[TowerTalk] Coax joint weather sealing

[k7lxc at aol.com]

>  My pain, and really it is a pain is the evil goo that resides with a
joint. I believe the joints have been sealed with a 'traditional' method involving some thick butyl rubber compound directly on the connectors followed by a PVC tape over wrap. The local conditions see typically 30-50 degrees C daytime temperatures and the joints were made maybe 7 years ago.
>  In removing the PVC tape I am confronted by a sticky gooey oozing evil mess that sticks to everything and renders working on the joint a positive nightmare. There are no known gloves that can be used as the adhesive qualities of the evil goo pull even the most tightly stretched powdered gloves from fingers in a second.
Hiya, Martin -
    Sounds like you ran into some CoaxSeal. US made commercial vapor wrap (not CoaxSeal) is a long term solution so you must've gotten some local product. My condolences.

    The moral of the story is to put down a layer of electrical tape on the connection first and then put the vapor wrap over the tape. A finishing layer of electrical tape is recommended. This will negate any potential CoaxSeal or typical inferior product problems
    Commercial installers sometimes use clear acrylic spray paint to coat the joint. Of course this advice won't help with your immediate problem but it's a place to start with subsequent installations.

Cheers & GL,Steve     K7LXCTOWER TECH