so that you can remove the battery from the caravan while it is over-wintering), then there seems little point fitting a separate isolator switch. If you just want to isolate the battery from the caravan's electrical system to prevent any chance that it can discharge, then the "Disconnect Battery Terminal" shown on the bottom of the following web-page should do the job. http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/battconns/battclamps.php Me, I'd just replace your present dodgy clip-on connectors with good quality ones of the type shown on the same web-page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 What Derek says makes a lot of sense, be a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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