The GFL will work, but since only some conductors were exposed by damage you should tie all the conductors together and clip the red lead to that group. Black lead to ground/earth as usual. That is the fastest approach. Jim at Armada.
A regular wire tracker will often show that kind of fault as an increased signal spot. You may have to connect all the conductors together to be sure and include the damaged conductors.
@@jlcarefoot Thanks for your reply. I have used Greenlee 501 tracker for years. Unfortunately, if there is any conductor in the cable assembly that is intact or if they are at all touching where the cable is nicked, the signal skips right over and continues. It is basically impossible to pick up the spot. The signal varies slightly because of the way the cable is buried (depth, roots, rocks, etc...), so you cannot tell if the signal is slightly stronger because of a nick or the way it is buried. Although I've never tried the A-frame, from the videos I've seen it does not seem very practical. Often times I'm working with a cable 200-400feet long. First I have to track and flag the cable, then I have to disconnect all the solenoids from the cable not to fry them. The cable can have 8-12 valves connected to it. Just disconnecting and reconnecting all the conductors properly is very time consuming. I will normally charge to redo old splices between cable and valves. By the time I do all this to find the nick and then have to fix the nick... it's almost less expensive to just run a new cable in many instances. Just some insight from the field. I'm not sure how much better Armada's tracker is to find the nicks vs the 501. After all, if it could find nicks, why would you guys advertise and sell the A-frame. I looked at other brands, there is really nothing out there but the A-frame. Most guys never look for a faulty spot in a cable (because they never find it or it takes too long too try and they may still not find it), they just run a new one.
@@biker55555 The Progressive/Greenlee/Tempo 501 is a high-frequency (450 kHz) signal design which means tracks will often jump small breaks and damage. It is great for general purpose tracking especially with short wires. Most irrigation locators are closer to 2 kHz and show damage better in my experience. Good point about the voltage and valves, but we use the GFL on valve wires, 2-wire control cable and even low voltage LED lighting - connecting to the cable the right way can avoid the danger. For example lifting the Common wire can avoid making a circuit that might damage a valve solenoid, and sending the HV pulse on both wires tied together in lighting or other 2-wire cables is pretty safe.
I'm looking for a more sophisticated, easier to use tool to find a multi conductor cable that was nicked but not fully cut. Is there such a thing?
The GFL will work, but since only some conductors were exposed by damage you should tie all the conductors together and clip the red lead to that group. Black lead to ground/earth as usual. That is the fastest approach.
Jim at Armada.
A regular wire tracker will often show that kind of fault as an increased signal spot. You may have to connect all the conductors together to be sure and include the damaged conductors.
@@jlcarefoot Thanks for your reply. I have used Greenlee 501 tracker for years. Unfortunately, if there is any conductor in the cable assembly that is intact or if they are at all touching where the cable is nicked, the signal skips right over and continues. It is basically impossible to pick up the spot. The signal varies slightly because of the way the cable is buried (depth, roots, rocks, etc...), so you cannot tell if the signal is slightly stronger because of a nick or the way it is buried. Although I've never tried the A-frame, from the videos I've seen it does not seem very practical. Often times I'm working with a cable 200-400feet long. First I have to track and flag the cable, then I have to disconnect all the solenoids from the cable not to fry them. The cable can have 8-12 valves connected to it. Just disconnecting and reconnecting all the conductors properly is very time consuming. I will normally charge to redo old splices between cable and valves. By the time I do all this to find the nick and then have to fix the nick... it's almost less expensive to just run a new cable in many instances. Just some insight from the field. I'm not sure how much better Armada's tracker is to find the nicks vs the 501. After all, if it could find nicks, why would you guys advertise and sell the A-frame. I looked at other brands, there is really nothing out there but the A-frame. Most guys never look for a faulty spot in a cable (because they never find it or it takes too long too try and they may still not find it), they just run a new one.
@@biker55555 The Progressive/Greenlee/Tempo 501 is a high-frequency (450 kHz) signal design which means tracks will often jump small breaks and damage. It is great for general purpose tracking especially with short wires. Most irrigation locators are closer to 2 kHz and show damage better in my experience. Good point about the voltage and valves, but we use the GFL on valve wires, 2-wire control cable and even low voltage LED lighting - connecting to the cable the right way can avoid the danger. For example lifting the Common wire can avoid making a circuit that might damage a valve solenoid, and sending the HV pulse on both wires tied together in lighting or other 2-wire cables is pretty safe.
Easy to learn, easy to use and accurate to with an inch
Well put and true.
Low spot holds moisture and has 120v wire repair, that's my first place to look.
Yes, we find low spots that stay wet will stress the wire insulation and quickly expose any nicks or bad splices.