Installation of Very Large Diameter PRT-ES

(ZT07-98-003)
BACKGROUND
When a heat shrinkable jacket is applied over a cable, the jacket creates an
environmental barrier protecting the cable over the length of the jacket.
However, moisture and environmental contaminates can wick between the cable
jacket and tubing where the jacket stops. An effective way to eliminate this
problem is to seal the area under the tubing. This process in known as Water
Blocking and the most reliable way to achieve this is to apply a hot melt
adhesive under the tubing material prior to heat shrinking the new jacket in place.
The following procedure describes electrical cable jacket repair using repair kits
ZT07-KT-001 & ZT07-KT -002 for large diameter cable.
MATERIALS
* Zippertubing Repair Kits ZT07-KT-001 or ZT07-KT-002
* Zippertubing Z-Block Hot Melt Tape (supplied in kit)
* Zippertubing Process Procedure ZT07-98-003 (supplied in kit)
* Hot Air Gun: Steinel HL1802E or equivalent (customer supplied)
INSTALLATION

For illustration purposes many of the repair photographs shown are of

small wire or cable which has insulation damage. The repair sequence is
similar for both small and large cables.

These kits contain 5 feet of PRT material. If the repair area requires a
shorter piece, the material may be cut to length using scissors.

1. Clean the repair area of all debris and oil contamination using a mild solvent
like Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA).
Note: Any non-oil based solvent which will not chemically attack the cable
insulation material is acceptable.
2. Use a razor knife to remove any protruding pieces of insulation that have
been peeled back that will not lie back down smoothly. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Typical wire or cable outer insulation damage.

3. Use the Z-Block hot melt tape provided in the kit and helically wind the tape
around the cable over the entire area to be repaired so that each tape wind
overlaps the previous one approximately - inches. Remove the
paper liner from the tape prior to wrapping the cable. If the damaged area of
the cable has deep nicks or voids, cut pieces of Z-Block tape and pack the
void areas prior to applying the over wrap. The hot melt tape does not have a
self-stick backing! You may find it advantageous to touch the hot edge of the
heat gun to the first wind of tape (or subsequent winds) to help hold it in place.
Caution: It is important to keep the tape wrap buildup to a minimum. A
smooth, single layer wrap is ideal. Applying too much hot melt
tape may cause a seam rupture of the PRT tubing when heated.
(Figure 7.)

Figure 2. Z-Block tape wrapped around cable.

2

4. Wrap the PRT tubing around the cable so the split line is parallel to the cable
length direction and the paper release liner covering the adhesive faces away
from the cable and towards the installer. Peel back the first inch or two of the
release liner and expose the adhesive. Overlap the non-adhesive edge of the
tubing over the exposed adhesive so that the edge just covers all of the
exposed adhesive. Once the first inch or two of the overlap has been
sealed, continue removing short sections of the release liner and seal the
entire tubing length. Avoid contacting the adhesive with your fingers as much
as possible. Continue sealing the seam in short sections to avoid creating
wrinkles in the overlap area. Once the entire piece of tubing has been
installed, rub the overlap seam firmly using your thumb to insure good contact
and work out any wrinkles. Minor wrinkles will disappear when the tubing
shrinks.
NOTE: The PRT material in these kits consists of multiple pieces of material
and will have multiple overlap seam lines. All but one of these
seams will be pre-closed in the Zippertubing factory. When fully
closed around the cable the tubing will have an unusual star-like
appearance as shown in Figure 3A. This is a normal condition with
multi-piece PRT prior to applying heat. The finished insulation jacket
will have a smooth, round appearance. (Figure 3B)

Figure 3A. Prior to shrinking.

Figure 3B. Fully shrunk condition.

5. Center the PRT tubing over the cable damage area and the Z-block tape
wrapped area.
6. Shrinking PRT Tubing

The PRT tubing requires the use of a hot air type heat gun with a
temperature setting of +194 F (+90 C) minimum for proper tubing
recovery. Never use an open flame torch to recover PRT!

You may shrink the tubing immediately after sealing if desired. The
adhesive system has no cure time requirements.

CAUTION:
PRT tubing requires a two step heat application process. The adhesive
overlap areas must be heat-set prior to complete tubing recovery. Therefore,
do not use a tubing heat reflector or other device intended to spread heat
uniformly around the tubing!
a) Begin by directing the heat source at the adhesive overlap area several
inches back from the tubing end. Apply the heat to the adhesive overlap
area only! The overlap area will tend to curl up into a U shape as it is
heated. Continue applying heat to this area until the surrounding tubing
begins to pull the U shape back down flat. Do not be afraid to apply
extra heat to the overlap area, as it will take extra dwell time to get the
inner layer of the overlap to begin to shrink. Do not be alarmed if the outer
layer of the overlap flap tends to lift off the adhesive and curl back slightly
during initial heat exposure. With continued heating this lifted area will
generally lay back down on its own, if not, lightly tap the lifted edge with
your finger. Shrink the overlap seam areas over their entire length before
attempting to recover the remaining tubing. (Figure 4.)

Figure 4. Overlap seams curled up prior to full heat soak.

b) Once all of the overlap seams have been fully shrunk, begin applying heat
slowly and evenly to the remaining tubing (between the overlap seams).
The heat will shrink the PRT tubing down snug onto the cable. Continuing
to apply heat will cause the Z-Block tape to melt and begin to flow. Be
aware that applying too much heat, too quickly, in one location will cause
the hot melt adhesive to expand unevenly and yield a lumpy jacket and
possibly rupture an overlap seam. (Figure 7.) Continue to heat the tubing
(preferably from the center towards each end) until the Z-Block tape
flows out from under the ends of the PRT tubing.
c) If necessary, lightly tap down any tubing overlap seam lips that appears
lifted up. Do not squeeze the PRT jacket when tapping a lifted lip down.
Use extreme caution when touching the tubing as it will be hot and sticky.
d) Figures 5 and 6 show a completed PRT-*-ES repair on a single strand
wire. The condition will look similar on these completed cable repair kit
except that the size will be much larger.

Figure 5. Shrunk PRT-*-ES Sleeve

Figure 6. Adhesive fillet at end.

e) While the assembly is still slightly warm to the touch, use your thumb to
rub the tubing overlap seam areas and remove any exposed closure
adhesive that may be present. The excess adhesive will ball up ahead of
your thumb. Discard.
Caution: DO NOT attempt to remove excess adhesive using solvents!

f) Allow the finished assembly to completely cool to room temperature

before placing the repaired assembly back in service.
7. Seam Ruptures
a) Seam ruptures are indicative of using too much Z-Block tape or applying
too much heat and/or applying it too rapidly near an overlap seam.
(Figure 7.) If they occur, adjust your Z-Block wrapping technique and
your heating technique by applying the heat more slowly and evenly.
Seam ruptures are an undesirable condition and should be avoided.
b) If you experience a seam rupture and the hot melt adhesive is oozing out
through a tubing overlap area all is not lost. Stop applying heat in that
immediate area and allow it to cool down. Adjust your heating technique
as described above and finish installing the assembly.
c) Once the entire assembly is finished and has cooled down to room
temperature return to the seam rupture and re-heat the localized area until
the hot melt adhesive is soft. Use the end of a Popsicle stick and work the
raised tubing lip down as smooth as possible while its hot. Then use the
radius on the end of the Popsicle stick and scrape off the excess adhesive
in a direction parallel to the overlap split line. You may have to repeat this
process several times to obtain a nice appearance. Allow the area to cool
to room temperature.
d) The seam rupture area will never look as good cosmetically as the seam
areas that were properly installed. However, that does not mean that they
are defective and cannot be used. As long as there is a thin bead of hot
melt adhesive present along the overlap split line in the area of the rupture
you have usable assembly. Because the entire jacket is sealed with the
hot melt adhesive there is no way for liquid to find its way to the repaired
defect area. The same condition would exist if the rupture were not
repaired. However, repairing a rupture is desirable because it eliminates
the raised lip condition which could be a potential snag problem resulting
in further damage to the jacket repair.

Figure 7. Typical seam rupture.