10m 3 Core Bilge Pump Wire — 4mm Tinned Marine Cable
A 10 metre cut of 3 core tinned marine cable, industry size 4 mm. One white sheath carries three cores, so a bilge pump with a float switch, or a basic boat-trailer lighting run, can be wired as a single cable. Conductor area is 1.84 mm² a core. 4 mm is the auto industry name, not the copper size.
Sold as a 10 metre cut, $44.50. Twin sheath for lights and accessories is a different cable: 2 core tinned marine cable, 2 mm to 6 mm.
Two jobs, one cable
We list it as bilge wire because an automatic bilge pump needs three conductors: manual positive, automatic positive, and a shared negative. The same 3 core is also marine trailer wire, for extra-low-voltage pleasure craft and trailer lighting. It is not mains cable and it is not a 7 core trailer loom.
- Automatic bilge pump. Manual feed, float-switch feed and negative in one sheath from the panel to the pump.
- Manual pump plus a separate float switch, where you would otherwise run two twin cables.
- Boat trailer lighting. Earth, tail and one indicator on a short run, or a repair section of a trailer loom.
- 12 V or 24 V accessories that need a switched feed and a signal: livewell, washdown, deck light with a second circuit.
Specifications
| Length | 10 metre cut |
|---|---|
| Cores | 3, laid up and sheathed |
| Industry size | 4 mm auto. Not the conductor area. |
| Conductor area | 1.84 mm² per core |
| Stranding | 23/0.32 mm tinned copper |
| Resistance | 10.1 ohm/km maximum at 20°C |
| Current | 19 A at 30°C, JASO D609. Fuse to the pump or lamp rating, not to the cable maximum. |
| Insulation | V90 PVC, 0.4 mm wall. Core diameter about 2.6 mm. |
| Sheath | 5V90 PVC, 0.6 mm wall. Nominal outside diameter 7.15 mm. |
| Colours | White sheath. Cores white, yellow and brown. |
| Mass | 8.4 kg per 100 m |
| Voltage | Extra-low voltage only. Not for mains connection. |
Standards
These are the construction standards for this 3 core marine trailer cable. They describe the conductor, the copper and the PVC. They are not a certificate that the finished boat or trailer complies.
- AS/NZS 1125. Tinned copper conductor.
- AS/NZS 1574. Copper drawn from Class 110A.
- AS/NZS 3808. V90 PVC insulation and 5V90 PVC sheath.
- JASO D609. Method used for the 19 A rating at 30°C.
- RoHS. Insulation and sheath compounds are RoHS compliant.
This cable is extra-low voltage, for pleasure craft and trailer lighting, and not for mains connection. Do not use it on 240 V, shore power or inverter output. AS/NZS 3000 is the wiring rules for the installation, not a standard this cable is certified to.
Bilge pump colours are not these colours
This cable is red, yellow and black. An automatic pump pigtail is often a different set of colours. Match by function, not by the nearest colour, and label both ends.
- Black core: negative, to the pump negative and the battery negative.
- Red core: manual positive, via a fused switch, to the manual override lead.
- Yellow core: automatic positive, via its own fuse, to the float switch or automatic lead.
Do not join the two positive pump leads together. Confirm the colours in the pump manual before terminating. Seal every joint in the bilge with adhesive-lined heat-shrink, not tape.
Trailer use
On a basic trailer loom the same three colours are the usual earth, indicator and tail conductors. Check the plug you are mating to before you adopt that. A 10 metre cut suits a tinnie trailer or a repair section. It does not replace a 5 core or 7 core loom where brakes and reverse are wired.
4 mm is not 4 mm²
On Australian auto and marine cable, 4 mm is the trade name. On this 3 core the copper is 1.84 mm² a core, 23 strands of 0.32 mm. A 4 mm² building cable is a different product and will not fit the same terminals.