I read of this on another forum. I've sealed underground cable junctions up too 100 amps / 480V with butyl kits before; there are huge bulk things and I never associated them with marine application.
Ordinarily, we seal wire junctions in damp locations using either a junction box or adhesive lined fittings. If multiple wires must join, it's a challenge to make this compact. A few days ago I was installing some equipment, and ran into a new (to me) problem. The insulation was so thick it would not fit a normal Ancor crimp of the correct size.
What about using a thin wrap of butly under non-adhisive heat shrink? I tried this on a 3-wire junction (it's not difficult to work the butyl between the wires) on deck as well. It seemed to seal to seal up very well. I didn't have tape thin enough for the job, so I used what I had and sort of rolled it out, which is simple. THe heat shrink holds everything very neatly in place.
My primary concern is heat; the butyl can melt and flow easily. I'm not concerned in this case, since these were low amp cables associate with solar panels and were over sized for low voltage drop. They are located where fire danger is nil. In underground cable usage, of course, heat is dissipated to the soil and fire risk is zero. However, I wouldn't be so comfortable with this splice in a high-load line buried back in a panel somewhere.
Thoughts? Is there some better adhesive to use? I can imagine trying to work with polyurethane under heat shrink and doubt it would do as well.
Ordinarily, we seal wire junctions in damp locations using either a junction box or adhesive lined fittings. If multiple wires must join, it's a challenge to make this compact. A few days ago I was installing some equipment, and ran into a new (to me) problem. The insulation was so thick it would not fit a normal Ancor crimp of the correct size.
What about using a thin wrap of butly under non-adhisive heat shrink? I tried this on a 3-wire junction (it's not difficult to work the butyl between the wires) on deck as well. It seemed to seal to seal up very well. I didn't have tape thin enough for the job, so I used what I had and sort of rolled it out, which is simple. THe heat shrink holds everything very neatly in place.
My primary concern is heat; the butyl can melt and flow easily. I'm not concerned in this case, since these were low amp cables associate with solar panels and were over sized for low voltage drop. They are located where fire danger is nil. In underground cable usage, of course, heat is dissipated to the soil and fire risk is zero. However, I wouldn't be so comfortable with this splice in a high-load line buried back in a panel somewhere.
Thoughts? Is there some better adhesive to use? I can imagine trying to work with polyurethane under heat shrink and doubt it would do as well.