[RE-wrenches] Battery cable crimper
RE Ellison
reellison at gmail.com
Fri May 2 00:49:13 PDT 2014
>From conversations with Quick Cable their crimper it tested to produce a
"legal" crimp only with the cast copper lugs, not the thin copper lugs
pictured below.
It is probably in their catalog somewhere,
Later,
Bob Ellison
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Ray Walters
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 1:43 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery cable crimper
Hi Glenn;
Quick Cable that provides the UL listed cables and lugs, also sells this
tool for those lugs. I don't know about UL testing, etc. Is the inspector
actually asking to see the tool? The Greenlee tool that makes the same
type crimp is definitely good stuff. However, there is no substitute for
good craftsmanship. A lot of equipment with UL listings is junk, so UL by
itself is no guarantee of quality or safety. I think we can all dig
around our household for more examples of inferior products sporting the UL
emblem. (Consider those 39 cent AC receptacles that break plastic off
around the ground opening, the first time you plug something into them, or
later, allow plugs to fall half out of the receptacle, because they've lost
their "spring".)
Like any tool, the hammer crimper can be misused. The biggest problem I've
seen is folks not stripping enough insulation off the cable, and so not
enough copper goes past the crimp into the lug. These failed the "pull"
test. We once had to redo a whole battery bank of crimps because the
previous installer had not stripped enough insulation off. See below:
THHN Stiff Class B wire, and Corrosion don't help either. Believe it or
not, that lug cleaned up nicely once soaked in baking soda water for 1/2 hr.
R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760
On 5/1/2014 5:42 PM, Glenn Burt wrote:
But does it make a listed crimp?
Are any lug manufacturers accepting it as a tool that will meet their
requirements for a certifiable crimp?
I did a lot of research on cables, stranding and manufacturers methods and
tools used to make crimps a few years ago (posted to list in '09 & 10). The
ones I looked at only certified their products (lugs) when used with
specified tools.
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Solar
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2014 9:12 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Battery cable crimper
>From what I'm hearing I think may go with a hammer crimper. Being able to
crimp in a box might be handy, but it sounds like the quality of the crimps
produced by the hammer crimper is where it's at.
Maybe a hammer and a long handle?!
Thanks!
Jesse
RE-Power
Sent from my iPhone
On May 1, 2014, at 1:08 AM, Ray Walters <ray at solarray.com> wrote:
Here's all the battery lug crimpers I tried over the years in order of the
best to worst connections they produced:
<bdbagfhj.jpg>
Yes, believe it or not: the venerable Hammer crimper makes excellent
connections. Its also Cheap, but its Slow, cumbersome, and can't be used in
a J box.
The V and indent connection with the thin wall lugs makes the ideal battery
and DC connections. They look just like the crimps from Outback, Trace,
Midnite,etc. I've cut them open on a band saw, and the fine strands are
practically fused together into an almost solid cross section of copper with
no voids, but no tearing of strands at the edges either.
This crimper goes out on most jobs, as it fits in the bottom of the tool
box.
<fhibhicd.jpg>
The Greenlee indentor crimper makes the same V crimp connection as the
hammer crimper, but is faster, and can be used up in a j box. More
expensive, and adjuster readings can't be counted on. I tighten the
adjuster until I can just pull the handle down with putting some body weight
into it, but not so much that I'm standing on it or straining the tool.
Depending on the cable and lug combination, the setting may be 2 sizes
smaller with thin wall lugs.
Overall, this is what we use most of the time. I found that this set in a
drill vice makes a good bench crimper, when you need to do a batch of
battery jumpers.
<fcafcjdi.jpg>
I used this one for many years, also a V crimper, but has different dies.
Crimp quality was not as good, as the dies tore into the lug some. Also
changing the dies took time, and we once lost one of the dies, and it took
months to get a replacement. Not adjustable for different lug and cable
combos.
<bfdddceg.jpg>
The "UL" Hex type crimper that you will find at regular electrical supply
houses. Quite expensive, but I am not a fan. The dies bend slightly under
pressure and so the hex crimps are not aligned with each other. The dies
tear the lugs, leaving sharp edges that can tear heat shrink, and there is
no adjustment available to account for different cable and lug combinations.
We have X flex from Cobra, MTW from Quick Cable, and some DLO from another
supplier. All are UL listed 4/0 and all somewhat different in diam. and how
the strands crush. I have had a connection failure with this tool, and
cutting through a cross section of the lug was not as solid a crimp as the V
type. I removed this tool from our shop, to avoid mistakes.
I'm sure with regular Class B stranded THHN, and the heavy wall, color coded
lugs, that this is a good tool, but for battery connections, it does not
work as well with thin wall lugs.
Finally, I do not recommend the heavy wall, long barrel lugs on batteries.
The square lug end is just too big and thick, and can't bolt to battery
terminals in some cases. We have had to grind away a corner for instance to
have the heavy wall lugs land on an battery Flag terminal.
The heavy terminals some what negate the advantages of flex cable in the
first place.
R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760
On 4/30/2014 7:33 PM, Solar wrote:
I'd love a battery crimper, but a little out of my price range.
I think a hand crimper will do.
Jesse
Sent from my iPhone
On Apr 30, 2014, at 1:42 PM, Jerry Shafer <jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com> wrote:
hydraulic or long handle bog difference in price
On Apr 30, 2014 8:32 AM, "Solar" <dahlsolar at gmail.com> wrote:
Hello all,
I am looking for recommendations for a battery cable crimper. I'd love to
get one with the dies built in, but the ones I've looked at are only for
non-fine strand wire.
Suggestions?
Thanks!
Jesse
Sent from my iPhone
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