BATTERY CABLE EXTENSION

In this no-no, the boat owner needed longer main-battery cables to reach from the engine to the battery compartment, but chose poorly in solving the problem. He cut two OEM cables and spliced them together with copper crimp connectors, sealing the slices with two layers of heat-shrink tubing. However, moisture and salt took their toll, and nine years later, the splices under the tubing were caked with the green crud of corrosion. Stripping away the insulation revealed copper filaments that had turned black and brittle for several feet in both directions and refused to carry enough current to crank the engine. A better solution would have been to use a high-amperage power-post connector such as the Blue Sea Systems Dual PowerPost ($19.99, westmarine.com) to connect the main conductors to the extensions. The best solution would have been one continuous cable, but in either case, make sure the cable size can carry the required amperage load. You might need to increase the cable diameter to prevent a voltage drop and a spike in amp load based on the greater length of the conductors.