Splicing questions needed!

[eggcrafter]

I don't want to hit the list with 'oh here is our product...or website'.
I come to learn what I can.

Our new website is about to go public and we have a Q&A page. Trouble is I am having to 'hunt' for questions. That's where all of your years of experience will come in handy for me for those of you willing to help.
We have the LLFA Tape and LLFA Smooth that will/does replace other splicing products .. yes, it is a tape.. but what a tape!! :)
Some of you will want to go see the product before you send me questions...
www.gtgengineering.com
I've been a member for some time here and I'm not a fly by fruity just trying to put out my website and run!!
no matter how big our company gets my husband (owner) and myself feel that it is the GUYS/GALS that are important and want to keep the product low cost so some of that means I have to find info so we can go demo it.. we are selling to lots of places but there are thousands more to be had.

If you can think of questions that would apply to you if you were putting any type splice together or raptor protection.. anything.. heck, we use it for Radiator hose repair.. (While its hot and greasy) or plumbing.. no waiting it's the fastest bonding product that we know of on the market.. you just wrap and go. Even for underground or under water applications.
Had one guy toss some smooth in his mouth then ask.. is it poisionous!! :)
gotta love the Maintance guys!!

We are in about 8 countries now.. Going very big in the UK. USA is the hardest to get your foot in the door.
Please don't be upset with me for coming here, I found your forum a few years back and feel that it is the place I should be as you guys put your lives on the line doing the REAL work and would have far more knowledge than someone just sitting in some main office!
Personal e-mail for me is [email protected]

The tape is going thru some rigorous testing in the UK at this very moment, soon we will be testing it for the Nuclear use (We have no problem with knowing it will pass as my husband is the inventor of NUKE TAPE that some of you are familar with) and the putty is like nothing out there on the market It's more like a clay you would let your kids play with, it remains soft and when you cut it off it just takes a sharp knife and pulls off CLEAN. It will even of removed the dirt or grease that was on what you applied it on. It molds to the cable, nut and bolt so well that you can read the words in the putty after removal. This product will seal IN pressure as well as sealing and protecting from the outer enviroment.
Ok, so I am so pleased with our product I gotta brag.

Here is a short list of who is using it..
Some AEP, consumer's Energy, Eck Supply, FP&L, GA pwr, PGN, Santee Cooper.. and more. It is replaceing Heat Shrink, Resin and other methods of splicing!

If you'd like to preview the new website before it goes public please e-mail me privately and I will see if I can send you a link. You'll be able to see the video's on it.
The old website that is still active has the PDF file you can see the Spec's.

Thank you so much for everything.
Beth

[jersey hostage]

are you able to splice primary cables with concentric neutrals?do you still use semi conductive tape like a regular hand taped splice.In that situation is it just replacing rubber tape?Also what is it rated for.What are the advantages compared with regular say 3m rubber volcanizing tape?From your website it does look like it would be better for taping buswork as it looks like its easier to remove than old duct seal putty and rubber.Are any other utilities using it in the conventional underground systems?Just some thoughts that popped into my head.

[eggcrafter]

I'll have these added to our Q&A list for the site. Thank you.
Here are the answers for you in advance.

Q. Are you able to splice primary cables with concentric neutrals? Do you still use semi conductive tape like a regular hand taped splice.In that situation is it just replacing rubber tape?

A. Yes, however, LLFA is an insulating and jacketing tape not a semi-conducting tape therefore you would have to use a semi-conducting tape to bridge from one side of the splice to the other. The difference is that in a standard tape splice you may use mastics or duct seal to fill in voids or changes in dimension but with our products you would use LLFA Smooth which molds together with the LLFA Tape to make one homogeneous mass of rubber. Also, other tape splices use various types of tape besides semi-conducting like glass tapes to make it easier to remove and EPR Tapes to make it abrasion resistant but with ours LLFA does everything except for semi-conducting and shield/armor continuity. We have found that using our products decreases application time in half.

Q. What is it rated for?

A. 69kv

Q. What are the advantages compared with regular say 3m rubber vulcanizing tape?

A. 3M Scotch 70 is a silicone based self-fusing tape however it has extremely low tensile and abrasion resistance therefore it can only be used if a protective/jacketing tape is wrapped over it. Other types of tape are tough but extremely difficult to remove. LLFA is easy to remove and yet is abrasion and tear resistant.

From your website it does look like it would be better for taping buswork as it looks like it’s easier to remove than old duct seal putty and rubber.

LLFA Smooth is much easier to use than duct seal or mastic it is similar to a putty and it does not significantly harden with time or temperature. Unlike duct seal which becomes extremely hard or mastic which gets soft and sticky.

Q. Are any other utilities using it in the conventional underground systems?

A. Yes, various utilities from the southeast and also in MI.

[mscheuerer]

are you able to splice primary cables with concentric neutrals?do you still use semi conductive tape like a regular hand taped splice.In that situation is it just replacing rubber tape?Also what is it rated for.What are the advantages compared with regular say 3m rubber volcanizing tape?From your website it does look like it would be better for taping buswork as it looks like its easier to remove than old duct seal putty and rubber.Are any other utilities using it in the conventional underground systems?Just some thoughts that popped into my head.

Is this tape manufactured by you or your husbands company directly or are you marketing it as an distributor?

What types of ratings does it carry as of now? (i.e. U.L., INTERNATIONAL, etc...)

What types of safety and threshold tests have been done and documented on it?

Where and to what extent (Utility, Co-Op, Municipal, Industrial) is it being used and marketed the most now?

References?

I'll give you credit for going up against the big companies like 3M/SCOTCH etc... that have held the standard for years. Good luck in your venture for an overall piece of the pie. We all know TAPE is a necessity for us line workers.

[eggcrafter]

We are the manufacture of LLFA Tape and LLFA Smooth.

UL 510, UL 94, V-0, Mil A-A-59163. UL Listing for electrical tape has very low requirements for both electrical and physical ratings. Our products ratings are far beyond the UL standard and even beyond the military standard.

Can you be more specific? We’ve done tests verifying electrical and physical spec’s for our products and test verifying the products ability to seal and insulate cable joints. We’ve also tested its ability to be a temporary repair for Mechanical sealing applications such as pipes and radiator hoses.

Can you be more specific? Currently it is not being heavily marketed in the U.S.A. other than by word of mouth from satisfied customers. SWA is currently the Distributor via GTG Europe for the UK market and our GTG Canada office takes care of Canadian orders.
Utilities currently using LLFA products include but are not limited to AEP, Duke Energy, FP&L, GA Pwr, PGN, Santee Cooper and SCE&G.

(References? )
If you will contact me via my personal e-mail or contact us at GTG Engineering 910-457-0068 and let us know what area you are working in I can see about supplying you with contacts to enquire about their use of our products.


When you wrote earlier for some reason I was thinking about what you said at the end wishing us luck.. and what came to my mind was...
"If you build it -- they will come" :)

Well, in our case.. "If it does what you say it will do.. it will sell" :)

Thank you for writing.

[eggcrafter]

The new web-site is live!
We have the Q&A and Testimonials pages hidden until we get it all together correctly.

I've had good feedback privately and to our company e-mail from alot of linemen.

Thank you all so much.

Be safe out there.

Beth

www.gtgengineering.com

LLFA Tape and LLFA Smooth
USA, Canada and Europe

[Trampbag]

The tape you are selling is an insulating sealing tape from what I read. There is no mention of stress cone, stress relief, line loss bleed off or instructions to splice or terminate. You’re WRRPD is only rated to 1kV.

Where would I be at an advantage over the tried and true self amalgamating rubber or grey silicone tape which are both rated at 12kV and above.?

How would I be at advantage with you product over 3M, Elastimold or Raychem termination and splice kits which are all rated up to 35 kV or above and are fast to apply and complete with insulation and stress relief?

On low voltage what advantage is your product over a heat shrink (with zipper if required) or the putties and tapes now on the market?

Raychem produces a heat shrink insulating tape rated to 35kV. It is handy on irregular surfaces such as bolted connectors and is great in termination panels and substations. How does your product best it?

[eggcrafter]

Trampbag,
This is the reason I have come to the linemen. Your issue with the website is valid due to an error on our part about the 69 kv..ect..when it switched to the new site.
That 1 kv sample shown is just that.. a sample of how the splice is done, not the limits of our product.
I hope below will answer your questions.



The tape you are selling is an insulating sealing tape from what I read. There is no mention of stress cone, stress relief, line loss bleed off or instructions to splice or terminate. You’re WRRPD is only rated to 1kV.

Wrrp-id is a product formulated for home use or Do It Yourself (i.e. at home or personnel use) applications and therefore not for use in high or medium voltage applications. LLFA products (Tape and Smooth) are to be used in medium and high voltage applications. LLFA can be used in terminations/splices up to 69KV. In regard to stress relief, standard procedures must be used and a semi-con tape and shielding braid/mesh tape must be used, as applicable with any other type of taped splice. Tape thickness for insulation buildup with LLFA, should be 1.2 times the cable insulation thickness or two layers minimum, which ever is greater. This is assuming the usage of our 40mil LLFA tape.



Where would I be at an advantage over the tried and true self amalgamating rubber or grey silicone tape which are both rated at 12kV and above.?

The advantage of LLFA over the “tried and true” self amalgamating silicone tapes is that those tapes have a poor tensile strength and abrasion resistance. As a result these tapes must be used in conjunction with jacketing tapes or other protective tapes in order to prevent tears or abrasions from occurring. LLFA has a tear resistance of greater than 125PSI and a tensile of greater than 1200PSI. It can therefore be used for insulating and also for jacketing. Therefore after applying LLFA as the “insulation” layer and then applying the semi-con tape and copper mesh or shielding braid over the “insulating” layer, you can wrap LLFA over the shielding braid for the final jacketing. You don’t have to keep another tape for this final process. The other advantage with LLFA is the “smooth” insulating putty. Our LLFA Smooth can be quickly applied over any changes in dimension in place
of shims (for heat shrink) or multiple layers of tape to fill in a gap. This can be done very quickly and when the “Smooth” is wrapped over with LLFA tape, the tape and smooth eventually bond together to become a mass of rubber.



How would I be at advantage with you product over 3M, Elastimold or Raychem termination and splice kits which are all rated up to 35 kV or above and are fast to apply and complete with insulation and stress relief?

The advantage of using LLFA products over other name brand products: Before answering, it must first be stated that LLFA can be used up to 69KV so it is rated to an equivalent or greater level than 12KV and 35KV products mentioned. Advantage over heat shrink is that you don’t have to use a heat gun and don’t have to stock multiple kits for different types of configurations and cable sizes.


On low voltage what advantage is your product over a heat shrink (with zipper if required) or the putties and tapes now on the market?

Advantage over putties on the market is the LLFA Smooth is not a mastic, does not get affected by heat or cold and is easy to work with (similar to a clay or putty). It holds its shape as it is applied and maintains its consistency and configuration over time. Products like duct seal are extremely soft when applied then become hard over time and are difficult to remove later, if required. LLFA Smooth does not change its consistency, no matter what the conditions, and it (along with the LLFA Tape) is extremely easy to remove, thus saving time and money. Advantages of LLFA Tape have already been stated.



Raychem produces a heat shrink insulating tape rated to 35kV. It is handy on irregular surfaces such as bolted connectors and is great in termination panels and substations. How does your product best it?

Advantage over heat shrink tape is ease of use. This can be subject to the opinion of the applying technician or lineman. Our product does not need a heat gun. The LLFA product line is simple, easy to use and can be used on any application from low to high voltage. Electrical utilities using our product use it in termination panels and substations and have provided feedback that it is the best and easiest to use product they have seen.

[Trampbag]

Please explain the "error" to me. I got lost.

[Trampbag]

Is it possible, if I send you my address in PM, to get samples of your product? All I require is 6” to a foot of each. I have no purchasing power, just curious.

[eggcrafter]

Sure, I can manage some samples. Even if ya didn't promise to come back and post what you think...BUT... I would hope that you would do just that.
I take it your looking for a sample of LLFA 40mil and not the wrrp-id. Let me know.

I'm sure there are other linemen out there thinking nothing is as good as what 'They' use (we hear that just before they see our product and switch). I would hope on here that they would trust what you said. We have never went on a demo run and not had them switch from what they are using. 100% so far.

If there are a few of you out there that would like to try it send me a PM and I'll see what I can do to get you at least a small sample.

If you are Foreman or above at your job and would like a larger sample or a demo please contact me with your work information or contact the company directly.

If you want a letter from someone that is using it before the page goes public send me your e-mail and I will supply that.

As for our error that you brought to our attention...
Our old GTG site did have information about using up to 69KV and other things that somehow were left out in the site switch. Now, we see where you would get the impression of the 1KV. This is in the process now of being corrected.

Sincerely,
Beth