Around 20 years ago I was fixing
feeder cable cuts with
E-tape at best covering them, and thinking that’s not right... I was also studying a lot of electrical books in my new specialized field from theater carpentry. I noted in the books linemen splices to cable techniques in covering such splices and did R&D into how this might work for
feeder,
power and data with cuts. I came up with a plan for three classes of cable given back in those days budgets were a lot less and questioned for every dollar.
System:
Clean surface area of cut with Naptha or Goof Off if tape had been applied to it, than Naptha.
Feeder cable:
If no more than six strands of cable
conductor strands cut, repair. If more, cut it there and try to figure out who made this cut for “education.” Back than I also had made some serious changes in getting hook blades to utility knives approved - helped keep the damage to the cable down, but over time such cuts to them employees not paying attention made wicked cuts to the skin. So those blades became discontinued for use. But Management found some form of
safety cutter similar to work.
Given no chance of gluing the outer
jacket back together will not prevent the copper inner conductors from moving, I specified 3M #2141 Rubber/Neoprene Adheasive,. To be applied to the cut and general surface area of the cut in 2/3 extending around the cable from the cut. Scotch #130c, Rubberized Electrical Tape 3/4"x30', (Non-peel off Liner) six layers thick and tapered should be applied in sealing the cut atop the adhesive for replacing any missing
jacket insulation over the cut. Vulconizing tape will not vulconize to the cable short of avove glue, but does with it, and to itself; This bonded to the
jacket of the cable, and bonded cut should be compliant as per linemen spicing techniques. For abrasion resistance, further application of the adhesive and two layers of Scotch #Super 33 electrical tape, and for further weather resistance a coating of 3M #14853 Skotchkote Electrical Coating.
Should the
E-tape coating weather, peal it back as much as needed, clean it with Naptha and re-apply the coating up to until you got back to the tapered Rubberized
E-Tape. In which case study it’s condition for replacement and otherwise go back in +33 coatings. This technique has served well for many years. Studied plan in detail for solution.
For grade SJ
power cords, the same concept, but instead of inserting adhesive into the cut, Liquid
E-Tape in the cut. I do not want to bond the outer
jacket to inner conductors so as to prevent flexibility of inner insulated jacketed conductors. The liquid
E-Tape will help bond outer
jacket without too much bonding inner
conductor insulation to the cut in the outer
jacket.
Overall as a rule, in
power cords, if you see copper, it’s scrap. Only repairs to outer
jacket power cords are repairable. Same as above but just three layers thick on the rubberized
E-tape. This except no cable glue into the cut - Red liquid
E-tape to sort of seal the cut but also be noticable should someone be cutting it apart.
Same concepts for data cable, only skipping the rubberized
E-tape steps - not carrying
power and Super 33+ when glued to the cable is sufficient.
That’s been the standard I have applied for about 20 years now for cable cut repair. Simple enough and served well. Last week a senior crew chief came to me with a change in the approach to this. It would seem my specified cable repairs to
feeder are not acceptable to especially
line voltage cables to some NY inspector. You know, I don’t get upset about such things and accept that our amount of people on staff has grown... and certainly note those that cooked burgers last week are being trained by those that cooked burgers say a month ago in none conveyed understanding of the process. We are not in an optimum training solution for what worked well over the years. This in checking me in frequently to those doing cable repairs... this
system I invented... I hear all kinds of word of mouth fiction in how to repair them. The cable repair instructions are printed on the box housing the cable repair gear.... How can such an even written down
system get screwed up?
This is not a I take it personal rejection type of repair thing in figured out how to do it properly, it’s I don’t have the manpower to fix all the
feeder cable with repairs that will now be coming my way. I don’t care about my solution working years no longer being acceptable, or the corporate cost buying more new cable.... I care that my department does not have enough staff to fix the extent of the problem. Discussions next week - a good training thing for those that need to learn how to do a CamLoc termination anyway people to train with. You bet, as if not always busy we will have time to circulate in the cable slingers so they get training in termermilating CamLoc. Good to do in training if the chance.
Not upset about this new change in only providing not cut and repaired cable, more about the manpower to fix the problem. My solution served about 20 years safely and we and the industry moves on in more safe from there. Fine with that, and good and safer with that given I was assuming a lot on proper training, and mostly in questioning those repairing at random... they have not been taught correctly or had knowledge in how and why they were doing these steps on a cut.
