[TowerTalk] Waterproofing "downhill" tape wrap

[James]

Steve (K7LXC) made a good clarification on what I posted about wrapping
the last layer of tape over connectors.

>  Always wrap "downhill" like roofing shingles to keep out water.

    All excellent tips. The last wrap of tape should go UP, then you get the
shingle-like overlapping wraps.

Cheers,
Steve (K7LXC)

Thanks Steve for pointing that out. I should have phrased that as - "Start
your LAST wrap at the BOTTOM of the connector and wrap your way UP, that 
way you'll get the "downhill" overlapping effect like roofing shingles."

And for gooping Scotch Coat over the connector - This was discussed here
about a month ago. Someone said that they've had good results up north,
but down here in Texas, it erodes after a year or two and is no longer
effective. I've used yellow Plastic Dip "Spray on Coating" to provide
temporary protection of outdoor video connectors that I re-enter about 
twice a year to change video feeds, so I don't know how durable it for
a longer period. Black might last longer, but yellow was easier to find
the connector in the dark. I used some Star Brite black liquid electrical
coating on my dish feedline last year, but haven't checked on it since. 
Both products are sold at Home Depot. YMMV

I wouldn't recommend silicone glue as a sealer as it will eventually
pull loose from the vinyl coax jacket - the plasticsisers in the vinyl
act a mold-release agent. Try gluing something on your car dashboard and 
it will pop off in about a year. Try using it on a plexiglass aquarium
and you'll be mopping water up in about a year.

A trade magazine reported that a saltwater distillation plant solved its
connector corrosion problems by wrapping them with tape, then gooping 
silicone glue over the tape, and followed with another layer of tape.

------------------------------------------------------
My original post:

>The biggest potential problem is water entry. Proper water proofing has
>already been discussed and someone had a link a a manufacture's applications
>page. Basically you'll want to do a single layer of half inch tape (the
>courtesy wrap - as the next layer of butyl rubber will adhere to the 
>outer jacket to the point it will never come off, its called "self-fusing"
>for a good reason!), next comes the butyl rubber layer and its shaped like 
>a football, then several layers of one inch wide tape, followed by two 
>wraps of half inch again. Always wrap "downhill" like roofing shingles to 
>keep out water. Never pull the tape to cut it, use a knife or scissors.
>Don't stretch the last layer too tight, just pull it about an inch extra.