[RE-wrenches] Battery Cables

Matt Lafferty gilligan06 at gmail.com
Wed Mar 11 15:02:17 PDT 2009


Dick R wrote:

> His post reflects his concern for the integrity of our industry during
this period of rapid growth. 

Me too. 

That being said, since there was a question in the first place, I am glad
the question was asked before a "code crime" was committed. It is apparent
to me that Jeff B was at least aware that, somewhere along the way, he had
heard/read/seen that welding cable is not acceptable for battery cable. In
my opinion, he was right to ask the question. And the answer was provided.
This is a wonderful example of what this forum is about and why it exists. 

That being said, Bob-O is right about the comparison of the duty
requirements of welding cable vs. that of "listed" alternatives. Happens to
be one of Bob-O's pet peaves. He also provided a short version of why this
situation exists... Mfrs haven't tested for listing. Code requires listing
as a minimum criteria for acceptability. Just because a welding cable may be
functionally suitable, that does not mean it is "acceptable" under certain
circumstances, vis a vis, code compliant. This is another valuable aspect of
this list. The WISDOM which comes from knowledge of experience can be
shared. Wisdom does not come from a book. 

Regardless of our job title, we all have something left to learn. May we all
gain wisdom along the way.

Matt Lafferty
Mostly Retired Solar Janitor




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