PVC Hook Up Wire Facts – Polyvinyl Chloride Lead Wires

Cables and wires are primarily used to transmit electrical energy from its main source to the various users in different places. Long before wireless telecommunication was invented, wires and cables were used to transmit information from place to place and from continent to continent.  There was a cable that connected Europe and South America.  With man’s various inventions and innovations of things that had help him lighten his work and load, different types of wires with different types of materials were also invented to accommodate its various uses. 

One of these wires that are widely used nowadays is the PVC Hook Up wire.  Hook up wire is a standard conductor wire that is primarily made of copper with tin and is stranded.  Tin is basically added for easier soldering since it is primarily used in wiring a mechanism with point to point connection even if it can hamper a little the conductivity of the copper.

A PVC Hook Up wire is primarily used in the manufacturing industry especially in the appliance sector since it is used in the internal wiring of the various products that these companies are manufacturing.  This type of wire is using smaller AWG which had made this wire more flexible as compared to the other wires available in the market today.  It is also known to use lesser voltage as compared to the wires used to transmit electricity.  A PVC Hook Up wire is not a high temperature lead wire and it is only used in internal settings.  Exposing it to water, solvents and oil can cause irreparable damage to it.  Use a different type of wire if you have plan of using the material where it is installed in an outdoor setting especially if it is constantly exposed to the elements.

PVC Hook Up wire is available in different colors and in different voltages.  You can purchase these wires by meter or by spools.  There are a number of online stores that are selling these materials.  These online stores are offering free shipping to its customers if the said customer had purchase materials with amount higher than $250.  You can ask the seller to customize the color of the wire according to your specification.  You can also ask them to cut the wires at a specified length.  The thickness of the insulator also varies but you can ask for a customized thickness. 

You have to check that there is uniform thickness of the insulator to avoid accidents.  There are guidelines that the manufacturers follow in producing the wires to ensure the safety of its users.  Failure on their part to follow these guidelines will make them liable for the injury that its users will incur due to its negligence.  To ensure your safety and of the user, you need to purchase PVC hook up wires from accredited manufacturers. 

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Alpha ECO Wire: A Solution for the Future

With the high demand for using all things economical, it is only a matter of time before these are used for wires and cables. Thankfully, Alpha ECO Wire has been created to provide the economical and environmental friendly needs of those who are using cables and wires. With the introduction of this new innovation, it can only be expected that other companies will start coming out with their own eco wires too. But before that, here are some of the things that make this type of cable as one that stands on its own:

It is Environmentally Friendly

Specific to its name, the ECO wire is environmentally friendly. This is because the wire does not contain any heavy metals, phthalates, or halogens. In addition to this, it has adhered to the guidelines set by the WEEE and RoHS, with regards to recyclability and the eradication of hazardous materials.

It is Better than PVC

With regards to its performance, the ECO wire stands superior than the standard types of cable that makes use of PVC material. This is because ECO wire is up to 40% lighter than PVC cables. Moreover, ECO wire has a smaller diameter of up to 45%. Finally, it is resistance to abrasion and hazardous fluids like chemicals, oils, fuels, and solvents.

Better Strength

Compared to the typical cables and wires available, the Alpha ECO Wire has a better dielectric strength. It contains superior mPPE features that result to a reduced wall thickness to the cable. At the same time, its electrical properties are maintained and do not affect its performance. The diameter of these wires is up to 45% smaller than wires of its equivalent.

Recyclable

One of the most important features and benefits of using the ECO wire is that it is recyclable. The other cables are not capable of such feature because they do not contain material that allows them to do so. But since the ECO wire has an mPPE thermoplastic insulation, it does not contain any hazardous substances. This makes it highly recyclable.

The uses of the ECO wire range from a number of industries including the solar, transportation, wind power, industrial and medical needs of companies. Considering that it is recyclable and safe for the environment, it is no longer a surprise why many industries prefer to make use of it instead of the typical PVC wires and cables being sold in the market. If you demand a cable made of high quality but do not want the unnecessary fuss it comes along with, the ECO wire is the solution you need.

The ECO Wire is truly the latest innovation in the industry of hook-up wires and cables. It is even considered as an engineering breakthrough. With the combination of increasing performance and a minimized impact on the environment, it truly gives itself a name specific to its nature. This is why Alpha ECO Wire has turned into a highly in demand option for those who require environmentally friendly cabling and wiring installations.

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

Multi Conductor Cables Shielded and Unshielded

There are many different types of multi conductor cables that have been engineered by wire and cable manufacturers over the years to protect the conductors from weather, sunlight, oils, gases, solvents and much more. Each cable is made with the standard gauge sizes and numbers of conductors to fit all types of applications.

The most basic type of shielded or unshielded multi conductor cable would be the PVC / PVC which would be the least expensive because it has the least amount of approvals needed. A PVC / PVC cable is used indoors for wire and cable harnesses to replace multiple single hook up wires in a neater way. When wire and cable is used indoors there obviously isn’t as much that can affect or harm it which means it costs less to engineer and manufacture.

A second type of indoor multi conductor cable is a high temperature cable. A PVC cable can only handle 105°C compared to a high temperature STJ cable that can handle temperatures of 200°C. They’re manufactured with PTFE insulated conductors and a FEP teflon jacket. These cables also come shielded and unshielded but are mostly dedicated to temperature applications and protection from solder iron heat. PVC insulation melts as solder irons attempt to connect the wire to the application so teflon wire or STJ cables are a good alternitive for those situations.

Outdoor multi conductor cables have added protection for weather and other things that might damage or puncture a cable which could short the connection. Electrical cables include UFB cable, MC cable and tray cable that can be used outdoors, underground or in conduit. MC cable can be used outdoors but not directly in the ground while tray cable can be duried in the ground without a problem. Each cable that has more approvals and options will cost more money.

Electronic cables used outdoors are also called power cables. SOOW, Type W, Type G and rubber tray cables are used in portable power applications. These multi conductor cables are manufctured with a rubber outer jacket so that they can be dragged on the ground, ran over on job sites and flexible enough to coil back up for another time.

Early developement construction sites use these cables to run power a long way for their machines and tools that need power before there’s any electricity on the site. As time passed cables were getting ruined very quickly because they were being run over by heavy machinery and dragged over concrete and rocky areas. That made manufactures develope the tough rubber jackets for a much longer life of the cable.

The common denominator in all of these cables is the copper. Each of them is manufactured with either stiff or flexible copper strands. Electrial cables need to be stiff to push through conduit easily while power cables need to be flexible so that it’s easier to use the tools, bend around corners and coil up on a spool for next time.

Even though copper is very expensive there are many other things to take into consideration for the cost of each cable. Nevermind the type of cable, a cable manufacturer has to buy the copper, engineer the cable, make it, store it, spool it and ship it before you can even get a price.

Talk to us about how and where you’re using your cable before buying it. We can help you figure out the most cost effective type of wire and cable for your application because we have a knowledgeable sales staff available to assist you.

WesBell Electronics Inc
(800) 334-8400

Copper Hook Up Wire For Appliances and Electronics

Hook up wire is used for many different things because each different type of insulation gives it more possibilites for environmental use. Standard electronic hook up wire only needs to protect the wire from a few things and complex insulation protects it from outdoor weather conditions such as moisture, gas and solvents.

Indoor hook up wire comes in 300 volts and 600 volts with a PVC insulation. These copper wires are used in electronics and appliances throughout your home. If you’ve ever taken the panel off of your toaster, microwave or stereo and seen the wire harness you might know what I’m talking about.

At Wesbell Electronics we manufacture the wire harnesses to specification as an ISO9001 company. Being certified as an ISO9001 company we have strict procedures while producing our wire and cable harnesses in order to limit errors and produce them as quick as possible.

The 600 volt hook up wire will have a slightly thicker insulation than the 300 volt for added protection. That gives it a slightly higher cost. Higher voltage and higher temperature wires will cost more as well.

If you’re looking for the most basic, cheapest indoor electronic lead wire then UL1007  is what you should ask for. It’s the 300 volt PVC insulated copper wire being discussed. Most companies will offer 100′ spools available for sale because it’s very cheap and you’ll only have to pay about $10-20 for a spool depending on the awg size.

There’s about 10-12 standard colors available and PVC wire can be striped very easily. A stripe will usually cost about $7 additional for each spool but if you need 20 colors for a wire harness then striping is the way to go. You can make the amount of colors unlimited by including stripes as a posibility.

If you’re looking for a type of electrical wire to be used outdoors then you should take a look at our THHN wire. It’s commonly used by electrical contractors outdoors and in conduit. Its dual rated THHN THWN insulation protects against water, gas, oil and solvents.

If you’re looking for a higher temperature hook up wire then take a look at our Teflon wire that reaches 200°C. It’s manufactured with silver coated copper strands and a PTFE insulation for high heat and solder proof applications.

Please call us with any type of hook upw wire you need!

WesBell Electronics
(800) 334-8400

Types of Hook Up Wire – PVC and Teflon High Temperature

Wouldn’t it be easy if you could just ask for some hook up wire and call it a day? Well there are voltage ratings, temperature ratings and insulation types that change the pricing of each type of hookup wire based on the application you have. If there was just one universal hook up wire you’d be over paying so that it has the approvals for every application.

The most basic would be a PVC hook up wire manufactured to 300 volts and a temperature of 105°C. It has a UL rating of 1007 which approves it for that temperature and voltage. The next step up would be the UL approved 1015 which has the same temperature rating with 600 volts of power. These two types of PVC insulated wire are used in small appliances and electronic devices. You’ll usually see them in a small wire harness connecting power from one spot to the next.

As an ISO 9001 company WesBell has the capabilities to manufacture these wire and cable harnesses to specification. We cut and strip to length or follow a detailed specification sheet to meet the requirements of all of our customers.

Telfon Wire is a high temperature wire of 200°C. It’s rated from 600 volts to 3000 volts and has silver-plated copper strands in flexible and non-flexible options. It has a UL rating of 1180 and you might also hear it referred to as Type E or Type EE high temperature wire.

Beware of the pricing in 2011 for Teflon wire for a few reasons. Copper is up, silver is up and PTFE compound is up! That’s 3 problems of Type E wire right now driving the price through the roof. Silver and copper are both high demand commodities right now which are up and a large portion of the cost of manufacturing this hook up wire. The third is a PTFE compound manufacturer in Japan that was shut down creating very high demand on this compound that makes the Teflon insulation. I recommend looking around and finding a good price because you’ll find that it’s going to be very different everywhere you look depending on when it was purchased by that company.

Lastly, THHN wire is NOT dog fence wire. This is a very common question we get about our THHN wire because it can be used outdoors and in conduit. However, dog fence wire goes directly into the ground and has a polypropelene insulation to protect accordingly. THHN wire has a PVC insulation with a nylon coating available for use outdoors and in conduit only. Will the wire be deemed ineffective immediately? No, of course not but it won’t last as long and isn’t approved to be in that application.

Be sure to ask your wire and cable sales person about the types of hook up wire and your application in order to fit you with the correct type of wire for the cheapest cost possible.

Information and Facts on Power Cable

Power cable comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can look complicated to the layman. These cables can be single-conductor, multi-conductor, as well as industrial strength or for personal use. Each type of power cable has its own advantages, which make them suitable for certain types of applications.

A power cable is categorized in three classes, 1) high voltage (for applications requiring load greater than 40,000V), 2) medium voltage (for applications requiring load between 6000V and 36,000V) and 3) low voltage (for applications requiring load below 1000V). These cables are used for feeders and other heavy machinery, along with branch circuits in electrical utility, commercial and industrial applications.

Single-conductor power cable is used in various applications such as stage lighting, locomotives, DLO and for welding purposes. Each single-conductor cable, depending upon its use, has a different rating for amps, voltage, flexibility and insulation, each having a different price-level.  

There are many multi-conductor cables; extensions cords, Type G-GC, Type W, SOOW and portable cords, each encased a rubber jacket for insulation. These cables are safe and flexible and when additional flexibility is required, there is a multi-conductor cable available for this need. The SOOW multi-conductor cable is similar to the extension cord (before the plugs are attached) and is generally used to supply power generators and tools in industries.

The least-expensive power cable of this group is the welding cable. Welding cable has a rubber jacket and flexible copper fibers and is rated to 600V. DLO cable also has the rubber jacket, is rated to 2000V and has tinned copper fibers. The DLO can carry more power and therefore has a higher corresponding price.

Remember, when installing power cable, it is recommended that you consult with your electrician. And when it is time to purchase your cable, some helpful hints include knowing the operating temperature, amperage, voltage, outer diameter (cable diameter + insulation jacket). Please call WesBell at 800-334-8400 for all your cable needs.

Installing THHN cable in cold weather

When the weather is cold, you can have problems not just with your heating bills and skin, but also with your cables. For example, the THHN cable is easily vulnerable to deterioration due to cold weather.

THHN cable is Thermoplastic, High-Heat Resistance, Nylon-Coated, therefore the name- THHN. Though it is versatile cable and does not fall under any specific application category, it is mostly used under Hook-up wire class.

Strengths

THHN cable comes in a variety of strengths. And since it is made from thermoplastic material, it is easy to heat and cool this wire many times to change its shape. But there is a limit to the number of times this wire can stand heating and cooling. It has its lower and higher temperature limits and if the temperature changes cross this range, this wire can become unstable. Temperature range depends upon manufacturers.

When the THHN cable comes with ‘High Heat’ rating, it means that this wire can be used in high temperature scenarios. These wires come with various specifications, which determine the specific applications where these can be used. For example, “Nylon coated” means that a certain thermoplastic material is used in this wire.

Coming to installation of the THHN cable in the cold weather, there are some simple guidelines that you should follow. Keep this cable indoors, and not in the outdoor harsh environment. Generally, a temperature of 65°F works well.

If keeping the cable indoors is not possible, bring it inside for at least 24 hours, before you install it.

If the outside temperature is below 14°F, then do not install the THHN cable.

While installing the cable, take care that it is not dropped on the floor, as these impacts can cause cracks in the stiff cable material.

Make sure you do not bend the cable too much, because it can cause the cold and stiff cable to break.

Once you have installed it, this cable will work properly in environments with temperature higher than 14°F.

All you need to Know about High Voltage Cable

If you want to transfer large amount of electricity, then high voltage cables are your safest bet. There are various forms of these cables, and all are used for different purposes depending upon voltage of electricity and the machines for which these are used. Three types of cables are: high, medium, and low voltage cables. Out of these, high voltage cables are used when the voltage is above 1000 V. These cables are heavily insulated to prevent any risks or hazards.

• AC power cables

These cables are used to transfer up to 2000 V of electricity. The composition of these cables includes cross section of cable, polyethylene insulation, and conductive material like aluminum or copper. These cables are highly flexible and work well both in low as well as high temperatures. The cable layers are fused together to avoid air seeping in, as this can cause electrical discharge, thereby damaging the insulation.

• HVDC cables

These are specialized cables that are designed for high voltage direct currents, and thus are called HVDC cables. If you have seen a power line, then it would be easy to understand, as a power line is also an HVDC cable. These cables are helpful in carrying large loads of electricity over longer distances. After reaching the transformer, their electricity is converted to AC form. Thereon it runs with lower voltage, and is transferred to businesses and homes.

• X-ray cables

These cables are used to link other high voltage cables with X ray machines. These are also used to connect high voltage cables to other scientific equipment that require higher loads of electricity. These are highly flexible cables. They have a braided cover of copper wires, and are insulated with rubber. These are fused to high voltage cable to provide safety, and to reduce the hazards of electric shocks.

All these cables are not for home use. These are used to connect high power sources to other devices or cables. If you want to buy these cables, make sure you go for the best quality, as bad cables can lead to dangerous situations.

Using Teflon wire for High Temperatures

Wire insulated with Teflon, or Teflon wire, is very useful. If you have been using PVC hook up wire to fight insulation melt downs, then you will be pleased to use Teflon. It cannot even get affected by a soldering iron. It has been used since the 1960’s due to its excellent performance in high temperature scenarios. Some companies also use it in classification of surface electronics.

Teflon wire has got copper strands, plated with sliver. The silver plating, along with Teflon insulation helps the wire to sustain extremely high temperatures. It is much better than basic hook up wire that suffers from melt downs in high temperatures. And due to its great heat withstanding ability, Teflon wire comes expensive. But in case your needs are about wiring places with extremely high temperatures, it will be a good investment in the long run.

This wire is made by following many methods. Two of the more common methods are wrapping and extrusion. Extrusion is the most common one and is done usually in the standard sizes of 24 AWG and 22 AWG. There are also some smaller sizes, where space is an important factor. The covering comes in fused and wrapped types. Teflon is also used as the outer jacket of co-axial cables.

Teflon wires also have great resistance to moisture, flame, damage from soldering iron, and thermal aging. Apart from that, the PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coating is able to resist many harsh chemicals, ozone, greases, and solvents.

You can install these wires at many places, as they are very easy to fix. It also has low degree of power loss, and thus is great for high frequency usage. Because these wires are small and slippery, they can be used almost anywhere.

PTFE or Extruded Teflon hook up wire has 3 types: Type E (most commonly used, and rated for 600 V), Type EE (having thicker Teflon jacket, and rated for 1000 V), and Type ET (having thin cover, and rated for 250 V). All 3 of them can be used for temperatures up to 200^o C