DAE skip heat shrink on outdoor splices? I used to, but a rainy job proved me wrong.

Had a connection fail after just one storm because water got in. Now I always seal them up tight, it's worth the extra minute.

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_adams811mo ago

Skip it now and you'll pay way more later fixing water damage.

troy_jenkins1mo ago

Yeah, that reminds me of a time my neighbor tried to quick-fix an outdoor light with just tape... said it was only temporary. Well, temporary turned into a month... and then a big storm rolled through. The connection pooled water and shorted out the transformer... melted part of the housing. He ended up replacing the whole light fixture... took him all weekend. Makes you think twice about skipping any seal, even for a day.

grayh601mo ago

My uncle's deck fire started from a cheap extension cord left out in the rain. The plug wasn't even the problem, it was a tiny crack in the cord itself that let moisture creep in for weeks. It sparked against the treated wood and lit the whole lattice panel up. That tape story is the same kind of slow burn, literally. People forget electricity and water will always find a path, and it's never the one you want.