SELF-SOLDER-AND-SEAL BUTT CONNECTORS

In the October 2019 issue, reader Ed Dankievitch, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed chief engineer, questioned the use of self-solderand-seal electrical butt connectors (which we tested in the July/August issue), indicating that these connectors are not Coast Guard-approved for boats.

We checked the ABYC standards, and section E-9 indeed states: “Solder shall not be the sole means of mechanical connection in any circuit.” The standards specify pull tests for electrical connections based on wire size. For instance, 16-gauge AWG wire connections must handle a pull of 15 pounds, 10-gauge terminals must withstand 40 pounds.

Since the NTE self-solder butt connectors also have heat-shrink collars serving as another mechanical means of connection, we conducted pull tests to ascertain the strength of the heat-shrink collars only (to replicate a high-heat scenario in which the solder may melt), using 16 and 10 AWG marine wire.

Unfortunately, in this admittedly unscientific test, the NTE self-solder butt connectors failed to meet the ABYC standards. The 16-gauge connector pulled loose at 7 pounds; the 10-gauge connector pulled free at 17.5 pounds (both more than 50 percent below the standard). However, adding the solder connection increases the average breaking strength to 33 and 40 pounds, respectively.

As a control, we conducted the same pull test on conventional Ancor crimp-style butt connectors with heat-shrink collars. The 16-gauge failed at 42 pounds of pull on average, while the 10-gauge endured 90 pounds of pull without failing—both far exceeding the ABYC standard. Based on these results, we have pulled our original test of the NTE self-solderand-seal butt connectors from boatingmag.com, and we thank Ed for bringing this to our attention.

—Jim Hendricks