Cable Management
When to recommend gel and cast resin joints
A vast number of products are available for connecting cables. But while wholesalers are increasingly stocking a variety of gel and cast resin jointing kits, they need to be in a position to recommend the right product for the right application. Steve Slater, UK Product Manager for Electrical Installation at HellermannTyton, looks at the differences between the two.
G
el and resin joints have the same purpose, but they look very different, are installed in different
ways and can be used for different applications. For example, gel joints are intended for use with low voltages. Resin joints are also most often used with
low voltages, but different formulations of resin are available and some can be used with medium voltages. This is important because, as far as an installer is concerned, one of the most important determinants of joint selection is the voltage level; the joint must be able to cope with the voltage involved, and joints designed for low voltages may fail if subjected to too high a current. So how do you identify the right product for each application?
Gel joints Gel and resin joints look very different. Gel joints have a rigid shell, made of polypropylene that resists UV light, extremes of temperature and impact – obviously, this is to protect the electrical connection within the joint when it is installed, in day-to-day use. The shell comes pre-filled with a specialist gel, which is non-
34 | electrical wholesaler June 2017
toxic and highly insulating (>20kV/mm). Fitting a gel joint is very simple and does not require any special training, so it’s a good choice for installers early on in their careers. When the cable ends have been connected using an appropriate terminal, the connection just needs to be pushed into the gel to snap the casing closed. The gel encloses the point at which the cables join, this insulates the new connection and keeps out water, dust and anything else that may contaminate or corrode the joint. Typical gel joints have an ingress protection rating of IP68. Gel cable joints are very quick and easy to install and unlike resin joints there is no curing
time, so they can be buried, boxed or otherwise hidden as required, straight away – great for installers working against challenging time constraints. The good news for wholesalers is that gel jointing kits have an indefinite shelf life, so they can be stored in a depot for long periods, and can be used as straight through or branch joints because they come in a range of dimensions. Perhaps most importantly, gel joints can easily be re-opened after installation, for testing and/or inspection purposes. Consequently, they are ideal for general domestic and light industrial uses.
The good news for wholesalers is that gel jointing kits have an indefinite shelf life,
so they can be stored in a depot for long periods, and can be used as straight through
or branch joints because they come in a range of dimensions.
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