Cable Jacket Repair Kit Provides Permanent Waterproof Seal
Polywater’s CJR Cable Jacket Repair kit is a “durable, easy-to-use solution to repair communication cable jacket damage,” the company explains. The two-part kit provides a permanent, high-strength, protective, waterproof seal coating to lacerations in communications cable.
“The flexible seal provides protection from further wear and water ingress, mitigating risk of outages,” Polywater further states. It is designed to adhere to common outside plant (OSP) cable jacket materials and to cure in a wide range of ambient temperatures. It is appropriate for both aerial and underground applications, and allows for cable movement without peeling or cracking.
Its syringe package enables tool-less application. Each package contains enough material for multiple repairs.
Polywater has produced a step-by-step instruction sheet for the CJR kit, which prescribes the following steps.
- Identify the defect in the cable jacket and ensure no fibers within the cable are damaged.
- Clean the portion of the cable jacket to be repaired with a solvent wipe to remove any contamination, then let the surface dry.
- Remove the syringe plug by rotating it 90 degrees counterclockwise and pulling it straight off. Replace the syringe plug after expelling material. This will allow for reuse of the syringe in another application within 30 days.
- Onto a clean disposable surface, expel a 1-inch-sized portion of Part A and Part B of the sealant.
- Mix the expelled material with a mixing stick (provided) for 15 to 30 seconds until the blend becomes a uniform black color.
- Use the mixing stick to carefully apply the mixture to the repair area. Cover the defect plus one-half-inch on each side, then coat the entire circumference of the repair area. The coating should be about 1/16th-inch thick consistently around the cable. The working time is approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
- The material will thicken over 10 to 15 minutes to a drip-free coating. The coating will remain tacky for 2 to 3 hours.
- Optionally, the CJR repair can be covered immediately by wrapping the cable with vinyl electrical tape. If doing so, start ¼-inch past the edge of the repair and wind the tape around the cable, overlapping the previous wrap by half with each turn. Use minimal tension when winding tape to prevent squeeze-out of the CJR material. Continue wrapping ¼-inch past the edge of the repair. Any CJR compound that squeezes out between turns of the tape can be wiped away or left to cure on the surface. Cable may be buried or handled immediately after taping.