2. cables
  3. 183318-118749

Oxidation on surface of cable under clear jacket

Wondered if anyone has had this problem.  I have a pair of “Oval” cables I was going to reintroduce into my system.  They’re 15 years old.  I noticed that green oxidation had formed over a length of the cable under the clear jacket.  Since there is shrink tubing over the spade connector, so I can’t tell if the oxidation has reached the connector.  Problem is the manufacturer’s warranty was over many years ago.  They weren’t inexpensive. Seems others have had the same issue.  I guess I’ll give them a call to see what can be done, but I’m not optimistic.  I do have another manufacturer’s cables I can use if this can’t be remedied.. Your thoughts?

deanrk

Showing 2 responses by thespeakerdude

thespeakerdude
483 posts
 

I have 30+ year old cheap 10 and 12 awg speaker cables lying around, clear insulation, not a hint of oxidation, and I had some cheap 18 awg that was maybe 10 years old that looked like it was outside from day 1.

My understanding is the material and quality of the insulation determines how much oxygen gets in, which seems pretty obvious, but also good OFC should oxidize slower.

Quick Google says the oxide probably 10's of nanometers thick. I don't see that making a big difference to the conductivity. I would be more worried about the connectors. If they are soldered they will be fine. If they are a good quality crimp they should be okay too. Anything else could be trouble.

thespeakerdude
483 posts
 

Seen it worse than this ....

That looks like it would provide limited protection from ingress of external air, but even if it did, there is a lot of air trapped inside to interact with the copper.

More to discover