Lighting wire question

[Pauli]

This should have a quick answer. Can I use copper wiring to wire the fans for my lights or do I have to find aluminum wire? I think that the retro kit I ordered uses Al wire but I need to wire the two fans that I am going to use for cooling the lights.

[fchidsey]

Copper wire will be fine just don't put it in the water.

[Pauli]

Originally Posted by fchidsey

just don't put it in the water.

Thanks, that kind of goes without saying, lol. I do not have a death wish.

[tdwyatt]

Originally Posted by fchidsey

Copper wire will be fine just don't put it in the water.

heh heh heh!


There is a poroduct called liquid tape that wilil prevent any of the connections you make from corroding due to salt spray. It comese in a multitude of colors, usually availiable ant Home Despot or any of the big box Home Improvement stores. Just wire up the setup, then brush on the stuff to any connections you make. I would recommend doing this over the open ends of connections using wire nuts especially to seal the connection to salt air

Warning: just because you use this stuff does not mean you CAN put the wires in the water...

[Junkzoo]

Ditto what Tom said. It's always a good idea to coat the connections with the Liquid Tape of what Tom speaks of, or silicone within whatever connection you make(compression butt splice,wire nut, or just plain ol twist em up n' tape)On most connections i prefer the wire nut method, w/ silicone added to the underside of the connection. this will curtail any corrosion to the connection, and if the two wires are of dissimilar metals, you could stand the chance of the connection getting a "crud" on it, from the two different metals. A lil silicone sealant on the exposed connection will stop it from going "green" on you, plus the chance of current tracking will be lessened.Just make sure your connections are good and secure, two different wire types can loosen up over time, due to the temp characteristics of the wire

[Loverotties]

Or use waterprof wire nuts(they have the silicone in thee caps aready!)