Underground Al Service Insulation damage

[Rex Hungerford]

Underground service wires were damaged by ditchwick. Two had to be spliced. The neutral has a nick in the casing down to the conductor but has not damage the conductor.

Is it better to squeeze deox into the insulation, then tape. Or cut the wire and splice with a Polaris NSIISPBS350 2P

 

[ActionDave]

Cut, butt spliced, and heat shrink. Never have had to dig up a failed one.

 

[Rex Hungerford]

I splices it . I used a made for the purpose wet location splices. I hate splicing underground.

 

[hbiss]

Depending on soil alkalinity, aluminum can corrode severely in a short time. I have seen the situation you describe cause the conductor to open in only a few weeks. I have a feeling that electrolysis caused by the voltage on the exposed conductor to ground accelerated the corrosion. That conductor should have been treated the same as the other two current carrying conductors even though the conductor itself wasn't cut or it was the neutral.

-Hal

 

[ptonsparky]

We would Scotch Kote bruised insulation then tape and repeat. Nicks that extended to conductor, the same treatment if we did it with a shovel while cleaning out the trench. Anything that had been there for moisture to enter, compression splice and heat shrink. We were starting to use Gel wraps more often.

 

[Rex Hungerford]

It was dry and I thought a good tape would work. I did not have good tape and the client already bought a splice kit rated for wet locations.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Depending on soil alkalinity, aluminum can corrode severely in a short time.

Around here where everything was filled in with coal ash for at least 150 years, one little nick and the aluminum fails in no time

 

[Little Bill]

It will fail in short time unless spliced with the correct underground splice. I had a client that lost one leg to a barn. I made it so he could just use the other leg since he didn't have any 240V loads. It was probably 2 weeks later he called and said he lost all power.
I located the bad section. Turns out the conductors were hit when a fence was put in.

Moral of the story, any Al wire damaged underground will fail in short order unless spliced and sealed.

 

[ptonsparky]

WE located several faults in a feeder to an irrigation well. The well guys said they would repair but complained there was no damage at one location. I felt along it until I found a small hole on the bottom side, cut, stripped and showed them the damaged conductor. They replaced the entire length. If we took the time to flag, we could be within 1/4 to 1/2 inch depending on the depth.

 

[electrofelon]

Like Tom i would have no problem repairing with top quality tape like 88, and then scotch coat.