seal "pre-connectored" coax cable through exterior wall into interior?
way ne
6 years ago
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way ne
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoRelated Discussions
Pros & Cons of Adding a Heating Cable to a Cold Frame
Comments (30)Hi Steve, To address your original questions about soil heat cables.......we live in a very cold climate here in Wyoming at over 6,000' elevation with winter temps as low as -40 degrees F. We have not used soil heat cables in an outside grow box - but did decide to experiment with a grow box inside our unheated GH. We bought the cable length we needed based on the area we wanted to cover - 30" X 96" and according to the spacing the cable manufacturer recommended. We followed instructions and mounted the cable to 1/2" hardware cloth and then mounted the hardware cloth to cattle panel for extra stability and ease of moving/storing. We purchased a thermostat and set the temperature at 55 degrees F and placed the cable buried 4"s in a raised bed within our GH and made a polycarbonate cover to create a box with lids. We tried to grow salad veggies during the winter months - November thru March. The daytime temps in the GH on a sunny day were between 30-70 degrees F even when OS temps were 0 degrees F so I would raise or remove the lid during the day and cover the box at night when OS temps were as low as -30 degrees F and IS GH temps as low as around 0 degrees F. The soil heat cables were usually only running during the night so I did not notice much difference in our electricity bill. The photo below was taken on January 31st. We are in Zone 3 where danger of frost remains through June 1st and there is snow on the ground usually through April but we have had snow and frost in every month of the year during cold spells. I think most would agree the experiment was a success! The cons in my opinion is the cost of the cables, wire and thermostat and the daily covering/uncovering of the lid (although the polycarbonate only needed to be removed on sunny days because of the heat build-up). When I retire I may do this every winter but for now - it is nice to have a winter break from the GH. We also use the Soil Heat Cable as a germination mat on top of the soil in the GH in February - March as an overflow box from our inside grow lights - that works well too. We are building grow boxes this year OS for our squash and other warm weather plants and appreciate your design!...See MoreThoughts on roof ice melt cables
Comments (34)Am grateful for all the comments on cost of ice-melt cable, especially the electrical cost. My neighbor had gutter *tape* put in her gutters over 15 years ago. This was cable embedded in some silver solar material (sort of like NASA heat blankets, I think). This wide tape lays in the bottom of her gutters. Her son said it makes cleaning debris out much easier than with plain cable. I can't find any heat tape for sale now. Since it does seem that it would make cleaning easier (something I need to do a LOT), I wonder why they don't produce them anymore? I did look up the Bylin system mentioned above, and there is also this: http://www.thermaltechusa.com/residential.php These kinds of systems are, of course, a LOT more expensive to install. I don't know how they compare on cost of the electricity. My split level was built in the early 70s. I am constantly cleaning out the gutters in warm weather and having ice bergs hanging off the roof in winter. It is a constant worry. About 5 years ago I had more insulation put in both my attics (split level home) but I still have problems over the center of the lower level roof. This is over the center of the house, incl the kitchen so I guess that's why warmth is melting the snow. This past winter I also had a major ice build up on one of the upper level gutters. It was phenomenal! Do I need to put even more insulation up or what? I am sure any analysis by any company selling ice dam prevention systems or insulation will insist their product is the solution. How do I know what to buy for my house? Thanks for any feedback!...See MoreHelp with adding cable in prep for high-speed internet
Comments (8)Couple notes: I've used the T&B Snap N Seal coax connectors with a lot of success. The tool may be more expensive than the Klein one, but it's what all the installers that have worked on our DTV over the years have used. I bought one many years ago, and I think they've at least gotten cheaper. I wouldn't do anything that requires that you have to terminate Ethernet cable into male connectors. This is a pain to do, and pre-terminated patch cables are cheap. Terminating into female Keystone wall jacks is much easier- just maintain the twist of each pair as close to the termination as you can (there are many videos on doing this). I like the impact version of the punch-down tool- not sure if a different version will cut the wires. I bought one of the cheap ones from HD that had bad reviews and it's held up so far- maybe it would be bad if you used it all the time for dozens/hundreds of terminations. We have an old house (built in '49) and I've wired or rewired a big chunk of it. I've also put a lot into improving the insulation and air sealing. For that reason, I would hesitate to use open back wall boxes. I have had great success with retrofit or "old work" boxes- it's so much easier to just cut out an old box (hack saw or reciprocating saw to the nails), reach in to fish new wires, then slip a retrofit box into the hole. I tend to do some combination of a gasket under the wall plate, caulk, and/or expanding foam in the holes in the back of the box. It's great to get it right the first time, but I also wouldn't hesitate to cut a hole in the wall or replace a box to get what I needed later. Lastly, Russ is talking about 120V AC (lights, receptacles, etc) or 240V AC (dryer, oven, e.g.) when he says "HV." I'm used to working with industrial facilities where these are still considered low voltage, and there's 4160V or 12kV that's "medium voltage." High voltage is utility transmission wiring. Good suggestions otherwise....See MoreWhat to do? Solutions to prevent pipe freezing violate code
Comments (13)Hey, I live where it gets -15 at times. The first thing is to avoid running pipes on outside walls altogether if possible. Moving the pipes out of the wall so they come out of the floor of the base cabinet is common. Assuming you have moved them as best you can already, the other answer is to put insulation between the outside wall and the pipe and leave the area between the pipe and the warm interior un-insulated. See crude diagram Use RMax (highest R value per inch) and layer it if you need to between the outside wall and the pipe. Also insulate the walls of the studs. Alternately - you can use spray foam to make the same insulated channel for the pipes, but you need to remove the pipes first to do a decent job. Using spray foam has the advantage of sealing any air leaks....See More
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6 years agoway ne
6 years agoUser
6 years agoway ne
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDavidR
6 years agoway ne
6 years agoDavidR
6 years agoUser
6 years agoSteve J
6 years agoyankee4210
6 years agojemdandy
6 years agoDavidR
6 years agotoxcrusadr
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSteve J
6 years agoBruce in Northern Virginia
6 years agoSteve J
6 years agoSteve J
6 years ago
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