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Copper Marine Electrical Wire in the Greater Ecosystem of Copper Wiring

16th Aug 2017

Copper wire is such a widely used and popular material that investors have begun to set their watches by it. What do we mean by that? Simply put, the price of copper has become an indicator of overall economic health. If copper is doing well in the marketplace, then investors have some security that the rest of the marketplace is also healthy and doing well. When copper prices fall, investors start to worry that it may be a clue that other materials and commodities on the market aren’t far behind in a sudden drop in price.

Investors have been so surprised by copper prices’ accuracy at market prediction and trading that they developed a nickname for the metal. They dubbed it Dr. Copper, since it seems to diagnose the health of the economy. It is a silly name but it alludes to the incredible importance of the highly-conductive metal in our modern society.

Of course, the incredible value of copper has also caused a few issues in recent years. Copper was once a surprisingly cheap and common metal that was frequently used in building materials, specifically for pipes. Even industrial sized buildings often employed copper pipes, but they were most common in older churches and residential homes. Today, copper is harder to locate for mining, but still in great demand by industry. The result is that many homes and older buildings have become the targets of copper theft.

Where and How Does Marine Electrical Wire Fit in?

An industry organization called the Copper Development Association releases detailed information on copper and how it is being used around the world yearly. This economic organization tracks prices and provides observations on the copper market, mostly in the United States. The Copper Development Association estimates that 65% of all copper is now used in the for electrical purposes. According to the organization's best information, another 27% of copper is utilized in construction. Within that 65% of electrical copper usage is classified nearly every marine vessel operating within the United States (and beyond!)

Copper marine electrical wire is nearly ubiquitous in the design of electrical systems from radios on military vessels to the main battery systems of recreational watercraft. There are few, if any, conductive materials that are flexible, durable, and efficient enough to replace copper as the primary metal used for electrical systems at sea.

Copper Marine Electrical Wire as an Electrical Conductor

Copper is one of the best electrical conductors in the world. In fact, it can transport electricity better than any metal other than silver. Other properties of copper that make it great for marine electrical use is its comparative resistance to corrosion and its remarkable flexibility. When used at sea, copper wire is generally formed into incredibly fine threads and wound into cabling that can be easily fit into the tight spaces marine vessels demand in order to stay afloat efficiently.

Marine electrical wire is coated with unique insulation to help resist the extremely corrosive environment at sea. While copper itself is comparatively resistant to water, when conducting electricity, water can cause damage to the overall electrical system. The omnipresence of naturally corrosive salt water at sea makes every bit of durability necessary. Copper has a natural advantage in its resistance to damage, and when used in conjunction with good hull sealing and quality cable insulation, copper marine wire can last for years.

A Metal on the Rise

Another industry that heavily relies on wiring made of copper is the telecommunications industry. Copper has become the standard material to use for ADSL and HDSL wiring. These are the wires that create local area networks (LAN) and a large amount of the mainlines that connect computers to one another to create the internet. In addition to the ADSL and HDSL wires in networks, copper is also the primary material used inside modems and routers. As the Internet and online industry become more and more central to our modern lifestyle, copper is playing a more important role than ever.

This usage continues even at sea. Modern shipping, military, and recreational cruise vessels have the same internet and telecommunication needs that our homes and businesses do, and this means that those same networking wires are being used at sea.

This old school material has withstood the test of time; no matter how many technological innovations and creations have tried to replace it as a central wiring tool in telecommunications, none have managed to be more reliable and easily used. Copper, at least for now, is the nervous system of the world, connecting us in our homes to our relatives, friends, and business partners all around the world – no matter where they may be.

Are You In the Market for Marine Wire?

If you are in the market for marine electrical wire, you should look no further than the wire specialists at EWCS. You can find our high-quality wiring for sale at http://ewcswire.com