My Install - Crimp on connectors, and no drip loops

[Mike500]

I do a lot of high end installs and repair a lot of OLD ones, like yours andbring them to PREMIUM quality.

I have attached a photo of my owm personal install.

First, I can't figure, from your pictures, where the picture of the carpet covered vent is in relation to the location of the ground pole.

The cable does NOT appear to be of the type designated as DIRECT BURIAL.

I don't know why the original DirecTV installer made entry into the house at a direct shot to the area of the crawl space right below the power meter, installed the two dual grounding blocks there, and attached the ground to the service entrance ground. The grounding blocks, idealy, should be placed in a weatherproof box, like the one you see in my photo.

You can replace the grounding blocks at the pole with barrel connectors and place the connections inside of a weatherproof box. Use the compression connectors, and just replace the sections of coax from the connections to the lnb with longer ones. The metal pole can be grounded to the ground rod, but the ground rod should be driven so that it is completely buried.

My pole is made of 1-1/4 inch nominal schedule 40 aluminum pipe. It will NEVER rust. I've installed such poles that are nearly 10 years old. They look as good as mine. I've seen 40 year old aluminum conduits on buildings. They still look good and are just a little greyer.

If you can't find the boxes I mention, send me a PM. I can provide you with good ones, as well as an aluminum pole.

 

[joeh]

I do a lot of high end installs and repair a lot of OLD ones, like yours andbring them to PREMIUM quality.

I have attached a photo of my owm personal install.

First, I can't figure, from your pictures, where the picture of the carpet covered vent is in relation to the location of the ground pole.

The cable does NOT appear to be of the type designated as DIRECT BURIAL.

I don't know why the original DirecTV installer made entry into the house at a direct shot to the area of the crawl space right below the power meter, installed the two dual grounding blocks there, and attached the ground to the service entrance ground. The grounding blocks, idealy, should be placed in a weatherproof box, like the one you see in my photo.

You can replace the grounding blocks at the pole with barrel connectors and place the connections inside of a weatherproof box. Use the compression connectors, and just replace the sections of coax from the connections to the lnb with longer ones. The metal pole can be grounded to the ground rod, but the ground rod should be driven so that it is completely buried.

My pole is made of 1-1/4 inch nominal schedule 40 aluminum pipe. It will NEVER rust. I've installed such poles that are nearly 10 years old. They look as good as mine. I've seen 40 year old aluminum conduits on buildings. They still look good and are just a little greyer.

If you can't find the boxes I mention, send me a PM. I can provide you with good ones, as well as an aluminum pole.

The vent that the cables are running into is across the yard, The cable is NOT rated for the way it is buried. The electrical meter is about 10 or so feet away from the vent point of entry, and that is all under a patio roof. Also can anyone tell me where I can look for the weather box's? That pole was supposed to not rust but it did anyway.

 

[Mike500]

You have a cheap painted or galvanized pole that originally had a very thin rust resistant coating.

Here are some examples of good weatherproof boxes. Unfortunately, they are only available wholesale in large quantities.

 

[boba]

Google weather proof boxes and I'll bet you can find somebody selling in small quantities.

 

[Foxbat]

The Menards near me has weatherproof boxes, but you would need to drill some holes to make them wotk like Mike's examples. Check the electrical department at your local Home Improvement stores.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Unh. Mike500 - you might not wanna post that pic any more.

No drip loop or sealant on the house entry.

Not that MY personal install is as good as what I do for my customers, but I don't post the bad spots.

 

[Mike500]

Unh. Mike500 - you might not wanna post that pic any more.

No drip loop or sealant on the house entry.

Not that MY personal install is as good as what I do for my customers, but I don't post the bad spots.

Why not?

As an experienced installer, do you still do your wall penetrations still drilling horizontally?

Well, the drip loop n my installation is built in.

There is a 30 degree upward gradiant as the cable enters the brick foundation wall. The brick is a facade. No wood or any other material that would rot is behind it. At the inside of the facade is a drainage trench. So, it;s like a knife blade. You can't tell how wide the knife is, if you are looking directly at the edge. It looks razor thin.

While most installers drill horizontally into walls, I drill upward, which forms a drip loop. Even if the sealant on the hole fails, water will drain out of the wall penetration, instead of into it.

 

[Van]

Sub job, dish has always used compression fittings.

 

[mikethedishguy]

Looks like this install could use some fixing. Not that much though. The original install by direct appears to have taken some short cuts. The lines which run into what appears to be a crawl space was done that way because I bet the installer didn't want to drill into the block of the house.
1 compression fitting on longer lines from the dish.
2 drip loops on the connections on the dish and at the house.
3 grnding block on the house
4 #10 copper line to a proper grnd spot (cold water pipe or primary grnd wire)

If the lines are in good shape then this should make the system perform fo many years. The drip loops serve 2 reasons one is to help prevent water from penitrating a conection or wall penatration the other is for impedence in the lines. If you bend a wire greater than 90 the signal will be impeded by the bend in the wire. So when a hole is drilled 30 digrees up and the wire direction is from above, the bend in the line will impede the signal which is why drip loops are generaly used. I do like the idea of making the penitration up to help in preventing water penitration.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

A 30 degree up angle drilled into a brick motor joint would mean you are drilling through the actual brick from half way back. Depending on how many lines are running into the house this is a big hole to drill through solid brick.

 

[Mike500]

A 30 degree up angle drilled into a brick motor joint would mean you are drilling through the actual brick from half way back. Depending on how many lines are running into the house this is a big hole to drill through solid brick.

No problem;

A 3/8" sds hammer drill with four holes side by side up 30 degrees at a 3/8" horizontal mortar joint for four cables It's like a hot knife through butter.

If I ever remove the cables, I'd just repoint the mortar jioint and it'll be like it was never there.

That's why I ONLY do high end installs.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

the ground block should be inside a weather box. The cable is not flooded that is buried and it is running across the patio. there is sheilding wire sticking out of the fittings (egress) and nothing to water proff it. and the cables are tied together with ELECTRICAL tape? wow.

 

[Mike500]

... and the cables are tied together with ELECTRICAL tape? wow.

Having been both a master electrician and an engineer for 35 years, I actually prefer electrical tape to wire ties that degrade when exposed to UV sunlight.

A technique that we have used in telecommunications installations is to wrap electrical tape over connections and then coat the entire structure with liquid PVC cement used for PVC pipe. I've actually dug wu connections that are over 25 years old that were still good.

Cable strapped with wire ties are free to move, but not with electrical tape.

 

[HCI]

A 30 degree up angle drilled into a brick motor joint would mean you are drilling through the actual brick from half way back. Depending on how many lines are running into the house this is a big hole to drill through solid brick.

Also a QC guy will fail the install if no drip loop or sealant.

 

[Mike500]

Also a QC guy will fail the install if no drip loop or sealant.

Looks are decieving. The drip loop is built in. It's like a plumbing "P" trap that goes onto the wall. The lowest point is the point of entry into the wall, and it is sealed. The cables slant upward inside the wall from there.

I've had a lot of experience with large service entrance cables. They cannot nebent on the surface to the small diameter as rg6 coaxial cables. Many service entrances are poorly done. Even with sealant, water flows into the electrical panel. By making the entry point the lowest point and the entry into the building rise inside to a "P" trap or "s" bend, any water flowing down the cable will drip off before entering the wall, even if the sealant fails.

 

[HCI]

Looks are decieving. The drip loop is built in. It's like a plumbing "P" trap that goes onto the wall. The lowest point is the point of entry into the wall, and it is sealed. The cables slant upward inside the wall from there.

I've had a lot of experience with large service entrance cables. They cannot nebent on the surface to the small diameter as rg6 coaxial cables. Many service entrances are poorly done. Even with sealant, water flows into the electrical panel. By making the entry point the lowest point and the entry into the building rise inside to a "P" trap or "s" bend, any water flowing down the cable will drip off before entering the wall, even if the sealant fails.

I know it works but they teach always put the loops before entering the house.

It works but not by the book.

 

[Mike500]

I know it works but they teach always put the loops before entering the house.

It works but not by the book.

In the world of engineering, the so called "BOOK" is known as prior art. That's why they issue patents at the US Patent and trademark office.

As an aside, I hold two engineering patents.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

I have a Mechanical Engineering degree from Purdue University. Do not throw that around as it only makes you look pretentious!!

 

[Mike500]

Look who is pretentious. My signature is blank. I see all of those postings on your "WALL." I prefer to have none. I've installed over 500 dbs systems.

 

[HCI]

Look who is pretentious. My signature is blank. I see all of those postings on your "WALL." I prefer to have none. I've installed over 500 dbs systems.

only 500? how long have you been doing this? I did more than that last year.