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Used welding cable - Worth It?

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Teken

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As many of you may know I have several projects on the go. :willy_nil As each project starts and ends there are always the (small) things that increase the cost of said projects.

One of the major costs is cable . . . :sad:

I have decided to use welding cable in various gauges due to the fact these cable are rated for 600 volts, have high wear resistance, and can withstand extreme hot / cold while staying extremely flexible.

They are chemical, UV, etc etc stable . . .

Now, because I am using 1/0, 2/0, 4/0 cable the cost is extremely huge! :shocking: I don't consider myself a snob in any sense and for what ever reason have never considered or thought about using anything used for new projects unless its something I know was taken care of, or can suite the purpose with out fault.

Now my on line shopping has proven that welding cable regardless of the brand is extremely expensive in the sizes I have indicated above. On a few sites I have been able to find used 25', 50', 100' lengths of cable for 1/8 of the price. :drool:

Is there anything wrong in purchasing used welding cable??

Teken . . .
 
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rockwithjason

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i don't see a problem as long as you can read the ratings printed on the cable and the insulation is in good shape.
 
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Teken

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rockwithjason said:
i don't see a problem as long as you can read the ratings printed on the cable and the insulation is in good shape.
Click to expand...

All of the cable is clearly stated as to the rating and wire size. If in doubt I will surely have the sellers confirm via photo's etc.

Dale B said:
+1, I used to make battery cables with it regularly.....
Click to expand...

This is one of many *mini* projects that I intend to use these cables for.

sberry said:
Using this on AC ? There are some places its prohibited?
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The cables will be used for DC only applications. Primarily to connect banks of batteries, inverters, chargers, and various other DC loads.

Teken . . .
 
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rlitman

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Generally, welding cable is sold used, when the insulation is damaged. OSHA does not allow repairs of welding cables used on jobsites. Thankfully, this does not apply to you.
Also, the lengths available may not be to your liking. If you need shorter pieces, it may be a great deal. Especially if you can splice or cut around damaged parts.

Look into marine grade heat shrink tubing to repair the insulation if you need to.
 
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BFBOB

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There's a class of wire called "portable cordage" that is not allowed to be installed permanently, even though it has the right voltage ratings and gauge. Extension cords are made of it, and are not allowed to be permanently installed - most common violation is draping it over a dropped ceiling to get to the other side of the room. It'll get ya dinged if an inspector catches you. I'm sure it's all buried in the Code - SJ is one type I seem to recall is in this class. I'm not an electrician, but I've seen inspectors reject this stuff.
 
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Teken

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rlitman said:
Generally, welding cable is sold used, when the insulation is damaged. OSHA does not allow repairs of welding cables used on jobsites. Thankfully, this does not apply to you.
Also, the lengths available may not be to your liking. If you need shorter pieces, it may be a great deal. Especially if you can splice or cut around damaged parts.

Look into marine grade heat shrink tubing to repair the insulation if you need to.
Click to expand...

BFBOB said:
There's a class of wire called "portable cordage" that is not allowed to be installed permanently, even though it has the right voltage ratings and gauge. Extension cords are made of it, and are not allowed to be permanently installed - most common violation is draping it over a dropped ceiling to get to the other side of the room. It'll get ya dinged if an inspector catches you. I'm sure it's all buried in the Code - SJ is one type I seem to recall is in this class. I'm not an electrician, but I've seen inspectors reject this stuff.
Click to expand...

Duly noted and thank you both! :beer:

Teken . . .
 
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frankush

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One last thing. This is something I learned many years ago. Welding cale is NOT rated for continuous use. We were doing large installs between UPS battery cabinets and this question was brought to the suppliers attention. If you need the flexibility that welding cable offers, try diesel locomotive cable. That IS rated for continuous use.
 
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RM209

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I've got some wleding cables, and also looked at a lot when making some purchases. My experience has been that much of the load and any corrosion appears to be in the first and last foot of the cable. It might be worth trimming off those pieces when you are preparing to use it on your projects.

RM209
 
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rlitman

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frankush said:
One last thing. This is something I learned many years ago. Welding cale is NOT rated for continuous use. We were doing large installs between UPS battery cabinets and this question was brought to the suppliers attention. If you need the flexibility that welding cable offers, try diesel locomotive cable. That IS rated for continuous use.
Click to expand...

This is complete BS. Cable has a temperature rating, and a copper gauge (or MCM). After that, it is up to the user to determine the duty cycle. There are charts to figure this out (my electrician has an app he really likes for this).

Anyway, NEC isn't going to apply to this project's battery connections (unless he has say a 540V battery bus with lots of batteries in series, like I have at work). With solar, he is probably all working at 12V anyway.

The biggest issue I can think of, is oxidation. Welding cable has a LOT of strands, and that leaves a lot of room for water to wick up between them, and damage them mid-cable. Or a lot of room for oxygen to do damage if they're overheated. If you cannot get to clean copper, you cannot make a good crimped connection. If the ends look good, the middle probably is. If not, you may discover after cutting back a bunch, that the whole cable is going back home to the scrap yard.
 
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frankush

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mopho

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Teken

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I appreciate everyone's input on the duty cycle. Rest assured that the system I am building is designed and over built. I will not see, or exceed 100 amp continuous in any of my applications.

Using 1/0, 2/0, 4/0 cable is far above my actual needs. Currently I am doing the math for the minimum wire size for the actual current draw for all units. From there I am increasing it to allow 3 times the current ability to ensure long term use, changes in load, and flexibility to run further with out voltage drops.

Teken . . .
 
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madosta

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I've looked at this thread probably 7 times today and this time I came here thinking it said "Used welding table - ... ugh my job *****.

Table, cable, label! Bah!!!
 
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