Corroded Speaker Wire

[bcollins 18]

Hey guys, I ran into a little issue the other day and was hoping for some clarification on what caused the issues and confirmation that my plan of attack is sufficient.

Basically I was getting the boat prepped for the lake and I randomly checked that the speakers were working and all I could hear were the in boat speakers, not the tower. I checked the amp and all the connections and everything seemed good. Amp had power, wires were all hooked up, RCA cables good, etc. Still nothing. So I decided to check the Neutrik plug that I installed. First I pulled the female connector that’s attached to the boat. One of the speaker wires was completely corroded and basically turned to dust. The others seemed okay. Then I checked the male connector connected to the tower wires and two of the wires were shot. I basically had to cut off about 2 inches of wire to get good solid wire.

It was late so that’s as far as I got. Plus I didn’t have speaker wire so I didn’t feel like digging into it without the parts to replace the bad wiring. So first question is, what caused the corrosion? Is it just from water potentially getting in there? It’s definitely in a spot where it could have gotten wet. I’m concerned it’s something more but it’s seems to just be confined to the area closest to the connectors. Second question is, will cutting away the bad wire and replacing with new solve my problem? I cut away a bit and found good wire so I figured I would just get some new wire, connect them together and be done. I do have a couple extra Neutrik connectors but honestly they seemed fine once I pulled the old wires out. Assuming this plan should work, what can I do to help avoid this issue in the future aside from getting better wire and replace it entirely…don’t want to go down that road because fishing it through the tower was a PITA.

 

I appreciate any information and suggestions. Thanks in advance.

[Wylie_Tunes 146]

Cause: moisture, O2 and less noble metal.

 

Cutting away the corroded wire until you reach clean conductor does not address the root cause, just the symptom.

 

So the boat side of the connector had the most wire corrosion. Sounds like you have a connector body thats allowing water to wick through to the wire terminals. You may need to replace it. You can reduce the intrusion of moisture and oxygen into the wire terminal by coating the connection with dielectric grease. Upgrading to a tinned copper marine grade would be another layer of protection. I would also fill the inside of the connector body with dielectric grease. This may prevent moisture from entering the female side and finding it way into the wire terminals. The female body is sealed to the deck, right? Including screw holes.

[bcollins 18]

Thanks Wylie, the female connector is attached to the boat by screws but I would be lying if I said it was sealed. I did cut some rubber, from one of the thinnest collars for wakeboard racks, that I had lying around but it was more for aesthetics than for a proper seal. I also don’t do anything to cover the connector when I wash the boat so that probably doesn’t help.

Both of the connectors had some corrosion to one or two of the wires. I haven’t dug into the wire from the boat side so it may be worse off than the connector that comes from the tower, which I had to cut off a couple inches of wire.

I appreciate the advice; I obviously didn’t do my homework before buying the wire and setting up the connectors. I was just happy the thing worked when all was said and done. I’ll be sure to try those things to help avoid it happening again.