Wire splices Cancel The title field is required!

1. Tim Campbell

   

   0 posts
   
   6/24/2015 12:06 AM

   I have a decoder system in South Florida that was installed in 2009. We constantly have problems with wire splices that are full of rust. There is nothing wrong with the way the splices were done and installed. This past weekend on Sunday a portion of the irrigation system was not working and in the process of trouble shooting I found three splices that were a year to a year and half old. Each was full of rust. They were located in valve boxes. None of them were in low areas that would ever be flooded. 99 percent of the time we cut the splice out and make a new one and the issue is solved.
   The golf course has a road that runs thru the middle of it. This issue hardly ever happens on the west side of the course boarding the inter coastal were the soil is very mucky. The majority of the times we have this issue its on the east side of the course. The soil on the east side is beach sand on the holes along the ocean and the rest of the holes are just a mixture of beach sand and rocky soil. My water source is a mix of fresh water located on site and brackish water from the Floridian aquifer that mixes with it in the lake. Typically the water from the aquifer is 4500-5000 ppm/ tds.
   Has anyone used anything besides dbr/y kits for wire splices? My pump station electricians have recommended I try Scotchkote. I am attaching some pictures that are a few years old to give an example of what we are seeing.

   
   
   
   
2. Schott Matthew

   
   6/24/2015 9:06 AM

   I think what we use is called scotchkote. They are little plastic bags with a 2 part epoxy that mixes upon opening. Works great, never had one go bad. That being said, those are only on the large wire splices, not on control wires and commons for individual heads.

   
   
   
   
3. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   6/24/2015 9:06 AM

   Thats really weird. what is causing the rust? is it the spring inside the wire nut? copper should not rust just tarnish and that spring is the only other thing in the set up that can rust. Maybe look for better wire nuts. it may be worth it to use the blue ones with the paste inside of them to water proof the connection (there sold at most hardware stores). Maybe they have a stainless steel spring in them. anyway they should still slide inside of your DBR/Y connections which I would still use.

   
   
   
   
4. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   6/27/2015 10:06 AM

   I have used scotchcote a lot in other waterproofing applications...it is a mess, and don't plan to work on it again. You will need to cut out the entire thing if you have to get back at it. If using it, I would go back with your direct burial tubes and wire nuts, then scotchcote the end of the tube to seal it.

   
   
   
   
5. Daniel Stover

   

   0 posts
   
   6/30/2015 4:06 PM

   Check these out...when I installed irrigation at Seccession the irrigation tech was using these. Slick stuff
   
   http://www.bdloops.com/Splice_Kit_Instructions_V1-0.pdf

   
   
   
   
6. John Vuknic

   

   0 posts
   
   6/30/2015 7:06 PM

   I would try splicing with no dbr/y and just use a wire but and some electrical tape. You may have a bad batch of dbr/it's. Worst that could happen is it doesn't work. Good luck.