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low voltage wire splice Gypsy Moth 04-05-2008
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Posted by Gypsy Moth on April 5, 2008, 8:37 am
I have low voltage landscape lights in my yard. There was a break in a long
run. I spliced it together and covered it with vinyl electrical tape. A
few days later, it looked like it had coroded or burned through at the
splice. The wire fused ends were covered with green corrosion. This has
happened twice at the same spot. Any suggestions as to why this is
happening and what to do about it?



Posted by Boden on April 5, 2008, 12:16 pm
Gypsy Moth wrote:
> I have low voltage landscape lights in my yard. There was a break in a long
> run. I spliced it together and covered it with vinyl electrical tape. A
> few days later, it looked like it had coroded or burned through at the
> splice. The wire fused ends were covered with green corrosion. This has
> happened twice at the same spot. Any suggestions as to why this is
> happening and what to do about it?
>
>
All moist soil is going to be conductive, yours may be more so than is
typical. Heavy fertilizer application?

Also, under the assumption that you have a step down isolating
transformer that provides the low voltage I'd check to make sure that
one side of your low voltage lighting circuit is grounded. It is
undesirable and unsafe if the secondary winding is floating w/r to ground.

Vinyl tape is inadequate for buried applications. There are crimp
connectors available that are made for wet, or buried applications.
They're gel filled and will usually resist the intrusion of water.

Posted by terry on April 5, 2008, 3:15 pm
> Gypsy Moth wrote:
> > I have low voltage landscape lights in my yard. =A0There was a break in =
a long
> > run. =A0I spliced it together and covered it with vinyl electrical tape.=
=A0A
> > few days later, it looked like it had coroded or burned through at the
> > splice. =A0The wire fused ends were covered with green corrosion. =A0Thi=
s has
> > happened twice at the same spot. =A0Any suggestions as to why this is
> > happening and what to do about it?
>
> All moist soil is going to be conductive, yours may be more so than is
> typical. =A0Heavy fertilizer application?
>
> Also, under the assumption that you have a step down isolating
> transformer that provides the low voltage I'd check to make sure that
> one side of your low voltage lighting circuit is grounded. =A0It is
> undesirable and unsafe if the secondary winding is floating w/r to ground.=

>
> Vinyl tape is inadequate for buried applications. =A0There are crimp
> connectors available that are made for wet, or buried applications.
> They're gel filled and will usually resist the intrusion of water.

The idea of covering a join with vinyl electricacl tape and burying it
in soil seems bizarre/absurd!
Surely not so?
If a splce, to be buried, is attempted at all, soldered wires and gel
filled heat shrink tubing over each wire and then additional double
layers over the entire splice could be attempted and might last a
while?

Posted by dpb on April 5, 2008, 4:42 pm
terry wrote:
...

> If a splce, to be buried, is attempted at all, soldered wires and gel
> filled heat shrink tubing over each wire and then additional double
> layers over the entire splice could be attempted and might last a
> while?

The made-for-purpose underground filled wire nuts do just fine--I've a
several-year (at least four, possibly as much as 5 or maybe even 6???
--daxx I can't recall much any more :) ) repair of the 240V feed to the
well pump.

I've come across repairs Dad (or maybe even Grandpa) made that have to
be a minimum of 30 or so that were still fine w/ nothing but twisted
connections covered w/ friction tape and then vinyl tape.

So, a good job w/ a _quality_ tape will last quite some time. The key
is enough layers done tightly enough and cleanly enough.

--


Posted by Jeff Wisnia on April 6, 2008, 4:50 pm
dpb wrote:
> terry wrote:
> ...
>
>> If a splce, to be buried, is attempted at all, soldered wires and gel
>> filled heat shrink tubing over each wire and then additional double
>> layers over the entire splice could be attempted and might last a
>> while?
>
>
> The made-for-purpose underground filled wire nuts do just fine--I've a
> several-year (at least four, possibly as much as 5 or maybe even 6???
> --daxx I can't recall much any more :) ) repair of the 240V feed to the
> well pump.
>
> I've come across repairs Dad (or maybe even Grandpa) made that have to
> be a minimum of 30 or so that were still fine w/ nothing but twisted
> connections covered w/ friction tape and then vinyl tape.

I don't disbelieve that, but why did they use friction tape UNDER vinyl
tape? The original purpose of friction tape was to protect the old
stretchable rubber tape used on such splices from abrasion. Hence its name.

>
> So, a good job w/ a _quality_ tape will last quite some time. The key
> is enough layers done tightly enough and cleanly enough.
>
> --
>

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

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