Hello Wrenches,
Thanks for the information
on the use of welding cable for connections to batteries. The ability
to amass data so rapidly clearly demonstrates the power of the Wrench
network.
I agree with Bob-O and Bob
Ellison that the acid test won't necessarily show if welding cable is
effective. At this point we can already say that it is effective
as battery cable, as evidenced by the thousands of installations that have
functioned without a hitch, with no reports of cable failure.
The logic of the experiment
is to expose cable insulation to a chemical environment far more acidic
than it would experience in operation. If a battery box were filled
with battery acid, I imagine that battery jumper failure would be the least
of one's worries. But exposure to battery acid is the one difference,
that I can think of, that would have an effect on cables in the vicinity of
battery banks. Since the majority of listed cables (and unlisted) are
of pure copper, the insulation would be the only variable.
Bob-O's idea of
doing an electrical test on the insulation after exposure to the acid is an
excellent one. Would a Megar be the right tool for the
job? It would certainly be overkill when trying to determine if
the cable is adequate for a low voltage system.
I don't know what will
happen to the insulation either, but I'd be surprised it the acid had much
effect on any of the cable. Battery acid comes in a plastic bag inside
of a cardboard box. But it will be interesting to see if any cables
are affected and to what degree.
Even if the insulation were
degraded by the acid, that might not matter much. Lineage 2000
batteries that were purchased for one installation came with bare copper bus
bars to connect the batteries. They worked fine.
The idea of the experiment
is to see if there is any rational whatever for the prohibition of welding
cable use, or the use of any other readily available cable. If we can
be certain that we have thought of and tested all the parameters, we can
proceed to make proposals for changes in the code.
If anyone has cable they
think should be tested, contact us to see if we already have a
specimen. If not, send it in and we will put it to the test.
Thanks again for the
help.
Drake Chamberlin
Don Wallingford