Post by: Gary Fitzpatrick on January 12, 2018, 01:20:09 PM
Post by: David Allred on January 12, 2018, 01:24:30 PM
I have been tasked to deal with a recurring problem in a chapel close to me. There are three XLR sockets located on a small step up to the main sanctuary part of the church. One of these sockets seems to suffer from rising damp. About three years ago I covered the solder connectors on the socket with "Wonder Gel" (http://www.raytech.it/product/low-voltage/wonder-gel?lang=en). This insulating gel cured the problem, but it is back again, despite the gel. Is there any other solution for insulating the connectors on the back of the xlr faceplate?
Is it in a plenum or directly exposed to conditioned cold air that might cause temp differential and condensation?
Post by: Gary Fitzpatrick on January 12, 2018, 02:11:32 PM
Chapel is only heated for two hours per day which is adding to the problem
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Post by: Adam Kane on January 12, 2018, 04:40:26 PM
It’s sunk directly into the concrete floor. Cables are run inside buried conduit.
Chapel is only heated for two hours per day which is adding to the problem
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The condensation is coming inside the conduit...which is pretty common. Try closing the end of the conduit off with expanding foam or silicone. Makes it a bit of a pain to pull additional wiring through later, but helps keep the moisture out of the box.
Post by: Gary Fitzpatrick on January 13, 2018, 05:35:44 AM
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Post by: Joseph D. Macry on January 19, 2018, 10:34:08 AM
It’s sunk directly into the concrete floor. Cables are run inside buried conduit.I would suspect there is standing water inside the underground conduit. Can sometimes be cleaned out with a shop vac, but hard to get a good seal with cable in the way.
Post by: Scott Holtzman on January 19, 2018, 10:51:57 AM
I would suspect there is standing water inside the underground conduit. Can sometimes be cleaned out with a shop vac, but hard to get a good seal with cable in the way.
I would blow it out with a compressor rather than try and suck it out.
Post by: Rob Spence on January 19, 2018, 02:05:31 PM
I would blow it out with a compressor rather than try and suck it out.I would check the other end to see where the water will spray
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Post by: Scott Holtzman on January 19, 2018, 02:53:38 PM
I would check the other end to see where the water will spray
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What Rob said, it can be putrid too
Post by: Erik Jerde on January 19, 2018, 08:13:53 PM
The condensation is coming inside the conduit...which is pretty common. Try closing the end of the conduit off with expanding foam or silicone. Makes it a bit of a pain to pull additional wiring through later, but helps keep the moisture out of the box.
I’d just grab a block of duct seal and shove some of that in there. That’s what it’s for and it’s not the pain-in-the-ass that foam or silicone would be. You can get it at Home Depot or your electrical supply shop.
Post by: Rob Spence on January 20, 2018, 04:08:53 PM
I’d just grab a block of duct seal and shove some of that in there. That’s what it’s for and it’s not the pain-in-the-ass that foam or silicone would be. You can get it at Home Depot or your electrical supply shop.
+1
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Post by: Scott Holtzman on January 20, 2018, 04:11:02 PM
+1
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You mean firestop?
Post by: Rob Spence on January 20, 2018, 04:21:50 PM
You mean firestop?
No, duct seal. It is like a putty like modeling clay. It never hardens. I still have some from 1974 that is fine. I am blanking on the trade name.
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Post by: Hal Bissinger/COMSYSTEC on January 20, 2018, 04:59:04 PM
No, duct seal. It is like a putty like modeling clay. It never hardens. I still have some from 1974 that is fine. I am blanking on the trade name.
DUCT SEAL (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-1-lb-Block-Duct-Seal-Compound-Standard-Pack-6-Blocks-31-601/300496860?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-VF-PLA-D27E-Electrical%7c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImv_MwcTn2AIVAlYNCh3KaAySEAQYASABEgIGEvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CK-4gMjE59gCFYpGNwodaN4EqA)
-Hal
Post by: Erik Jerde on January 21, 2018, 02:08:15 AM
No, duct seal. It is like a putty like modeling clay. It never hardens. I still have some from 1974 that is fine. I am blanking on the trade name.
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It does get stiffer but I’ve never had it become unusable. Just this past fall at my in-laws I pulled some out of a hole we were patching up and used it to seal some new conduit. Worked great, had probably been there for a decade, exposed to the MN weather and all.