Stopped using gel filled connectors on direct burial drops and never looked back

I got sick of fighting with those gel filled connectors last summer on a job down in Naples. The stuff gets everywhere and if you don't get the seal perfect, water still finds its way in after a year. So I tried using heat shrink with a built in adhesive layer on a couple of tricky underground runs instead. Three months later I went back to check and those connections were bone dry while the gel ones nearby had corrosion starting. I learned that the heat shrink costs more up front like an extra $2 per connection but saves you a return trip easy. Has anyone else swapped over or found a better trick for keeping moisture out of underground taps?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly63822d ago

Those gel connectors are trash once any moisture gets past the seal, and that's what @cora518 learned the hard way when they pulled that bug-infested one out of the ground.

cora51822d ago

Heat shrink with adhesive has been my go-to for a few years now. A buddy of mine in the same line of work turned me onto it after he pulled a gel connector out of the ground that was full of water and bugs. The upfront cost stings a little but I've never had to redo one since. One thing to watch out for is making sure the cable is completely dry before you shrink it down or the adhesive won't bond right. I also wrap a layer of silicone tape over the ends just for peace of mind.

piper77922d ago

Oh man, "full of water and bugs" - that visual is going to haunt me next time I'm out in the yard poking at connections. I can just picture some poor bug swimming around in there like it found a new condo. Your buddy pulling that out must've been the moment he switched teams forever. You make a solid point about the cable needing to be bone dry first, that's the kind of detail people skip because they're impatient and then wonder why things fail. The silicone tape on top sounds like overkill but honestly, I'm the same way with a lot of my projects - a little extra insurance never hurt anyone, especially when you consider the alternative is digging it all back up later. At least with the adhesive heat shrink you know the bugs are gonna have a harder time setting up camp in there.