Electrical tape: 33+ or Cheapo?

Electrical tape: 33+ or Cheapo?

  • 33+ only (The boss buys it - I don't care)

    Votes: 9 7.6%

  • Only good stuff like: 33+, 88, 170 and/or phase tape

    Votes: 32 27.1%

  • 33+ for insulating, whatever I grab for everything else

    Votes: 57 48.3%

  • Cheapo tape for everything

    Votes: 20 16.9%
  • Total voters
    118
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e57 said:
Temflex for all but phasing. (33 on phasing) Most things do not require tape at all.... Mostly use for bundleing and pulling, general use...

And rarely if I need tape for kerneys or such, rubber puddy tape (Sctotchfil?), and a few layers of 33.

NEVER USE COLORED (EPECIALLY WHITE) TAPE FOR PULLING! It leads to a dangerous situation if confused with phasing....
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I've used white tape during pulling for easy ID in order to see it easier ... I never pull energized lines so as to risk safety of myself, equipment or others .
Carl :)
 
I use cheap tape for serving pulls, Scotch 33 or 88 for permanent terminations and cuts on hands and fingers, however, I prefer marking tape for cuts because it doesn't leave black rings on your fingers when you take it off. :)

Roger
 
I didn't vote because my choice isnt' listed:

Good stuff for where it counts (phase identification, or elsewhere it is permanent), cheapo stuff for small wire pulls, covering photocells for testing, etc..
 
When we use a sock for a pull, lots of times we use a couple of wraps of heavy visqueen Clear plastic heavy duty wrap) around the head, and tape it. When we get to the end of a pull, just cut off the poly water and grime soaked plastic around the head to expose a nice clean sock for the next pull!
 
I buy a box of 33+ every few months and my guys hide it for when it counts. I always have plenty of 1700 around which is fine for 99% of what we need tape for.
 
Rockyd said:
When we use a sock for a pull, lots of times we use a couple of wraps of heavy visqueen Clear plastic heavy duty wrap) around the head, and tape it. When we get to the end of a pull, just cut off the poly water and grime soaked plastic around the head to expose a nice clean sock for the next pull!
Click to expand...
Try this,cut a piece of tie wire a foot longer than the plastic wrapping tie one end to the head and lay it alongside the sock then wrap your plastic over the sock and tie wire leaving the wire tail exposed when you are done with the pull grab the tie wire tail with your kliens and pull the tie wire through the plastic quick and easy.
 
"I buy a box of 33+ every few months and my guys hide it for when it counts. I always have plenty of 1700 around which is fine for 99% of what we need tape for"

That Left Coast guy is on my frequency.

Never taped the head of a large wire pull. Just strip out 18" of each conductor, save out a few strands of each, double 'em back through the sampson rope, wrap 'em around the whole bundle, tighen'em up with the nines, and give 'em hell. Largest we've ever pulled was 750, but never lost a pull.

Happy New Year Everyone and Best Wishes
 
HighWirey said:
Never taped the head of a large wire pull. Just strip out 18" of each conductor, save out a few strands of each, double 'em back through the sampson rope, wrap 'em around the whole bundle, tighen'em up with the nines, and give 'em hell. Largest we've ever pulled was 750, but never lost a pull.

Happy New Year Everyone and Best Wishes
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I do my heads the same way, but give it a few wraps of tape to keep everything tight.

Use the cheap stuff for almost everything. That is what the boss buys.
 
petersonra said:
when I was in china a few years ago, the electrical tape they had did not have adhesive. they would wrap and tie the ends in knots.

we left the few rolls of black tape we brought with us in the electricians hands. you woulkd have thought it was gold.

they had no wire nuts either. they stripped the wires back and tied the wires together. the knot was very tight and near impossible to open up. the mexicans did the same thing, but had tape with adhesive on it.
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OMG, I thought I had seen it all. Doing mainly just maintenance, I have seen quite a few knee slappers and nightmares, but that's the cherry!
 
Carl Ewing said:
I've used white tape during pulling for easy ID in order to see it easier ... I never pull energized lines so as to risk safety of myself, equipment or others .
Carl :)
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Nor will I pull energized, but the 'NEVER WHITE' rule was passed on to me early. I have only broken that rule once - and it nearly killed a lineman connecting my service work. (I have since followed the rule religiously) A peice of white was stuck to a hot, so when they got re-identified at a weatherhead - another guy/'cook in the kitchen' marked it white - which resulted in another (the actual neutral) being identified as a hot. Later that stormy evening the poco came to connect and the guy hooked up the open conductor marked white as the neutral, then proceeded with the others until BLAM!

Sure you can mark them before you pull - but white tape only goes on the neutral, and the neutral only....

Rule #2 - always ring out conductors to confirm what they are...
 
e57 said:
Nor will I pull energized, but the 'NEVER WHITE' rule was passed on to me early. I have only broken that rule once - and it nearly killed a lineman connecting my service work. (I have since followed the rule religiously) A peice of white was stuck to a hot, so when they got re-identified at a weatherhead - another guy/'cook in the kitchen' marked it white - which resulted in another (the actual neutral) being identified as a hot. Later that stormy evening the poco came to connect and the guy hooked up the open conductor marked white as the neutral, then proceeded with the others until BLAM!

Sure you can mark them before you pull - but white tape only goes on the neutral, and the neutral only....

Rule #2 - always ring out conductors to confirm what they are...
Click to expand...

e57,
That's a good enough reason to change , thanks . I guess for safety sake when I want a light color for seeing easily I'll use another color such as the seldom used tan. Normally I pull or cut off the tape after a pull but as you mentioned, someone else could come along, perhaps while I'm gone to lunch, and not knowingly miswire things.
Carl :)
 
Little off topic here kids. Still talking about tape though.

Ever watch This Old House?

Richard Trethewey, the HVAC contractor on the show, is my hero. He is an accomplished mechanical contractor, knows a lot about his trade. Showed me a lot of new stuff. But I still get a big thrill watching him attempt to wrap teflon tape on a piece of pipe. You all hide and watch, and report back.

Happy New Year Everyone and Best Wishes
 
Rewire said:
Try this,cut a piece of tie wire a foot longer than the plastic wrapping tie one end to the head and lay it alongside the sock then wrap your plastic over the sock and tie wire leaving the wire tail exposed when you are done with the pull grab the tie wire tail with your kliens and pull the tie wire through the plastic quick and easy.
Click to expand...

I learned something similar to this when I was a first year apprentice. It works with just duct tape too. We always tie wire the sock to the wire on long hard pulls. Then I usually tie a piece of tie wire from the head of the sock and leave about six inches sticking out past the sock. I tape the whole sock from top to bottom leaving the tie wire just sticking out the end. After the pull just grab the tie wire and pull. It cuts right through the duct tape from top to bottom. Peel the tape off with the same result nice clean sock for the next pull.

I have seen a ton of guys tape the sock with out using a rip cord. If you have ever done this it is a pain to cut the duct tape off with a knife.
 
i hate it when someone uses colored tape for pulling or tying up bundles of wire or snakes or what not.. my boss hates it even more. my boss bought a box of no name brand electrical tape i think he paid 20 cents a roll or something like that and i love the stuff
 
I do a fair amount of old work, and regularly use old cables to pull in new cables and so fourth. These are pulls that I really only get one try at to make it. I want good tape for that. Plus, sometimes it took me so long to get my string or fish stick from A to B for fished in circuits in old work, that it would be a rotten shame if my pull were to come off. For this reason, for old work, 33 is my choice.

I normally tape up the head of large pulls, but I reach for duct tape for that purpose. For run of the mill pulling in conduit, I don't normally use much tape at all.
 
480sparky said:
I didn't vote because my choice isnt' listed:

Good stuff for where it counts (phase identification, or elsewhere it is permanent), cheapo stuff for small wire pulls, covering photocells for testing, etc..
Click to expand...

480! Re-read the third choice and go back and vote...



By them books and send them to school, and what do they do?
 
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