submersible water sealing putty

[mikefamig]

I am working on the electric drive motor assembly from an Aquabot swimming pool cleaner. The assembly has a 50' electrical cord attached to it by screw terminals inside of a small junction box that is molded into the enclosure. When I removed the door from the box it was filled with a non hardening sealer that I had to scrape away to get to the screw terminals.
 
My question is - what is this material? What would be a good material to seal it up again? It must be water tight and it must be non hardening in case you ever have to remove the cord again. I'm thinking that it would be good if I could find a putty that expands a little as it sets so that it seals up good after I put the door on the box.
 
Mike.

 

[RAL]

Duct Seal, maybe?  I don't consider that to be a waterproofing material, but with enough of it packed around the terminals, it could do the job.

 

[LarrylLix]

Silicone caulking made for constant underwater exposure.

Use a knife to slit the seal when opening again and clean with silicone caulking cleaner.

Many plastics will not stick very well to silicone caulking so it may peel off by just pulling.

 

[mikefamig]

I was thinking like RAL and came up with this stuff
 
https://rainbowtechstore.com/collections/adhesives-sealants/products/duct-seal-putty?variant=1212100291
 
I'll search around for silicone sealants too.

 

[Del91574]

Butyl?

 

[LarrylLix]

We used a lot of duct seal for that purpose but it does harden in UV and tend to shrink slightly when used in big globs.
 
For your purpose it would probably be best. Just roll  a snake with your hands on a flat surface, and use the bead.

 

[wkearney99]

My question is - what is this material? 

Did you ask the vendor, Aquabot?  Seems like a good place to start...

 

[mikefamig]

Did you ask the vendor, Aquabot?  Seems like a good place to start...

 
I have found that the manufacturer will often repackage a common material, put their brand on it and charge twice for it.

 

[mikefamig]

Thanks for the replies. Both duct seal land butyl caulk look like they will do the job. UV rays aren't a problem because this is an assembly that is inside the body of the machine.
 
Mike.

 

[mikefamig]

My first thought was to use plumbers putty but butyl and duct seal are adhesive and I don't think that plumber's putty is. I don't want water to leak around the sealer.
 
Mike.

 

[wkearney99]

I have found that the manufacturer will often repackage a common material, put their brand on it and charge twice for it.

 
True.  I've had that happen.  But I've also had cooperative techs willing to give me the inside-line on materials, more often than not.  Especially if it's a matter of getting it done right now, with what I can obtain locally.  You kind of have to 'spin' the conversation that way from the outset, if you know what I mean.
 
I only make this obvious response because with junk stuck underwater I'd want to avoid any futzing around leading to greater complications.  Like hassles with silicone and the like where you can actually make matters worse for some surfaces.  As in, the hassles of trying to remove silicone residue when latex caulk should have been used, etc.  Or worse, polymer plastic materials that will only bond with very specific kinds of adhesives (aka Starboard material for boats).

 

[mikefamig]

True.  I've had that happen.  But I've also had cooperative techs willing to give me the inside-line on materials, more often than not.  Especially if it's a matter of getting it done right now, with what I can obtain locally.  You kind of have to 'spin' the conversation that way from the outset, if you know what I mean.
 
I only make this obvious response because with junk stuck underwater I'd want to avoid any futzing around leading to greater complications.  Like hassles with silicone and the like where you can actually make matters worse for some surfaces.  As in, the hassles of trying to remove silicone residue when latex caulk should have been used, etc.  Or worse, polymer plastic materials that will only bond with very specific kinds of adhesives (aka Starboard material for boats).

 
Point taken. I'll give them a call, it'll be interesting to see if they let me talk to a tech support person.
 
Mike.

 

[RAL]

Is there anything that attempts to seal the compartment itself, like a  gasket on the cover?

 

[mikefamig]

Is there anything that attempts to seal the compartment itself, like a  gasket on the cover?

 
There is a door attached by a couple of screws but the electrical cable enters the enclosure with no seal. If it had a seal or gasket I would just use a little silicone sealant.

 

[mikefamig]

You can see the wire connection at 5:45 in this video
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUcqxKObVPw