Wired a beach house panel and found a neat trick for salt air corrosion

Down in Gulf Shores last week. Guy's panel was 3 years old and terminals already green. Used dielectric grease on every connection. Boss laughed at first. Then saw the old terminals. Not laughing now. Anyone else do this on coastal jobs?

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2 Comments

sandra7153mo ago

Dielectric grease on coastal work... my boss used to call it snake oil until he pulled a 2-year-old disconnect apart on Dauphin Island and saw bare copper still shiny. Now he buys it by the case. Funny what a little salt air and a $5 tube of goo will do to change a man's mind.

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fisher.diana3mo ago

Oh come on, that $5 tube of goo is just masking the real problem. If your connections are done right with proper mechanical crimps and good tape jobs, you shouldn't need a crutch like dielectric grease. I've pulled apart 5 year old splices on the Gulf Coast that looked fine without it. The stuff just attracts dirt and grit over time, making things worse when you finally have to work on them again. Plus it can trap moisture if you're not careful, actually causing the corrosion you're trying to prevent. That shiny copper you saw was probably just the grease keeping it clean, not stopping anything underneath from deteriorating.

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