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Making future wiring easier



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What is the issue?
Running wires throughout a vessel is a challenge. The individual paths have to be routed one by one through bulkheads and around multiple objects.

Why address this?
Unexpected new pieces of electronic equipment constantly emerge to make sailing life easier and more pleasurable. It makes sense to facilitate the future implementation of unexpected technologies or the replacement of current systems in different layouts.

How to address this?
Plan for unexpected future electrical appliances by implementing wiring conduits throughout the vessel that caters for current wiring arrangements and for those of the future.

Flexible Polyethylene Corrugated Split Tubing or Convoluted Split Loom is the economical and lightweight solution for most light to medium duty, cord and wiring organizational issues. They provide a durable conduit or covering for wiring and cabling systems. Available in many sizes and colours the low-density polyethene provides easy access and tidies unruly cables throughout the vessel.

The tubes also absorb light to medium impacts and help to prevent delicate cables from being cut, crushed, and any damaged from wear and deterioration. Split tubing makes it easy to add or remove cables one at a time or in bulk with or without a wiring tool. As an alternative, if 'split tubing' is unavailable, plastic domestic waste pipes make excellent conduits.

In operation, it is always best to leave a 'cable mouse' at each end of the conduit. This is basically a messenger cord that runs the full length of the piping. When a new cable line needs to be run through the conduit, tie one end of the cable, plus a new messenger line, to the mouse and pull it through at the other end. When it is pulled through, you then trim the cable to the required length and the new messenger cord is left, ready to assist any other cable that might be needed in the future. A generous tail of about 35 cm, or a foot, should be left at each end of the conduit and ideally, each end should be tied off to a stopper that is larger than the internal diameter of the conduit to prevent the mouse being accidentally pulled in.

Finally, when cutting the cable it is always best to leave a length of cable doubled back within the conduit. When you want to re-access the cable in the future this leaves plenty of spare to pullout and leaves open the option of relocating whatever it is that you're attaching it to should you need to.

With thanks to:
Michael Harpur, Yacht Obsession.




Split Loom with Feed Master Tool


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