Automatic sleeves

[bashlin]

i know almost everyone has used the automatic tension sleeves on primary wire. But i ran into a situation where one was used on a slack span and failed. Well no surprise being it's a tension sleeve. The sleeve might had already been on the wire before the job was built or could have been put in by accident but never really thought about them failing on a slack span. anyone else have this problem. The wire was 4 aaac used on 14.4.

[just say no]

did you make some overtlme on it????? otherwise who cares......

[Trubbleman for ComEdy]

I know of some sleeves still in the system that were put in a slack span long before I was around (15 years) and still hold up both ends of the wire.

Its all temporary I was told years ago.

[hacked off]

we have had this happen many times. we don't use them on anything less than full tension.

[polerunner]

BC Hydro is planning on removing all automatics ( 75,000 ) because the salt air is causing them the fail under fault conditions. Somehow 25 yrs ago they failed to notice the manfacturer said they are for temp repairs only !

[Linemo]

We are forbidden by our work rules to use them on anything other then full tension spans {guyed spans} all other we are supposed to use crimp sleeves but there are plenty out there we have had some salt contamination failures but not wholesale just a thought but when taking slack out of condutors where the auto sleeves are in the middle of your stap blocks has anyone had problems with them as far as load i know when i do it i like a coil jumper across them if there is any load to speak of any one had any experience like this

[Trubbleman for ComEdy]

Comedy still lets us (construction, not me, Ha Howww) put them up. Last time I saw pressed sleeves used was on stuff that was built to carry 138kv in an emergency. Otherwise they go up every day.

[thrasher]

Both Coops I've worked at use automatics only in full tension spans. The one I'm at now uses them only for trouble calls where time is a major consideration, and you are often working dead wire off hooks. For all planned construction we use comprsssion splices put on with hydraulic tool. However that still means there are thousands of auto sleeves on our system. We used between 1700-1800 just during Hurricane Isabel.

[OLE' SORE KNEES]

If memory serves me right I think it is around 15 plus pounds to set the jaws.

[Tsplice]

We use automatic sleeves routinely.We've had a few fail,but then again,we've had compression sleeves fail also on acsr.I love them myself,but would never put them on a slack span and expect them to last very long!Under tension,they look good and they work great! Tsplice

[LINETRASH]

As always, the devil is in the details.

If you are provided an automatic sleeve, by all means use it.

Having said that let me also say you are supposed to clean the conductor by wire brushing it using an inhibitor solution. Anything less is programmed for failure.

A tension sleeve is just that, a TENSION sleeve, and also provides continuity, same as a jumper.

Failure to properly prepare your conductor will result in the failure of the splice, sooner or later. It will develop a hot spot, it will fail.

Use it in a slack span? Please !!

I love automantic splices. Use them properly and you will too.

'Less you are trying for some OT!

[CenterPointEX]

A bulldog only stays on when there is tension on it... Oh it may hang there fer a little bit when ya take the tension off...but if'n ya give it a whack or a bump... it comes off. Like'n Swamp said... it's only a bull dog turned into a splice... would ya use a bull dog ta hold a hot slacked span while ya was playin around on da pole?... hell naw... case closed...

[just say no]

you people are killing me with all this crap about automatics " jiffy" sleeves.i'm here to make money.i could'nt care less if they failed.i just hope i can make some o.t on it....so let it go....

[just say no]

hey swamp gas,just goes to show what a dick head rat scab wortless contractor shit work you are.... if you read it right you scab,i said make o.t on it..like in the middle of the night when no one is out there, you moron.to say i would want someone hurt shows your lack of intelligence. by the way rat, been a UNION lineman for 20 years,on fpl property...............SCAB....

[just say no]

hey rat, what the hell would you know whay is good or not for a union..your a life long SCAB,RAT.see if you knew anything about a union,which you do not,you would know what " just say no " means, you douche bag...

[just say no]

hey rat,you are as thin skinned as they come,what a joke you are.you and all you rats who think you are " line gods " when in reallity you do sub standard work for sub-standard pay and benifits.....that is your choice to work in those conditions...you choose to be a rat and not join a union and get better pay and bennies...don't knock me or unions cause company's like fpl cut the work force down to skeleton crews and "have "to give all the " big " jobs to " lowest " bidders....rat company's get payed by the job and it shows when we have to come behind and fix your crap.and because i want to make o.t makes me a bad lineman...think again dumb ass..so i suppose " pride " puts money in your pocket...i take a great deal of " pride " in my work,but i also am here to make money...........lots of it ...so chill the fu*k out...

[Ga.polesetter]

In Georgia. we use quick sleeves for wire under tension, slack spans we must use compression sleeves. we actually just started using quick sleeves about 6 years ago , or around then . love them, if installed right they are great...to me... which probably mean squat..lol.

[bluecorners]

designed for both electrical and mechanical performance. Mechanically they will hold regardless of tension--thats why there is a spring inside. The spring will hold properly prepared conductor from 0 lbs. of tension up to 95%+ of the rated breaking strength of the conductor. Electrically they need about 15% or or of the rated breaking strength of the conductor in tension to be a good connection. The brushing is mostly for the electrical function of the splice, get rid of oxides.
Most problems are caused by the strand not being straight , clean and in lay. Make sure the end is a clean cut , no burrs. Over the years the manufactures have had their ups and downs with quality control but out of the millions that have been made, the number that have issues because of factory problems is small.
An automatic Dead End is nothing more than 1/2 a splice. No electrical function here, but still:Make sure the end is a clean cut , no burrs.

[dog38]

We all have used compression and automatics too pick up conductor,but damn man if you are using them wrong and in dumb ass places just too get ot and braggin about it you are a dumb ass. Union work is supposed too be about good work ethics and a job well done. Yeah I believe the benefits of the IBEW are better but when you spout off the way the you do how many non union people are going to look at the IBEW with any credablity.I aplogize too you guys out there this type of work ethic is not what myself and my union brothers support.Just because you hate the company you work for doesnt mean you should do shitty work. I just say no to shitty work!!!!!!!!!! and anybody union or not..........................

[dbrown20]

Have used them for about 28 years in 3 different utilities. Never had any problem to speak of. I like them. The only failures I know of for sure are the combination ones that fit 2 different wire sizes. I heard of a few with those, but that's all. Not supposed to use them on slack spans but some people do. Much ado about nothing. Used them up to 795 MCM. I have never seen them used on Transmission though. dbrown20

[dbrown20]

Automatics are Sweet!! As far as linemen are concerned.:D

As for Longevitity and continuity of Service? Compression is the only way to go.
Automatics are bullshit for serious continuity of service.

I've seen them in service for years and years. I expect in coastal regions or areas that have special weather conditions they are not the best. The areas in the interior of the USA where I have worked, they are just fine. What works in one part of the country doesn't work in another part of the country.

I've seen areas where guys were bonded to the system neutral. Move 100 miles and they put strain links (jonny balls or such) in them and were adamant that you don't bond them. Different soil conditions affected the rods in some areas. Electrolosis is worse in some soils and not hardly present in other areas. Everywhere you go there are a few things that are different that dictates different hardware or practices.

Worked where they practiced Raptor construction. Had to spread the phases to keep eagles from getting killed etc. One thing about it, electrical practices in this country are not all just plain vanilla. It's all a little different. That's what keeps it a little interesting.

I've seen transmission lines where they put the ground wire on a little insulated pin in the area of the phases. Next county over they don't seem to worry about it, on the identical voltage.

One co. may choose all pole const. on their transmission lines. Pole X braces, pole knee braces, pole arms etc. Next co. over they do it different. Different engineers with different ideas.

Just noticed an upgrade on a sub-station. Regulators were placed separate from the sub-transformer. I asked one of the sub- hands. What happened to the LTC concept? He said. The bean counters have decided that LTC's are a money pit because ever so often you have to go through them and do maintainance, which involves setting up a portable and shutting down the sub for a period of time. Bean boys thought just having regulators outside the transformer and letting them eat until they burned up or whatever was a cheaper way to go. Different ways of looking at things I guess. Maybe they're right. dbrown20

[Koga]

what the results of no LTCs, using regulaters would be on switching the load on 2 separate circuts . Example: untieing 2 circuts with a extendo stick and UADs. MMmm I think Ill let that ape do it . :D

[NJlineman55]

I have seen automatics burn up plenty of time in heavy load areas in August and it aint pretty. Had a phase almost fall on our heads from two automatics used to piece a phase out burnt up under heavy load on 397 aluminum primary. I just honestly dont trust the damn things after that happened but some companies dont even have compression sleeves on the trucks so you have to use what they give you. I feel safer with anything I use that I have to either tightened down or compress, but this is just my opinion not based on any specific research.

[dbrown20]

My last word on auto sleeves. I would have to believe that the manufactors of automatic sleeves would as a matter of manufactoring etc. would not sell something that had not been thoroughly tested via laboratories under all conditions imaginable. I would not believe that companies would buy a product that had not met some criteria. However I have not seen any significant failures of such sleeves. I have seen a few failures of crimped sleeves. None significant however. The one condition I can imagine is not installing per instruction. I would bet that is the one condition that is not tested by the manufactors. I am as guilty as the next guy and all I ever do is cut the wire and stuff it into the sleeve. No preparation whatsoever, except trying to make a square cut on the wire. I have never witnessed any other hand doing anything different. On crimp sleeves the one piece ones always had inhibitor inside them and the others we always applied inhibitor via the hole in the alum shuck.

I do believe that improper installation in areas of high stress due to salt air,or severe and unusual weather conditions that are not the norm in most areas would cause those sleeves not installed per instruction to cause significant failures. However since everyone follows the instructions exactly I know that would not be the case. Since linemen always follow instructions to the letter I only have one significant reason for these failures.

These sleeves are designed and tested by ENGINEERS. dbrown20