Underground Splice

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SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Nov 1, 2013
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North Liberty, Indiana
I am using an old shed to house where I tied C band ribbon cable together. The shed has to come down and I'm not wanting to buy new wire so I have a solid run to the house. Would regular waterproof crimp on F connectors be suitable for underground and what should I do about the actuator and servo cables?
 
Commercial electrical supply will have a waterproof underground piece you put over splices that has a wax type substance inside them that is activated via a heat gun or propane torch. I can't remember what they are called but a trip to one of these stores would be in order to see what I'm talking about. I used them several years ago when I was working with an electrician so I know they have them.
 
Hello Underground Slice, Think Lone Gunman is right about the Heat tape part. I used that on a 130' RG6 3Ghz run to my Ku 90cm antenna motor. It's been in ground for three years now and working great. I detect no issues with the cable. I went to local Lowes and purchased a small package with small pieces. The actuator wire that I use is (5 Wire) springer wire I got at Home Depot. Again, I have no issues with it underground. Of course, a solid run would be the best if that's possible. North Liberty is pretty close to Plymouth. Didn't know there was FTA'er so close:). My system is not the best , but I get all that I want to watch when I want to watch it.
 
Commercial electrical supply will have a waterproof underground piece you put over splices that has a wax type substance inside them that is activated via a heat gun or propane torch. I can't remember what they are called but a trip to one of these stores would be in order to see what I'm talking about. I used them several years ago when I was working with an electrician so I know they have them.

Look in the section of Lowes, home depot, etc, where the submersible well pumps are, they use these for the wires on them. They're cheap, you can buy a package of four for a few dollars.

These ones aren't the ones that I was thinking of, but it will give you an idea of it. The one I had in mind is thick walled and clear, made specifically for submersible pumps. Looks like these probably would work though.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_447115-48412-68011_0__?productId=4618534&Ntt=pump+wire+heat+shrink&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpump%2Bwire%2Bheat%2Bshrink&facetInfo=

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Flotec-Submersible-Wire-Splice-Kit-TC2172/100195595
 
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How many feet is it that has to be buried. These things other guys mentioned works, but I have also used them and ran into problems once in awhile.
 
Two layers of Scotch 33 slightly stretched, then finish with another that's not stretched. Wrap in one continuous back and forth fashion. Got many around here still working 15+ yrs later. Just make sure you have slack.
Whichever way you go, For 'just in case of', bury a strong magnet just under the surface, directly above the splice. You can locate it later with just a compass.

"waterproof underground piece" Flooded heatshrink? (It's like hotmelt glue inside)
 
FaT Air's post got me to thinking, there is some stuff they sell now called Emergency Repair Tape. In some stores it's in the plumbing department but in others it's in their tape section, sometimes near the paint. It's a rather thick black or dark grey tape with paper on one side that peels off, and it can be used to repair leaks in water or fuel lines. Truck stops sell a lot of it to truck drivers. Homeowners buy it because it can be used as a quick fix if a water line develops a leak, or a garden hose gets punctured. You warp the stuff around whatever you are trying to seal, stretching it a bit and overlapping it more for higher pressure. It must have something in it that activates it (maybe when you stretch it?) because after a little while it is a very tight seal. They sell it as a temporary repair measure but I think a lot of people use it for more or less permanent fixes, particularly on things like hoses.

In your case you are not dealing with water under pressure. You are just trying to keep water out. So what I think I'd do if I had some of that tape and were in your position is to wrap the connections with it and press it down tightly, and then after you have it molded in place, and maybe after it's had an hour or two to firm up a little, overwrap it with something plastic - maybe good quality electrical tape if you have it. That's just to provide a bit of extra protection.

Or you could do what I have done on occasion and embed the entire connection on a big old glob of real silicone caulk (should be 100% real silicone rubber like you buy in a caulk cartridge) If you have a short piece of plastic tubing (irrigation pipe, conduit, etc) that will fit over the wires, slip that over and then just squirt silicone in one end until it comes out the other. Make sure the wires are in the middle of the glob and that there are no gaps between the silicone and the wall of the tubing. Once it dries it will be a very long time before water can penetrate.

Or you could use Emergency Repair Tape, then after a day or two embed that in a glob of silicone rubber. I doubt you will live long enough to see water that's not pressurized penetrate that.
 
Splicing cables in general is problematic; mainly because even waterproofing does not work "perfectly" because of moisture in the air is already in the new cable when you put it in. Every few years, it will get into the cable and cause the picture to go out. I have had to fix many, if not all I have tried myself; and find others too many times to recommend it. All the posts here in this thread, however, are the way to make one last for a year or more; but sooner or later (depending how many times your sprinklers soak where it is at) it will fail. Cable is 1.50-3.00 per foot; time and aggrevations of the problems that will haunt you may be more trouble than it is worth (and you won't have a splice causing any troubles anymore). I liked keeping my splices above the ground so they never got "held in moisture" and they worked the longest for me; but they always "failed" after a year or so; and nobody will gaurantee cable from waters ingress, let alone a splice in one. Besides, soon Obamacare will add dentistry to his plan; and even dentists will be "assured" of payments. And on your new 50 foot screen; why see any problems dtv has compared to original broadcasts!
 
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