Proper way to make a slim waterproof wire splice.

[TxRider]

I always solder if I can, I've just found it more reliable.

I've gotten away from heat shrink in the last few years though, especially for trail repairs. I still heat shrink some things when I'm working at home.

Now I carry a roll of self fusing silicon tape that works a lot better for me and is a lot easier to use. The stuff is pretty good.

Dunno how it is for lasting 10 years without breaking down, but the splices I've done 3 years ago are still great.

It's a soft and very flexible and stretchy tape with no adhesive and has to have a seperator sheet on the roll. It literally fuses to itself on contact so if you stretch it as you wrap it around a splice it seals tighter than most heatshrinks I've used and fuses into one piece you have to cut off to remove.

 

[BiG BoB]

Soldering gives just about the best conductivity for a joint, but for an offroad vehicle I wouldnt recomend it... The biggest problem is that heating the copper with the soldering iron weakens it, and it becomes brittle around the join.

For inside the vehicle I use normal sorts of crimps (good quality!) and for outside where it needs to be waterproof I use conectors from an irigation supplier, when the joiners are attached a little bulb of silicon inside is ruptured and the whole thing is sealed for eternity, with no heat to weaken the copper.

If I'm fixing something out bush and I dont have any with me I use normal crimps and wrap them in good quality tape (fixing it properly later)

Sean