The Benefits of Copper Electrical Wire Over Aluminum

Did you know that copper electrical wire is always a better choice over aluminum cables? A lot of commercial and industrial facilities use copper wires because they are not only reliable when it comes to electrical conduction but they are also the most effective type of cable when it comes to ampacity advantage. Compared to aluminum cables, copper wires require quick and easy installation, are corrosion-resistant, and available at a low cost. The following information you will read below will discuss deeply the mentioned advantages of copper wires over aluminum and why it should also be your first choice for your upcoming project.

Copper Wires Require Easy Installation

Usually, copper cables have smaller diameters and armor and in many cases smaller jacketing too compared to aluminum. And since they are smaller in size, they are a lot more flexible, which means it would only require you very minimal effort when it comes to twisting and bending cables during your installation. Compared to aluminum, which are often bulky in size, transportation of copper wires to your working site is also a lot easier.

Copper Wires Are Resistant To Corrosion

The primary concern of a contractor is to always find a type of material that will last for a long time. In many cases, whenever available, they would opt for construction materials that are resistant to water, weather, fire, oil, etc. Copper wires are very popular among contractors and homeowners because they are corrosion resistant. It means that compared to aluminum wires, they don’t corrode easily when moisture is present. Copper electrical wire’s resistance to corrosion is really strong that is why when it comes to long life, they are the most preferred type of wires. Furthermore, copper wires do not need special protection like what aluminum wires require. Copper wires when exposed to moisture or water do not result to serious corrosion. This is actually the main reason why in many cases, copper wires are used in fire pump circuits, fire alarms, and other equipment or applications that may be related to water and moisture.

Copper Wires Are Affordable

Of course, you would agree that in determining the cost of wires it does not only refer to the price of the wire itself but also its installation, maintenance, or replacement and repairs whenever needed. However, it appears from a large number of electricians and the like that copper wires may be expensive when referring to price tag but considering aluminum wires’ complex installation requirements and the fact that they are more prone to failure and damage, a lot of these contractors conclude that spending a little more on copper wires is worth it.

Remember, copper electrical wire is popular among contactors and electricians since they possess high electrical conductivity. And since wires are associated with electricity, you have to take extra caution on choosing your type of cables and who will install them especially if it will be for home use. Best advice for you to take is to get help from reliable electrical contractors and let them know your wiring concerns before you embark on your home or business wiring project.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 344-8400

Our Electrical Wire and Cable Website is Growing!

At WesBell Electronics we’re very excited to see the growth of our website in the tough 2011 economy. Our website offers electrical wire and cable for sale online and many more products that we offer that need to be ordered over the phone. It’s hard to keep updated pricing on copper wire because it changes every day. So we only keep our popular items available to buy as we work on procedures to get more items listed.

As more and more people visit our website we’re starting to see trends and percentages that are helping us move forward. If we get 1000 visitors we’ll see a certain amount of phone calls, orders placed online and orders placed over the phone. Based on that data, if visits increase 10 times then everything else should follow accordingly. That way we can put a budget on how much to spend to get our website to the next level.

Not only do we want to increase the visitors to our website, but we also want to increase the conversion rate to an order. So we started to offer free shipping on orders over $250 and exact cut lengths for electrical contractors and home owners who have no need for a 500 foot spool of copper wire. Like most sales people, we don’t like to say the word “no” to anyone that calls and needs a somthing specific so work as hard as we can to avoid it.

Our web design team has been working hard on the layout of our website to make it much easier to navigate for those who have a tough time using the internet and computers in general. We use the keywords that we promote so that it’s easy, once you arrive, to find what you’re looking for.

We have many pages on our website that reference welding cable and strongly promote it throughout the search engines. That puts us near the top of a search when someone types in the phrase “Welding Cable”. We aren’t going to change the term welding cable to the manufactures part number once you get to our website because we know it would be difficult for you to find.  

We appreciate any feedback you might have on our website or our products because we’ll use that information to figure out how to make your experience better. As an ISO 9001 certified company we must follow strict procedures to comply with the their standards. It assures our customers that we handle things the right way and take the neccessary steps to fix something that might go wrong. Not only do we want to avoid a similar mistake, but need to take action in order to be compliant with the ISO standards.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Romex and UFB Electrical Wire Pricing Lowered!

Since copper is a daily fluctuating commodity we must keep up to date on our copper wire and cable pricing. Over the last month alone copper rose above $4.20 per pound, came back down to $3.20 per pound and has settled in the last few days around $3.60 per pound.

When buying and selling copper electrical wire such as Romex® and UFB underground cable we have to watch the pricing very carefully because the amount of copper in each conductor can drastically change the price. When copper goes down we have to lower our pricing in order to compete with other wire and cable distributors and when pricing goes up we have to increase our pricing so that we don’t lose money on orders.

With that being said, over the last few days WesBell has lowered all pricing on copper wire and cable in order to show our customers we’re honest and not trying to make “extra money” while copper is decreasing. We’ve heard many stories from our customers that their electrical wire vendor increased pricing when copper was high but didn’t decrease pricing when copper lowered.

We like to keep our customers informed of when copper is increasing and decreasing by showing them on our website. We keep the last 3 years worth of copper pricing online so that when you buy something that you haven’t bought in over a year you can see exactly why there was a price increase or decrease.

The last thing we want to hear is that our pricing is 10% higher than our competitor because we work hard to please our customers in every way and a higher price can give a potential customer a bad impression of our entire company. We stay on top of copper, stay current on pricing, offer free shipping on orders over $250, ship from the tax free state of NH, offer exact cut lengths and stand by our on time delivery as one of our top 3 ISO9001 quality objectives.

As an ISO9001 company we analyze, and document, everything that goes wrong, discuss it, and implement a new procedure to be sure that it can’t happen again. Being an ISO certified company is so much more than “extra paperwork”. It forces companies to do the right thing, take the right steps forward and to, not only look for new customers, but to take a step back and be sure you’re pleasing your current customers even more.

People talk about money multiple times a day so we know how important our wire and cable pricing is to our customers. We look at other websites pricing before uploading ours so that we know we’re competitive. If we’re not please let us know!

Please call if you have and questions or comments about our website.

WesBell Electronics, Inc
(800) 334-8400

Why Do We Blog So Much? It’s Just Electrical Wire and Cable

Some of our customers follow our wire and cable blog by getting a copy of each post sent to their email which makes them wonder why we spend so much time blogging. Blogging does many things across the internet that benefit your website when written, tagged and linked properly. 

Writing a blog post about your products or services will “add a page” to your website with more content discussing your business. If our website only had 5 pages with content about “electrical wire” but our competitor had 100 pages about “electrical wire” who do you think Google would pick up on first when someone did a search for the phrase “electrical wire“? Trust me, I understand that Google is much more complex than that but there are basics to follow if you want to show up for the keywords and phrases that match your products.

Blogging is a great way to show your customers that you understand the products you’re selling by writing technical information about each one. This will keep customers calling to ask questions which turn into orders and long term happy customers.

The correct way to blog is to naturally discuss the product you have without spamming. Spamming is when your post doesn’t make sense because you’re trying to add in so many keywords. Google doesn’t want their searchers finding spam websites because they’ll eventually hold a grudge against Google rather than just the website. 

Whenever the keyword happens to be in a sentence you’re writing then highlight the phrase and link it to the page of your website with the product you’re discussing. That way a visitor can click on it and go directly to the page they want more information on and Google sees an organized blog discussing a product on their website and linking directly to it.

Take a look at it from Google’s eyes and understand they want the most relevant, popular website to show up for their customers. When you type in “electrical wire” you want the very first page to have exactly what you’re looking for right? Well so does Google. Sometimes people find a way in through the back door, but Google is much smarter than pretty much everyone in the world so be sure to stay on their good side.

Once you’re a customer of ours we can help you with your website as well. Just ask us questions and we’ll lead you in the right direction to get more visitors which will turn into more orders.

Please give us a call if you have any questions about our website, products or services. We’d be glad to help.

WesBell Electronics, Inc
(800) 334-8400

Welding Cable Pricing and Specifications

We’ve been buying and selling welding cable for over 20 years and learning a lot about it along the way. There are two main types of welding cable and many similar types of flexible single conductor power cables.

Welding cable is manufactured as a single conductor wire only and usually comes in black or red. If you need a different color then most manufacturers will make it with a minimum run quantity. The second type of welding cable is much stronger, more flexible and only comes in the color orange.

It’s most commonly used on welders and power supply applications needing a 600 volt single conductor cable. It’s made with flexible 30 awg copper strands making it much more flexible than THHN electrical wire. It also has a rubber EPDM insulation which is more flexible and durable than THHN as well.

This basic welding cable comes in black or red and has a high temperature rating of 105°C. It’s rated for 600 volts and the amps for each gauge size are listed on our website to help you understand which size you need for your particular application. The sizes range from 6 awg to 500 mcm with each larger size carrying more power than the last.

The 6 awg is the smallest carrying about 75 AMPS and weighing 140 pounds per 1000 feet. THHN wire is a single conductor electrical wire and only weighs 98 pounds per 1000 feet which means the PVC insulation is much lighter than the rubber insulation because they both have the same amount of copper in them. The 500 mcm welding cable carries 695 AMPS and weighs 1960 pounds per 1000 feet. The rest of the awg sizes range in between those giving a wide range of power options.

Welding cable costs more than electrical wire because it has the rubber jacket that can withstand higher impact and a higher temperature rating. It also has more flexible copper strands that are more difficult to manufacture. THHN 6 awg has 19 strands which makes it a stiff conductor in order to push it through conduit much easier. Welding cable 6 awg has 259 strands making it more flexible to move around with the welder and coil up easily when you’re finished.

We cut each size of THHN and welding cable by the foot so that you can buy whatever you need for the job you’re doing. We also offer free shipping on orders over $250 and ship from the tax free state of New Hampshire which should each help you save money on each job.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

When Should I Buy Copper Electrical Wire?

If you have time wait before buying your copper electrical wire it might be wise to do some research first because you could save a lot of money. The price of copper goes up and down every day just like stocks or real estate which means buying at the right time saves you money.

In October 2011 copper has taken a downward turn for the first time in over a year. Since distributors and manufactures of copper wire seem to increase pricing very quickly as copper rises, consumers expect the same when copper is dropping in price. That seems like the fair way to handle it, but in this money hungry world everyone wants to get there hands on every last dime they can.

You can really start to understand your copper wire distributor during these times because it’s an easy way to find out if they’re being honest or not. We get a lot of phone calls from our website asking for pricing and we’ve heard comments from them saying their current distributor isn’t lowering their pricing at all even though copper has dropped over a $1.00 per pound.

Two things can happen from that scenario depending on the price we give them. The first thing that could happen is we could give them a much lower price and prove to them that their current wire and cable distributor is taking advantage of them. The second thing that could happen is we might give them the same pricing they’re currently getting which means the manufacturers probably haven’t lowered their pricing yet either.

So When Should You Buy Your Copper Electrical Wire?

No one can tell you exactly when to buy copper because it might lower tomorrow and give you a better price. On the other hand copper could go up which might raise your price so when is the right time? The key is to research a little bit more, make more phone calls and figure out who’s honest about their pricing and gives you the best price every time.

If time is an issue then you don’t have much of a choice about how much you’ll pay for the type of wire or cable you need because you’ll probably get similar pricing with each distributor you call. Quantity is also a good way to get distributors and manufacturers to lower their pricing because a bigger order is much more enticing to them.

We can do all of the extras for free here at WesBell. We cut electrical wire to any length you need without minimums, offer free shipping on orders over $250 and ship from the tax free state of New Hampshire saving you money on things besides just the cost of copper wire.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Electrical and Electronic Wire Products Navigation

We decided to change the navigation on our website to better group each type of electrical and electronic wire by keyword for our customers and visitors. We know it will help our customers find what they’re looking for much faster based on how they search for wire and cable.

Before anyone gets to our wire and cable distribution website they must first type a phrase into the search engine. Once the searcher visits our website we can see the phrase that was entered into the search engine, which we then analyze, and alter our website accordingly.

If we get 100 visits based on the term “electrical wire” being typed in then we need to make sure they land on a page with multiple electrical wire items available so that they find what they need as quick as possible. We analyzed each landing page of our website so that we could offer all the products that our visitors are looking for.

We also reworked the side bar product listings because we’ve been adding more products to our website and need to organize it better. Each product is listed based on its keyword rather than our part number to allow our visitors to easily find what they need.

We’ve also added more pictures so that it reassures our customers that they’re buying the correct product online. Sometimes it can be hard to realize you’re buying the right type of electrical wire online because all you can see is the vender part number and about a million different products to choose from.

When you’re on WesBell’s website you’ll find that every page is unique and specific to one item only. You’ll be able to see all of the spcifications, approvals and guage sizes of that type of wire or cable. Please call when you have any questions because we openly give out our phone number instead of hiding it in one of the back pages.

Electrical wire is the biggest product listing on our website including Romex®, UFB, SER, SEU, THHN and MC wire and cable. Each type of electrical wire has similar characteristics and most commonly used in the electrical field carrying current from your electrical panel to all of the lights, outlets and appliances in your home. Bigger awg sizes of electrical wire are used to carry current from the street to your electrical box, which is then distributed throughout your home with smaller types of wire and cable.

Electronic wire and cable includes hook up wire, high temperature wire, multiconductor cables, fire alarm cable, shielded and unshielded cables. Electronic cables are used mostly with indoor electronics such as stereos and appliances. When you take off the back panel of anything electronic you’ll see wires harnesses and cables that need to each have specifications to meet for that application.

Some electronic cables can be basic PVC / PVC cables, some need higher voltage, some need a shield, some need higher temperature and some need to be more flexible than others in order to be approved for that application. These are the types of keywords we like to list our products under because our customers don’t know our part numbers or the manufacturers part numbers. All they know is that they want a “high temperature cable with 3 conductors and a shield” so we list our products accordingly.

Take a walk through our website to see the difference because you’ll find it’s much easier to use than other wire and cable websites that list their products by their own part number. Call us if you have any questions so that we can help make sure you have the best type of wire or cable for your application at the cheapest price possible.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Copper Pricing Is Going Down?!

Over the last few days, near the end of September 2011, copper has been volatile to say the least. It’s been from $4.00/lb down to $3.20/lb and today it’s back up to $3.50/lb. We can’t predict what’s going to happen to copper over the next week, month or year but we can help you understand the pricing as it is today.

When copper goes up it seems like pricing changes very fast so it’s important to check competition to keep everyone honest before buying any type of copper electrical wire. However, when copper is going down it doesn’t seem to adjust as fast because of how far into the process the copper already is.

If copper drops $1.00 per pound in one day I highly doubt manufacturers or distributors are going to immediately start selling all of their wire and cable at a loss. Copper is bought by the manufacture, then spends about 4-5 weeks in manufacuring to be sold to a distributor who stocks and sells it in smaller quantity.

That’s about 6 weeks worth of time for that particular copper wire to change pricing up and down nevermind one day. So now that copper has taken a down turn how long will it take to really adjust to the new pricing? Probably slightly less than the 6 week cycle because the manufacturers want to rid of their current stock before charging lower pricing for what they have.

Buying a stock on the NYSE low and selling high is the same thought process for a distributor who buys copper and sells it over time. They like to buy low and sell high whenever possible but predicting that process is impossible. Offering your customer the lowest price all the time is a great thing to be able to do, but it’s not always that easy.

In the business world, companies like Home Depot get better pricing on plywood than a small contractor because their volume is so much higher. In the wire and cable world the big guys get better tear pricing, however if they buy at $4.00 copper and the small business buys at $3.00 copper then they can compete much easier.

Always check around for the best price when dealing with any commodity because companies buy at different times so you’ll never know who might have the best pricing.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Copper Wire Being Stolen and People Are Actually Dying

People are stealing copper wire like actual dollar bills lying on the ground but they’re starting to get caught more and more. This news show discusses the amount of people stealing copper wire in order to turn it into cash at a local metals scrap yard.

They researched it and found that it’s costing tax payers over $50,000 per year to replace the amount of copper wire that’s being stolen. The problem is that the stolen electrical wire will be scrapped for about 1/5 the replacement cost for the company or person that needs to buy it and install it all over again. So for every $100 stolen it costs %500 to replace.

Copper items currently being stolen include copper roofs, copper wire from businesses, copper wire and piping from local homes, outdoor wiring along the side of buildings and even copper scrap piles businesses hold on to in order to legally scrap for cash themselves.

Even the uneducated folks are attempting to cut into live wires and being electrocuted to death. That creates an even bigger problem for the business because it shorts the connection which means it will cost an arm and a leg to replace the electrical unit and wiring that was damaged in the process plus the installation costs to do so.

This could be the cause of the 2011 economy, because of all the Americans without jobs, or it could simply be money hungry people looking for the quick buck. Either way businesses and police are cracking down on these wire and cable thieves with video surveillence and news castings to display those who were caught in the act.

Hopefully this will make the copper crooks think twice before attempting their next “job”. In the video it says that copper scrap yards are paying up to $1.15/lb for copper scrap but that’s quite low. Copper is currently at $4.00 per pound and scrap yards offer about 75% which gives them roughly $3.00 per pound of copper wire.

We know this as a wire and cable distributor because we actually have scrap yards knocking on our door for the waste that we incur each month. With all the short lengths, scraped insulation and accidents that happen with our wire and cable we end up having a large scrap pile each month.

Maybe it’s the uneducated people taking whatever they can get for it as quick as possible. It seems that once it’s out of their hands and melted down at the scrap yard there isn’t much anyone can do unless there’s a video of them stealing it.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Buying Electrical Wire From WesBell Electronics

Here at WesBell Electronics you can call at any time to speak to our knowledgeable sales staff about the type of electrical wire or cable you’re looking to buy. We’ll help you find the best fit for your application whether it’s indoors, outdoors, in conduit or underground.

Over the years we’ve helped many customers spend as little as possible by finding cheaper alternatives, offering free shipping over $250, shipping from the tax free state of New Hampshire and cutting the exact length you need for the job to minimize waste. We’ll also drop ship, cut multiple lengths and manufacture wire and cable assemblies to specification as an ISO 9001 certified company.

We continue to find new ways to save our customers money which builds trust in the relationship and keeps long lasting customers. In fact, we have a long list of customers that have been buying all of their electrical wire and cable from us since day one about 25 years ago. Those same customers have also gained more business because we work as a team to get new business for the both of us.

We learn something new with every phone call we get. Then we document it, analyze it and figure out how we can help the next customer with that new information. We improve everyday because we enjoy helping our customers get exactly what they want.

We got many phone calls in the past asking for 120′, 125′, 80′, 40′ and many more lengths of wire that most distributors won’t cut because it might give them an odd spool length. After analyzing that we started offering the “per foot price” on almost all of our wire and cable and we’ve had nothing but tremendous feedback since the implementation.

WesBell is also a customer of many large wire and cable manufacturers which helps us learn how to help our customers better. Some vendors treat us like gold, thank us for every order and even follow up to make sure everything went smoothly. Other venders act as if we should do them a favor for letting us buy from them. Needless to say we like to be treated like gold.

If you’re spending money at WesBell for your wire and cable needs then you’ll be treated like any other customer we already have. If you spend more than $250 we’ll ship your wire for free whether you live next door or out in California.

Take a look at us on Ebay to see the amount of positive feedback we have. Give us a call if you need a quote on any type of electrical or electronic wire and cable.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400