Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

[linesider2]

I?ve got a question I?m hoping you all can help me with. I?m starting to wire my jon boat and I plan to use 16 gauge marine wire for the fish finder, running and anchor lights. Each of these three have smaller than 16 gauge wire to connect to. I believe it?s either 20 or 22 gauge. I just bought some butt connectors rated for 16-14 gauge because of the wire I bought. Do you think the 20 or 22 gauge wires coming from these items will crimp sufficiently if I use the 16-14 gauge connectors. I didn?t even think about this issue of course until I started the work. Any help will be appreciated. BTW, I didn?t buy the heat shrink butt connectors either so I'm going to buy new connectors anyway.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

How about folding the thinner wire double and then putting it into the crimp connector.

Not that I've ever done such a thing.

 

[HONKER1]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

Never done it this way, but w3ith marine heat shrink it may work.
http://www.mmxpress.com/technical/connections.htm

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

soldering and heat shrink is the most reliable connection. The butt splices will work but still need heat shrink to keep moisture out.

 

[jlinder]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

Remember that your fuse protection for that circuit needs to be based on the smaller wire. You protect based on the weakest link

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

Remember that your fuse protection for that circuit needs to be based on the smaller wire. You protect based on the weakest link

Actually you fuse based on the load, not the wire size. As an example, you can wire a fishfinder with 10ga wire and it would work just fine. The wire is rated to carry 30A but the fishfinder should be fused at about 2A.

As for the OP question, strip the wire extra long then fold the stripped portion back on itself in half and twist them together. The resulting wire diameter will crimp just fine in the larger butt connector.

 

[jlinder]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

Actually you fuse based on the load, not the wire size. As an example, you can wire a fishfinder with 10ga wire and it would work just fine. The wire is rated to carry 30A but the fishfinder should be fused at about 2A.

As for the OP question, strip the wire extra long then fold the stripped portion back on itself in half and twist them together. The resulting wire diameter will crimp just fine in the larger butt connector.

Exactly my point. You fuse for the weakest link. In this case the fishfinder is the weakest link at 2A, not the wire @ 30A.

You are fusing for what the circuit components can handle, not the load.

 

[shrew]

Re: Question About Connecting Smaller wire to Larger Wire

you could do a couple of things:

1) Install a postive bus bar and use ring connectors appropriately sized for each wire, then run a larger positive to the bus bar and connect the various devices to the bus bar as well.

2) You could use a "step-Down Butt connector" (You should still shrink tube the butt connector if it is not the heat shrink type of connector:

http://www.marinco.com/product/step-down-butt-connectors-vinyl-insulated

I've been frequently told to use a crimp connections are the recommended way to go over solder in a marine envorinment. If done properly they are bullet-proof.

Just my .02.