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tonype

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New one for me... due to water entry into the main panel, silicone caulk was used to fill the SEC connection. Is this legit? Or would it violate 110.12(C)?
 

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Maybe I have incorrect reference...but the content is similar to the following:

“Internal parts of electrical equipment, including busbars, wiring terminals, insulators, and other surfaces, cannot be damaged or contaminated by foreign materials such as paint, plaster, cleaners, abrasives, or corrosive residues. There shall be no damaged parts that may adversely affect safe operation or mechanical strength of the equipment such as parts that are broken; bent; cut; or deteriorated by corrosion, chemical action, or overheating.”
 
Yes Tony, i see that now in (B) , and i'll agree certain substances may result in damage

BUT, recent code cycles have focused on thermal barriers , so if that SEU comes from outside on into the main panel, one could argue it compliant to seal it off as well


~RJ~
 
Thanks... the SEC outer sheathing is deteriorated and the source of the water... the silicone caulk was way to keep water out of the panel, since the panel suffered water entry/corrosion prior to the caulk (panel has a host of other problems)
 

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Having caulked the lowest point of the SEC, I can only assume it is now filled with water up to wherever the water is gaining entrance.
 
I would have more of an issue of how water was entering the panel. All that will happen with this fix is, that water will gather in the conduit.
 
At one time GE had, and maybe still does, a silicone caulk for use with electrical enclosures. Standard silicone gives off acetic acid that can corrode the copper and other metals in the panel and breakers.
[/quote]According to Silicones: Chemistry and Corrosion, “Single part silicone sealers generally contain a cross-linking catalyst (such as a tin compound) that is activated upon exposure to moisture in the air.” When acetic acid is released, it attacks and corrodes metals such as copper, zinc, brass, and galvanized steel.[/quote]
 
This is the only product that I'm aware of that is made for this purpose: [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]https://www.polywater.com/product-category/polywater-sealants-selection/
Not sure why my links are not active but just copy a paste.
[/FONT]
 
texie said:
I'm not understanding.
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This is what your post looks like to the forum;
PHP: 
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif][SIZE=3]https://www.polywater.com/product-category/polywater-sealants-selection/
Not sure why my links are not active but just copy a paste.
[/SIZE][/FONT]
 
infinity said:
I see no issue with it unless the sealant will damage the conductors.
Click to expand...
Me 2

cowboyjwc said:
I would have more of an issue of how water was entering the panel. All that will happen with this fix is, that water will gather in the conduit.
Click to expand...
OP has SE cable there, but damaged sheath is letting water in. The real issue here is the damaged sheath, the caulk at the bottom end just is a temp fix to keep water out of panel.

oldsparky52 said:
Around here inspectors ask if it's listed to be used on the conductors. AFAIK, no one has tested it nor spent the money to have it listed.
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OP has SE cable, but is typical "duct seal" tested and listed for such purposes? I'm guessing in most cases no.



Acid given off during curing is only a problem during curing and is temporary. completely different than if a panelboard is installed in a highly corrosive environment and constantly exposed to such conditions.

That said, silicone caulk is about the worst thing to have to try to remove if you ever need to pull those conductors or add additional conductors, but is a very effective sealant.

I have also run into RTD probes that come with a small tube of silicone caulk to seal raceway entries to the wiring compartment. If corrosion is going to be a problem from the small amount of acid given off when this cures, this low voltage, low current application is a bad place to use such a thing for something that has pretty high accuracy, I don't buy the silicone is bad for the panel theory, there is probably going to be worse things that will happen to that panel through it's useful life in many cases.
 
kwired said:
Me 2

OP has SE cable there, but damaged sheath is letting water in. The real issue here is the damaged sheath, the caulk at the bottom end just is a temp fix to keep water out of panel.

OP has SE cable, but is typical "duct seal" tested and listed for such purposes? I'm guessing in most cases no.



Acid given off during curing is only a problem during curing and is temporary. completely different than if a panelboard is installed in a highly corrosive environment and constantly exposed to such conditions.

That said, silicone caulk is about the worst thing to have to try to remove if you ever need to pull those conductors or add additional conductors, but is a very effective sealant.

I have also run into RTD probes that come with a small tube of silicone caulk to seal raceway entries to the wiring compartment. If corrosion is going to be a problem from the small amount of acid given off when this cures, this low voltage, low current application is a bad place to use such a thing for something that has pretty high accuracy, I don't buy the silicone is bad for the panel theory, there is probably going to be worse things that will happen to that panel through it's useful life in many cases.
Click to expand...
Where did you get all this information?
 
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