vinyl tape

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junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
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EE, power electronics specialty
Have used the low cost vinyl tapes (e.g 25 cents a roll from HF, etc) for years on 120/240 applications. Only rating on those rolls is UL5903.

Never a problem, so why use $5 a roll tape?

Obviously, if repairing an 11kV generator connection box will use only a HV specialty tape, but for 120/208, or even 277/480, has anyone ever witnessed a UL5903 rated tape failure? I've returned to some applications made over 20 years ago and still intact.

I have seen some vinyl tape wrap jobs on wire bundles in engine compartments or under cars that are coming loose, but obviously made by someone who never applied tension (or applied stikum side up), but that is a different story.

Thought I'd throw this post up as thought of the topic based on a different recent tape job post related to code compliance.
 
I have never been a fan of high dollar tape. I usually bought the vinyl tape wrapped in plastic at the supply house.
I had a customer years ago that specified Scotch 33 anywhere in their facilities. Thought it was a waste of money.
 
Cheap tape

Cheap tape

As long as my company lets me buy my tape-it's 3M #33 always. I do use the cheap stuff for taping together wires for pulling.

So am I a little anal? Only Klein screwdrivers & wire strippers/crimpers/nut drivers in my tool bag. Yeah I guess I am a little.

Call me a snob all day. :)
 
I have found that Super 33+ is much better in the cold. I guess I am a 'tape snob' as I don't find cheap HF tape to come even close to real 3M Super 33+.

That's the key, use junk tape during the winter and you end up just wrapping the stuff with a piece of vinyl that doesn't stick. We use 3M Temflex 1700 which is a good balance between cheap and usable. I prefer using colored tape instead of black because you can write on it and the glue doesn't stay on the wire when you take it off.
 
I hate cheap tape because I do a lot of old work. Snaking wires absolutely requires good tape and I learned this many years ago now. It's just not worth it to me to buy junk tape.
 
I use the cheap stuff for almost everything except insulating split bolts and the like. Then it's Super 33+ over rubber tape.
 
budget tape ends up sliding off, unwinding, all while leaving some sticky goo behind. I would not expect it to stay where you left it a year after the application. Plus, what others said -- heat and cold resistance, especially when applying.
 
Get it full of perspiration and see how it holds.
33+ yes, very cold 88, we call the cheap stuff 1700
 
49 outside as I type this.

It gets so cold here insulation on THWN will split if you bend it too tight. I have seen it happen on 2/0 copper we were trying to pull into a meter socket. IIRC, it was a few degrees below 0.
There is information out there that says thermoplastic insulated conductors and cables should not be handled below 14°F because of that possibility. Thermoset, like XHHW, insulation does not have that limitation, however it gets very stiff a the lower temperatures.
 
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