500MCM THHN/THWN

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pepinbox

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I noticed one of the phases on a 480VAC three phase MCC power feed appeared to have a damaged outer jacket, but the insulation underneath the outer sleeve appeared undamaged. Is the outer sleeve extra protection for pulling the cable through conduit, and do I need to have it repaired or replaced, or is it no problem since the wire insulation is intact?
 

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LEO2854

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I noticed one of the phases on a 480VAC three phase MCC power feed appeared to have a damaged outer jacket, but the insulation underneath the outer sleeve appeared undamaged. Is the outer sleeve extra protection for pulling the cable through conduit, and do I need to have it repaired or replaced, or is it no problem since the wire insulation is intact?


I would just wrap that with rubber splicing tape it will be just fine..:thumbsup:
 

Jraef

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THHN (Thermoplastic High Heat Nylon coated) uses a thinner layer of PVC (the Thermoplastic) insulation that other types of cable in order to make it thinner and take up less space. But the cost of that thinner insulation is an increased risk of deterioration and leakage if exposed to environmental contaminates. That's what the Nylon jacket is for (it's a common misconception that it's only there for pulling, that's a side benefit). So with the insulation exposed like that, it will not last as long as the intact ones, guaranteeing that this will be the first one to fail. How long that will take is totally dependent upon the level of contaminants, but don't be fooled by thinking there are NONE, that is never the case in the real world. Out gassing of other materials, INCLUDING PAINTS AND CLEANERS, all contribute at some level.

So like he said, re-wrapping it will help, but unless you use something as good or better than the nylon it was designed with, it's still going to be compromised. Regular splicing tape is NOT going to be as good or better. Scotch 2234 Cable Jacket Repair Tape is listed as compatible with THHN, but if the actual insulation is damaged too, you have to use 23 on that FIRST. Many heat shrink sleeves will also be as good or better, but you would have to remove the conductor from the terminal.
 

roger

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That's what the Nylon jacket is for (it's a common misconception that it's only there for pulling, that's a side benefit).
Can you provide back up to that?

Roger
 

infinity

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Nothing is required. You could remove the damaged section of nylon and it will not compromise the integrity of the insulation.
 

petersonra

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common black tape is listed to repair insulation damage. I would just repair it and not worry about it that much. that is primarily what the tape is made for.
 

Jraef

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Can you provide back up to that?

Roger

I learned it in a seminar put on by Alcan Wire maybe 15+ years ago during a Water/Wastewater convention I was presenting at and filling in my time by attending other presentations. I also heard a similar thing during training on Canusa Heat Shrink product use that I had to attend for a project at Seattle City Light, because they would ONLY accept a specific type of Canusa heat shrink repair sleave, as it turned out it was for that specific reason (Canusa was a competitor to Raychem at the time, but Raychem eventually bought them). I looked for something again now to corraborate this and although I found some references that allude to it, nothing solid, as in the form of a White Paper or anything. I did find an FAQ page from Southwire that specifically says the exact opposite though. So I suppose if I can't prove it, I'll retract it.

Interesting that there are, however, such polar opposite views on something so basic as to why a conductor insulation system is designed in such a way. Makes me wonder if the original intent has been "lost to history" already. I looked at the UL specs, but all they address are the testing requirements, nothing about intent.

By the way, turns out this is an old debate, with the same level of disagreement it appears.
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=95127
 
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