PVC cement to fix nicked wiring?

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Has anyone here used PVC cement to cover nicks on irrigation wiring? I came across this information when researching how to locate valves for my zone problem. It never occurred to me to do something like this, but after reading it I cut an 8" length of wire, then used a box cutter to cut a slice of insulation and tried it. It appears to be an excellent solution if you don't want to replace the wire. The method called for putting several coats of PVC cement on the nick, wrapping a single layer of electrical tape around the cement and then coating the electrical tape with another couple of coats of PVC cement. I used the Oatey's Rain-R-Shine for the experiment. I applied four coats of cement, letting each layer dry for about 15 minutes before applying the next layer. I wanted to observe it, so I waited until the next day to wrap the area with electrical tape. I then applied three more coats of PVC cement, 15 minutes apart. Visually it looks like it is almost as good as the insulation is. After another 24 hours it was still slightly rubbery and didn't crack when I flexed the wire, though I don't know if will become brittle over time. Based on this single experiment I would have no problem doing this if I needed to, and was surprisingly pleased and impressed with the results.
 

Flapper

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Wow I've never thought of this. I have some "nicked wire" at the cheap orbit valve where the wires go into the solenoid; the insulation broke apart from flexing. Maybe i can put cement on it to reinforce it.

But usually if I have a nicked wire, I would just wrap it with tape. Why use cement? Make it waterproof?
 
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Based on my experiment it seems like it is both waterproof, and long lasting. The PVC cement was still flexible after several days, and appeared to blend in very well with the insulation on the wire. The electrical tape + additional coats of PVC cement on top of it resolved any lingering doubts about whether it would work or not. The only possible drawback to this is that the multiple coats of PVC cement and electrical tape result in a significant bulge around the nicked area, but that seems pretty minor to me. I came across it while looking for ways to find buried valves, but if I can find it again I'll post the link.

Edit: I found the reference for fixing nicked wire with PVC cement:

How to Locate a Buried Valve
"...If you cut or even nick the insulation on a wire, splice it back together using a water-proof splice kit made for underground wire splices. It is really important that the bare metal not be exposed to soil or water. Electrical tape alone will NOT work as a splice water-proofer! If the metal wire itself is not damaged you can seal the damaged insulation on the wire by coating the damaged area with several thick layers of PVC cement (glue). Let it dry then wrap the entire area tightly with plastic electrical tape, extending several inches beyond the damaged insulation. Then coat the tape with pvc cement. This is not the best solution, but it usually works.

If the metal wire is damaged (even if it is just partially cut) you need to cut out the damaged section and splice in a new section of wire. Use special water-proof splice connectors you can buy at any hardware store for ALL your irrigation wire splices and connections. Even ones above ground! If any water leaks into the splice it will corrode the wire. Even if the wire is not corroded through, the corrosion can block enough electric current to make the valve not open. If the wire breaks or corrodes it will be a major pain to find where the problem area in the wire is. You will probably have to replace all of the wire. You do not want to have to do that! Water-proof those splices. Got it?"
 
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