Contact Cleaning and Preservatives

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bobkatz

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Joined
Jun 25, 2006
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138
Location
Orlando
I did a search for similar terms and it came up virtually empty so I'm jumping in to start a new thread.

My main motivation is to ask about an electricians' practice of deoxidizing connections, especially high current connections used in outdoor conditions inside service entrances, but we can expand this to discuss contact issues in all connections, low voltage ones and the like, as I'm a user of "Stabilant 22" and I think it works.

But anyway, to my main question:

As some of you may know, I've purchased a 16 kW whole house generator to help deal with the Florida blackouts during hurricane season. I hope we don't get any before August 26th because ironically, I have to wait till then for the LP (Liquid Propane) tank to be delivered and installed! There's that much of a waiting list.

But in the meantime, I'm rewiring the service entrance and installing the Automatic Transfer switch. I've never done any major splicing of #4 gauge and larger cables and so I asked the home depot electrical guy for advice. He told me to get an aluminum "splice block". It consists of a hollow aluminum tube with two screws and you strip the ends of the wires and put it in there and screw it down. Simple.

But he also advised I coat the wires with this greasy black stuff! Brand name: IDEAL. Description: NOALOX. Anti-oxidant Joint Compound. Instructions: 1. Coat wires with compund and work in with emery cloth or wire brush. 2. Fill contact surface of connector with compund and apply per connector manufacturer's instructions. 3. wipe off excess material from insulation." Ideal Industries, Inc. www.idealindustries.com.

This stuff scares me. I should put black gook on my bare wires when for years I've been trained that "shiny and clean makes the best connection"?

At the website, they add:

"Features:
Anti-oxidant and anti-seizing compound
Reduces galling and seizing on aluminum conduit joints
Suspended zinc particles penetrate and cut aluminum oxide
Carrier material excludes air to prevent further oxidation
Improves service life of aluminum electrical applications
For use with all types of pressure-type wire connectors."

Hmmm.... suspended zinc particles. This makes a pinch more sense. The splice blocks are aluminum and anything but shiny. The wires are shiny copper, but not shiny anymore!

While I'm at it, what about the practice that electricians use to cover the heavy duty screws in the breaker box with some kind of clear jelly, looks like vaseline? What do they use? I can see this making sense, in that it will keep oxygen from corroding the connection, AFTER YOU'VE MADE THE CONNECTION.

And we're off!
 
[quote author="RogerFoote"]I use Caig De-Oxit in the studio and on the connectors of gear I sell. Stuff is amazing. (Prob similar to Stabilant 22)

[/quote]

I haven't studied the De-Oxit literature. Does it not only clean but also renew connections and enhance their conductivity? That's what De-Oxit's predecessor called "Cramolin" used to do. I think I still have a working spray can of Cramolin that's 15 years old!

There are actual electrical contractors here who have the word on things like CuAl Aid, No Ox etc, but as I understand it, those things are for Al wire only.

Well, I'd appreciate some word. The front of the Noalax bottle says:

"* For Aluminum to aluminum connnections
* Aluminum to copper connections.

So I used it :-(

That clear jelly on the CBs... Do they have aluminum wire terminated into those points?

Sometimes aluminum, sometimes copper. The clear jelly seems to be a "savvy" electrician's trademark and I'd like ot learn more about it.

BK
 
DeoxIt is pretty close to Cramolin Red in its function: primarily a cleaner. PreservIt (also from Caig) is close to Cramolin Blue, sealing of the surface, enhancing conductivity, etc.. I've seen comments from a couple of folks (the one who comes to mind is Scott Dorsey) suggesting that the Cramolins worked better than the new products, but I haven't noticed much difference.

I'm told Cramolin is still available in Germany; perhaps some of our EU members could fill us in.

Peace,
Paul
 
In my experience, all that deoxit (and related products) does it make things smell bad... i've never had any luck with it.
:?

I tried the radio wack generic stuff, its not bad... cheaper for more than the deoxit, still not really anything worth noteing.

its usually worth spending the money something another level up.

usually the best thing for a knob/pot is a little cleaner and a lot of elbow grease.

maybe i'm crazy but i've used CLR some times, but thats not something to bring near expencive stuff...
 
Noalox is mainly used on/in the threads of electrical lugs. It keeps the aluminum from oxidizing and seizing after years of weather.
"shiny and clean makes the best connection"?
Thats true, but copper will oxidize in no time flat which causes a barrier between the wire and the lug. Especially in humid Florida.
It is beneficial to coat the bare ends of your wires with some type of conductive grease. I have used noalox on bare 4/0 for years with great success.
 
[quote author="Cainester"]Noalox is mainly used on/in the threads of electrical lugs. It keeps the aluminum from oxidizing and seizing after years of weather.
"shiny and clean makes the best connection"?
Thats true, but copper will oxidize in no time flat which causes a barrier between the wire and the lug. Especially in humid Florida.
It is beneficial to coat the bare ends of your wires with some type of conductive grease. I have used noalox on bare 4/0 for years with great success.[/quote]

Thank you, thank you for the info, Cainester! This means I won't have to take apart four splices and clean them.

Do you know anything about the protective jelly they put on the screws in the mains boxes?

BK
 
The clear jelly stuff is a dielectric grease that forms a protective barrier around the copper. Here is some
Since it is a dielectric (non-conducting) it is very useful in tight places such as contacts and swithces. It's also highly heat resistant. In a service panel, it can lubricate the contacts or blades of the disconnect. In a breaker box, it would protect the wire from corroding. It's not quite as good as noalox for threads of a lug. IMO

Caine
 
[quote author="Cainester"]The clear jelly stuff is a dielectric grease that forms a protective barrier around the copper. Here is some
Since it is a dielectric (non-conducting) it is very useful in tight places such as contacts and swithces. It's also highly heat resistant. In a service panel, it can lubricate the contacts or blades of the disconnect. In a breaker box, it would protect the wire from corroding. It's not quite as good as noalox for threads of a lug. IMO

Caine[/quote]

Aha! Thanks. The same stuff they use on battery terminals!

Bob
 

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