Is this electrical cable suitable for my boat?

[DeanS]

Greetings.

I'm thinking of buying this cable for my boat 220V runs to plugpoints.

 

It's flexible.

It's 1.5mm which will cope with all appliances.

I'll run individual runs to:

 

1. washer/drier

2. fridge/freezer/dishwasher

3. cooker fan

4. galley plugpoints.

5. saloon plugpoints. (tv)

6. 2 kids cabins

7. main bedroom.

 

Here's the ebay LINK and I'm thinking of buying 2 rolls. I'd prefer 3core cable to single wire runs.?

 

yes/no?

[Guest]

Greetings.

I'm thinking of buying this cable for my boat 220V runs to plugpoints.

 

It's flexible.

It's 1.5mm which will cope with all appliances.

I'll run individual runs to:

 

1. washer/drier

2. fridge/freezer/dishwasher

3. cooker fan

4. galley plugpoints.

5. saloon plugpoints. (tv)

6. 2 kids cabins

7. main bedroom.

 

Here's the ebay LINK and I'm thinking of buying 2 rolls. I'd prefer 3core cable to single wire runs.?

 

yes/no?

Depends what size MCB you are going to put behind the cables. If you use 16Amp breakers, from memory you are right on the edge of 1.5 sq mm cable. I have seen 13A MCb's but they are rare. 2.5 mm sq would be well above the 16Amp rating.

 

Edited to add 3 core is much better for the job. I used "Arctic" cable from Screwfix. Also you could just run a radial (or perhaps 2) circuit(s) in 2.5 mm and use less cable.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Guest

[steelaway]

Depends what size MCB you are going to put behind the cables. If you use 16Amp breakers, from memory you are right on the edge of 1.5 sq mm cable. I have seen 13A MCb's but they are rare. 2.5 mm sq would be well above the 16Amp rating.

 

Edited to add 3 core is much better for the job. I used "Arctic" cable from Screwfix. Also you could just run a radial (or perhaps 2) circuit(s) in 2.5 mm and use less cable.

 

 

 

Wot he said

 

To be safe and as the hook points are all 16A, use a 16A breaker and an ELCB

You don't have to make a ring circuit, just loop from one socket to the other.

See My link

 

Alex

[Phil Ambrose]

Go for 2.5 twin and earth, costs a bit more but safer than using 1.5 which is on the edge.

 

Phil

[DeanS]

2.5mm it is then. Many thanks all.

 

So would this 2.5mm 3core (arctic) be acceptable?

 

Ebay Link

[steelaway]

2.5mm it is then. Many thanks all.

 

So would this 2.5mm 3core (arctic) be acceptable?

 

Ebay Link

 

Perfect.

 

Alex

[DeanS]

Sorry to drag this thread on, but I've just found 2.5mm at Screwfix which will save me £12 on delivery from Ebay. Will this cable work in a boat....what do they mean when they say....!Specification...1 strand per core" ...does that mean its NOT good in boats or have I misunderstood.

 

Heres the Screwfix LINK

 

ETA...THIS ONE looks more like it...yellow, not blue artic...but looks ok SCREWFIX YELLOW ARTIC LINK

 

eta again... I'm confused now...Screwfix sell this one...also 2.5mm...also yellow arctic..but twice the price? I must be missing something. OTHER 2.5MM YELLOW FROM SCREWFIX AT TWICE THE PRICE?

Edited July 17, 2012 by DeanS

[Keith M]

2.5mm it is then. Many thanks all.

 

So would this 2.5mm 3core (arctic) be acceptable?

 

Ebay Link

 

Hello,

 

Personally I would use H07 RNF as it has to be made to BS 7919

Most of the Arctic Blue types cables conform to BS 6500 which is intended for for light duty applications

 

Keith

[RLWP]

That is the solid core stuff used in houses, which is what you don't want.

 

Naturally, most of Tawny Owl's 12v wiring is done in that and doesn't cause problems

 

Richard

[alan_fincher]

Go for 2.5 twin and earth, costs a bit more but safer than using 1.5 which is on the edge.

 

Phil

 

Sorry to drag this thread on, but I've just found 2.5mm at Screwfix which will save me £12 on delivery from Ebay. Will this cable work in a boat....what do they mean when they say....!Specification...1 strand per core" ...does that mean its NOT good in boats or have I misunderstood.

 

Heres the Screwfix LINK

Whilst the BSS doesn't actually disallow the use of solid drawn copper "Twin and Earth", it does advise very strongly that you should only use multi-stranded cables. (Solid cables are forbidden if it is not a private boat, so not allowed in the hire boat regs).

 

Most people would think use of domestic mains T&E cable, (which has a stiff solid single-stranded conductor for each wire), is a bad idea.

 

The popularly used solution is 2.5mm Artic cable, which is multi-stranded, and highly flexible, and I think it would be a false economy to try and save cash by using anything less.

[john6767]

Sorry to drag this thread on, but I've just found 2.5mm at Screwfix which will save me £12 on delivery from Ebay. Will this cable work in a boat....what do they mean when they say....!Specification...1 strand per core" ...does that mean its NOT good in boats or have I misunderstood.

 

Heres the Screwfix LINK

 

ETA...THIS ONE looks more like it...yellow, not blue artic...but looks ok SCREWFIX YELLOW ARTIC LINK

 

eta again... I'm confused now...Screwfix sell this one...also 2.5mm...also yellow arctic..but twice the price? I must be missing something. OTHER 2.5MM YELLOW FROM SCREWFIX AT TWICE THE PRICE?

 

I thought that yellow was to denote 110V and blue for 230V

 

 

 

[GUMPY]

I thought that yellow was to denote 110V and blue for 230V

Being really picky yellow is for 55-0-55v

Artic cable despite its name is NOT suitable for low temperatures.......

3G2.5H07RNF is the correct cable to use however its not cheap!

[churchward]

Being really picky yellow is for 55-0-55v

Artic cable despite its name is NOT suitable for low temperatures.......

3G2.5H07RNF is the correct cable to use however its not cheap!

I don't understand the spec for 16amp Arctic cable I have seen is that it is suitable down to -40c which is pretty damn cold!

[Tacet]

 

Most people would think use of domestic mains T&E cable, (which has a stiff solid single-stranded conductor for each wire), is a bad idea.

 

 

Whatever happened to 7029 etc?

[OldGoat]

Whatever happened to 7029 etc?

 

Much mourned - much easier to handle than the singlr strand stuff, but rated up to 50 (?) amps so costly and overkill....

 

 

 

WHy is everybody going for Artic, yes it'll do the job, but it's

a flexible cable for outdoor use. OTT for fixed and protected wiring (You're goung to put it in a duct aren't you...) I would have thought 2.5mm white stranded flex would be cheaper??

[jonathanA]

I don't understand the spec for 16amp Arctic cable I have seen is that it is suitable down to -40c which is pretty damn cold!

 

As the previous poster said the more expensive H07 cable is designed for heavy duty outdoor use, since on a Nb the cable is most likely in trunking or conduit then i can't see why there would be a need for h07, and the generally accepted practice is to use blue artic.

[BlueStringPudding]

So what exactly is the orange 240v cabling I have (not installed, it's just lying around in a bag) that has an outdoor shorepower type cylindrical socket at one end (like you see outside on boats and caravans) and 15m away at the other end has a three pin 240v socket? I assumed that was artic.

Does the orange colour of the outer sheathing denote anything about the cable's intended use?

[DHutch]

Personally I would use H07 RNF as it has to be made to BS 7919

Most of the Arctic Blue types cables conform to BS 6500 which is intended for for light duty applications

Seems over kill for wiring the boat. This is not cable for the hookup/shoreline we're talking about, although originally I too thought it was.

 

Our boat is wired in 'artic' but only because it was cheaper to buy a 100m roll, use half for in the boat, and half for the shoreline. Its also yellow not blue as it brighter to see on the ground... but with blue ceeforms on the end not yellow.

 

 

 

Daniel

[bottle]

So what exactly is the orange 240v cabling I have (not installed, it's just lying around in a bag) that has an outdoor shorepower type cylindrical socket at one end (like you see outside on boats and caravans) and 15m away at the other end has a three pin 240v socket? I assumed that was artic.

Does the orange colour of the outer sheathing denote anything about the cable's intended use?

 

It is probably a made up extension lead.

 

Have you checked the number of cores, it may only have two,

 

It could possibly be a lawn mower/ hedge trimmer lead that some one has doctored.

 

The outer covering maybe thick, the orange bit, this would denote its use as above.

 

I would advise against use until some who knows has a look at it.

[Paul C]

Colour of the outer sheathing is irrelevant on 240V (or any voltage, for that matter), its the inner ones where you'd want standardised colour coding (ie blue, brown, green/yellow or red, black, green, etc) so you can either buy a large reel of 1 colour of cable, or choose a logical colour scheme to indicate eg pre-RCD, inverter supplied, fixed items, sockets, etc

[BlueStringPudding]

It is probably a made up extension lead.

 

Have you checked the number of cores, it may only have two,

 

It could possibly be a lawn mower/ hedge trimmer lead that some one has doctored.

 

The outer covering maybe thick, the orange bit, this would denote its use as above.

 

I would advise against use until some who knows has a look at it.

 

My earlier post I wrote from the train on the way home. Having got home and checked it there's more to it than I thought. Outdoor plug and socket (I've unscrewed the plug end end (pic below of both ends) and its definitely 3 core.

 

The black three pin socket has been added to the outdoor socket end.

 

Still just an extension lead do we think, or summit that could be adapted and used for boat 240v?

 

Edited July 18, 2012 by BlueStringPudding

[Paul C]

My earlier post I wrote from the train on the way home. Having got home and checked it there's more to it than I thought. Outdoor plug and socket (I've unscrewed the plug end end (pic below of both ends) and its definitely 3 core.

 

The black three pin socket has been added to the outdoor socket end.

 

Still just an extension lead do we think, or summit that could be adapted and used for boat 240v?

 

 

That looks like quite a common little 'adapter', basically with your nice long (they tend to be very long!) thick shoreline hookup cable, you put one adapter on one end with a normal 3 pin plug (these are also useful for eg if you have a caravan or motorcaravan and want to plug it in at home), and the other end with the other socket and a normal 3 pin mains socket, and you have a very long, useful, normal extension lead. Since the cables cost quite a bit (£30-£50 is what I've seen them advertised for) its a handy adaption to have. Also means you can use shoreline and have a mains socket (but no RCB, etc etc) eg for plugging in a power tool and working on a boat.

[BlueStringPudding]

Could I use this as the main run for 240v and take several connections off it with other lengths of cable to standard 240v 3pin sockets?

[Paul C]

With the right connectors you could....

[BlueStringPudding]

Marvellous. That would save me a few bob