Do cables wear out if used too much?

[ericmark]

Plasticiser leaching has nothing to do with cable use. Cables do not wear out with use, they may degrade due to sun, poor manufacture, age, and being put near items which can react with the plastic, but that is not down to how much they are used.

 

[ebee]

Well I wonder if copper pipes wear out with use - all of that water going past and rubbing bits off the inside, electrons in conductors too?

My initial thought is Yes but takes a long long time, eons or epochs even.

After all, I am sure that my brain is wearing out or nearly full to potential capacity once aged 60, perhaps emptying a few facts from it over the years always one to add more facts but means losing a few few facts you`ve always known til now.

Differential and Integral Calculus I was pretty good at in class in my youth in comparison with my peers but not using it for a great long time I had to rethink it all to even get some grasp on it. Similarly but to a smaller degree was sheer force/bending moments too. I used to be pretty good at probabilities but let it go and then Monty Hall whacked me, when I realised the answer it was so very simple. Significance tests, I must re-visit them because I have lost them too with lack of use.
Anyway, mental arithmetic I still have, our generation were fully acquainted with it so a quick ready reckon we could spot big errors instantly, we always knew if an answer was "In the parish" so to speak, young ones today seem totally stuck with a calculator but even then do not see the pressing of wrong button give a ten fold error, good grief for us lot up to 2 or 3 of an error up to 100 and up to 10 or 12 up to a thousand would sound alarm bells usually.

Actually, hands up, I deliberately put a hint of a silly example in that last bit. An example that bugs me if somebody says it - up to - If someone says a maximum/minimum of 3 or 4 then I mentally shouts "Hoy is it a max/min of 3 or is it a max/min of 4 ? It can not be 3 OR 4 it must be 3 or it must be 4. Oooh it makes mee blood boil, just like poloticians say "I refute that!" Oh NO you have not, you have merely denied that! Am I pedanric? Probably sometimes but mayhap with good reason IMHO aghhh!

 

[JohnW2]

Well I wonder if copper pipes wear out with use - all of that water going past and rubbing bits off the inside, electrons in conductors too? My initial thought is Yes but takes a long long time, eons or epochs even.

I'm sure that you must be right. I imagine it inevitable that any water which has travelled through a copper pipe will contain at least some copper atoms/ions - which means that, after the fullness of (an awful lot of) time,there will be no copper atoms left in the pipe

I don't think there is any direct equivalent ("due to use") with copper conductors carrying electricity - although, over time, there will, again, presumably be some slight loss of copper atoms into surrounding materials/environment?

'Wearing out' (sort of) of copper pipes can also arise as a result of manufacturing defects. A long time ago we experienced a 15mm copper pipe (brand new when installed) which, after about 15 years in service, suddenly developed multiple 'pin holes', resulting in our kitchen turning into a shower!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

It does happen on a very small scale- it will never cause a problem in a comparatively massive wire, but there was a new scientist article years ago with a close up of the traces inside a well used cpu, that had worn out over the life of the processor. I recall it looking a little like a sharp bend in a river that wears the bank away at the change of direction, but I can't now find the article (probably 20+ years ago)

Interesting, but I think that's a little different from what eBee was suggesting (pondering). It sounds as if you're talking about actual loss of copper from the conductor ('wearing away') ,whereas he was (I think) wondering whether the electrons would eventual 'tire' as a result of all the backwards-and-forwards movement they had done when an electric current was being carried through the conductor of which they were part.
However, as I said to him, particles within any material ab over absolute zero temp will be in constant motion, anyway (without electric current), so I'm not sure that the carriage of an electric current would any difference

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

With immersion heater cables the thing to look for is the deterioration of the cable, outer sheaf and core insulation at the immersion “end”. Cracking becomes obvious with age and more importantly the heat coming off the tank

Are you not supposed to use a high temperature flex for that?

Rubber flex will deteriorate, probably a couple of decades of use.

In my experience, when the old rubber (VRI) dried out due to age, the insulation value improved. The drying out, becoming fragile, usually only affected the terminations, where the rubber was exposed. Where protected by the waxed cotton, it seemed good as new.

 

[333rocky333]

Was it laid over any polystyrene insulation?

No it's in free air, its all cracked and when touched just crumbles, the outlets are on the main ceiling slab and they dangle down to the false ceiling 600mm lower.
Because of the nature of the premises the temperatures a tad average than normal though nothing drastic.
The cable is well marked up so proberly traceable, also fitted with ferrules so I'd quess there pre made leads fitted with the plugs, forgot the make, when purchased.
I'm sure I have seen similar before, when LSOH first came out and believe it's to do with the compounds used to make it low smoke