Victory charger cable size

[Ploos1]

Hoping someone will help ...... I have just bought a Victron 15 amp battery charger and it has arrived with no cables to connect to the battery bank. What size cables do I need and are crocodile clips the means to attach to the battery? How do you size electrical cable?

Many thanks in anticipation.

[WotEver]

4mm² or better still 6mm² would be ideal. You must NOT use croc clips, the cables must be connected by crimped ring terminals. The positive wire should be fused at 20A, with the fuse close to but not inside the battery box.
 

Any boat yard (and some chandlers) should be able to supply you with the fuse and the cable fitted with appropriate terminals. 

12V cable size is generally selected based on voltage drop. There are a few calculators around to save you doing the maths, one here at the bottom of this page:

https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/cable-sizing-selection.html

[Ploos1]

Thank you so much ....... everything I need to know in one post! Will trawl the boat yards/ chandlers to find what I need.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Just now, Ploos1 said:

Thank you so much ....... everything I need to know in one post! Will trawl the boat yards/ chandlers to find what I need.

Just as a double check. How far away from the batteries is the charger going to be? If more than two, or three metres, the cable sizing may need increasing.

[Ploos1]

Only about 1 metre so will follow the advice and use 6mm cable.

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, Ploos1 said:

Only about 1 metre 

Run a piece of string along the route that the cable will take, considering how you will secure it (clips, ties etc) and then measure the string. You might be surprised

[Ploos1]

I am always up for a surprise! You will no doubt be right and it will need a longer cable than I first thought. Would 6 mm cable still be ok for a longer run? 

[WotEver]

13 minutes ago, Ploos1 said:

I am always up for a surprise! You will no doubt be right and it will need a longer cable than I first thought. Would 6 mm cable still be ok for a longer run? 

Yes, it’ll be fine up to 3m or so. 

[Ploos1]

Thank you once again.