Heat Shrink for Underwater Splice

[Little Bill]

I have a well pump to make the electrical connections to. I know that some of the splice kits have heat shrink tubing that contains an adheshive or grease or something in it to help seal the splice.

I went to get a kit for my splices and found them beside the well pumps and related equip.
These tubes are clear and don't appear to have anything in them but they say they are for underwater splices. The package doesn't say anything about whether they do or don't contain the sealant in the tubes. Nor do the instructions say anything about watching for it to "ooze" out when heated.

Questions are: do these tubes have the sealant embedded or made into the tubing itself, and when heated it activates and runs out the end?

Or is the sealant not needed with this type tube?

I might have to go to another store or supply house to get a different kind, but these say they are for underwater. Just don't want to have a bad or leaky splice.

Anyone know the type of clear tubing I'm talking about?

 

[bullheimer]

i would say buy it, use it and see.

 

[jumper]

I have seen seen the clear splice kits, have never used them. I have usually used the 3M or GB black kits. The sealant will ooze out and seal the tubing as it is heated.

 

[Sierrasparky]

heat shrink with the goo is the best

 

[ActionDave]

Every one I have used came with the pump.

 

[Luketrician]

Pliobond, comes in a 3 oz bottle and we have used it before to ensure that underwater splices stay dry, it is a flexible sealant/adhesive industrial contact cement.

 

[Little Bill]

Every one I have used came with the pump.

There was none with the pump that the HO bought.
But maybe there should have been. The plumber called me and said he was getting the pump ready, plumbing wise, to install. Then discovered mud in/around the bottom of the pump. Seems to be someone returned the pump to the store and they put it back on the shelf.:rant:

He asked the HO if the box had been opened when she bought it, and she said that it was open.

I told him to tell her to return it and only accept an unopened box! Now we have to wait for them to get another pump as the only other one they had was open too.:happyno:

So maybe the new pump (unopened) will have the splice kit in it.

 

[Fulthrotl]

I have a well pump to make the electrical connections to. I know that some of the splice kits have heat shrink tubing that contains an adheshive or grease or something in it to help seal the splice.

I went to get a kit for my splices and found them beside the well pumps and related equip.
These tubes are clear and don't appear to have anything in them but they say they are for underwater splices. The package doesn't say anything about whether they do or don't contain the sealant in the tubes. Nor do the instructions say anything about watching for it to "ooze" out when heated.

Questions are: do these tubes have the sealant embedded or made into the tubing itself, and when heated it activates and runs out the end?

Or is the sealant not needed with this type tube?

I might have to go to another store or supply house to get a different kind, but these say they are for underwater. Just don't want to have a bad or leaky splice.

Anyone know the type of clear tubing I'm talking about?

3M makes cold shrink that is very good, and very 'spensive.
panduit makes a heat shrink that is a 90 degree 600 volt insulation listed for direct burial..
not as 'spensive, but still pretty spensive...

 

[renosteinke]

I have used a product from Ideal in such applications with great success.

The Ideal product consists of a four copper set-screw type splice connectors, a plastic frame to hold them / separate them from each other, and a heavy length of black heat-shrink.

As the shrink tubing is heated and compresses, a generous amount of adhesive oozes out each end.

 

[Little Bill]

I have used a product from Ideal in such applications with great success.

The Ideal product consists of a four copper set-screw type splice connectors, a plastic frame to hold them / separate them from each other, and a heavy length of black heat-shrink.

As the shrink tubing is heated and compresses, a generous amount of adhesive oozes out each end.

One of my questions was, is the adheshive something that can be seen, like grease, in the heat shrink tube before installing it? Or is it embedded in the tube and activates when heat is applied.

I know there are products out there that contain the sealant. I'm just wondering if the clear product I have contains any at all.

 

[Cow]

The T&B and 3M? adhesive lined heatshrink I buy, you can see something that looks like a thin layer of dried scotchkote on the inside.

 

[kwired]

The sealant is a coating on the inside wall of the tube. As the tube shrinks the surface it is attached to becomes smaller so this sealant has no choice but to thicken, it also becomes liquid when at high temperature, which is why it flows.

On the black walled tubing with this sealant the inside wall of the tube is usually shiny - the part that is shiny is the sealant coating.

Not sure about this clear tubing you have come across.

 

[Fulthrotl]

The sealant is a coating on the inside wall of the tube. As the tube shrinks the surface it is attached to becomes smaller so this sealant has no choice but to thicken, it also becomes liquid when at high temperature, which is why it flows.

On the black walled tubing with this sealant the inside wall of the tube is usually shiny - the part that is shiny is the sealant coating.

Not sure about this clear tubing you have come across.

here's the stuff i was using.... the adhesive coating on the inside gets
hot and it seems vulcanizes to the wire insulation. you can see the
stuff squirted out the ends of the splice.... this stuff is something like
an eighth of an inch thick when it shrinks down...

http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=148822&highlight=panduit

is this clear stuff UL listed? looks just like clear heat shrink tube
without any secret sauce to me.

 

[kwired]

here's the stuff i was using.... the adhesive coating on the inside gets
hot and it seems vulcanizes to the wire insulation. you can see the
stuff squirted out the ends of the splice.... this stuff is something like
an eighth of an inch thick when it shrinks down...

http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=148822&highlight=panduit

is this clear stuff UL listed? looks just like clear heat shrink tube
without any secret sauce to me.

Yes that is what I was talking about. The sealant is a thin coat on the tube before shrinking. Once the tube shrinks displacement causes it to appear to come from nowhere.