Securing wiring

[rodsmith]

I have been trying to follow AC43.13 methods in securing wires. With wire bundles I have been using lacing cord between anchor points to keep the bundles together and adel clamps at the anchor points. In a few places I have a single 22 ga wire that needs to be secured. I do not like using nylon zip ties, especially in inaccessible areas as they will eventually deteriorate and break. I'm wondering if using lacing cord to secure a single small wire to structure is acceptable?

[zkelley2]

I like the rubber lined reusable zip ties.

I think spruce carries them.

[BravoGolf]

22AWG is pretty small, I am not sure what other alternatives are available. Using a cushion clamp seems like over kill and I do not believe an Adel DG-2 will grip the wire and I agree with your sentiments on zip ties. Not knowing where your wire run is located, but very small grommets might be a solution. The only potential problem with lacing is will the wire be too tight against the structure once the lacing is tightened and will that set up a situation for chaffing?

[svyolo]

I wonder what decade AC43 was written in with reference to securing wiring. I wonder how it would be written today. There are zip ties, and there are better zip ties. HF ones you can break with your hands quite easily. I don't know if any zip tie would even secure a 22 ga wire. Maybe run the wire through a grommet, and then secure the grommet with twine? Or if not a grommet a little piece of the smallest rubber fluid line you can find.

[whee]

When we restored our Luscombe the IA used zip ties all over the place. We found other solutions in hard to reach areas. On the Bearhawk we used zip ties in areas that could be reached and inspected. The DAR didn’t even bat an eye at them. Even Boeing uses “panduits”

[geraldmorrissey]

You might consider a coating around the wire like heat shrink tubing to add padding then lace. I would check the flammability of anything you put on the wire. Believe it of not Cessna used black plastic electrical tape just for this purpose on my 150, then laced. Lasted 40+ years. Crude but effective.
Gerry
Patrol #30

[svyolo]

The rivets on a wing, or welds on a fuselage are primary structure and should never fail. Securing a wire or two? How long will the electronics last? I think decent quality zip ties will outlast the electronics. Don't buy them from HF. Zip ties didn't exist when they thought up "lacing".

[jwschrag]

Run it through an Adel clamp and add rubber filler rod to help it fit the clamp.

[S Lathrop]

Look at McMaster-Carr for P-clips. They make then down to 3/16 diameter inside the clip and they are coated. www.mcmaster.com/p-clips

[zkelley2]

You'll generally see those called Adel clamps in aviation.

[rodsmith]

The rivets on a wing, or welds on a fuselage are primary structure and should never fail. Securing a wire or two? How long will the electronics last? I think decent quality zip ties will outlast the electronics. Don't buy them from HF. Zip ties didn't exist when they thought up "lacing".

Our instructor for the experimental avionics installation course owns a couple avionics installation companys. He said when removing twenty-thirty year old wire bundles for a new panel, they have to cut every piece of lace. Zip ties they just have to give a little tug and they all easily break. Probably high quality ties will last longer than I will own the plane, just trying to think long term. I like Scott's idea of using some heat shrink on wires against structure where they are attached.

[svyolo]

However you decide to secure it, it needs cushioning. I know they make very small rubber grommets, and model airplane fuel line is very small diameter. Perfect for a thin wire or two.

[BravoGolf]

There are products such as "Snake Skin" (mentioned in another thread.) That would certainly provide width for a cushion clamp to grip. But there is a weight penalty for using it. It does come in some pretty narrow diameters (maybe 1/8") I have used it and will use it again.

[Battson]

This is what zip ties were designed for, if you've ever opened up a commercial plane I think that's all you'll find.

[svyolo]

Our instructor for the experimental avionics installation course owns a couple avionics installation companys. He said when removing twenty-thirty year old wire bundles for a new panel, they have to cut every piece of lace. Zip ties they just have to give a little tug and they all easily break. Probably high quality ties will last longer than I will own the plane, just trying to think long term. I like Scott's idea of using some heat shrink on wires against structure where they are attached.

20-30 years later, they easily break. But they were still performing their function. You can't pull on 30 year old nylon, or 1 year old nylon, because it is too thin. They had to cut them, because they couldn't grab them. How do you grab a pi

It is just thin wiring. It isn't a spar, or primary control cable. Cheap, cheerful, and light beats an Adel clap sometimes. Not always, but sometimes.
Adel clamps to hold 1 wire? Maybe a wire to the starter. But that is it. Other than that? Cheaper and lighter.

[Archer39J]

This is what zip ties were designed for, if you've ever opened up a commercial plane I think that's all you'll find.

True, zip ties are used to secure wire bundles to every interior monument I've seen. And throughout the rest of the AC .