[AT] Can you hear me now?

[Steve W.]

Cecil Bearden wrote:
> I think most everyone remembers the 74 GMC fire truck that I drove from 
> Mt Holley NJ to OKlahoma City.  When we left all the sires lights etc 
> worked.  The truck only had 5000 miles on it when we left.  When we 
> arrived, the head and tailights and turn signals worked, but the rest of 
> the stuff that I wanted to show off with in the next parade would no 
> work.  The relay bank was coroded and rusted because of the salt we 
> encountered on the PennTurnpike during that snowstorm..  A rural fire 
> dept asked me a few years ago to buy all the lights and I should have 
> sold it..  In fact I should have sold them the entire truck.  Where I 
> set my boot heel while driving is a 1/2 inch tall corroded area from the 
> salt on my boots.  The frame is covered in fine powdered rust that will 
> burn just like salt when it gets in your eyes working under it...
> 
> If I could just get somehting done around here, I might get it going 
> again...
> 
> I can only imagine what happens to electronics when they get exposed to 
> the salt in the NOrtheast..
> 
> Cecil in OKla

Salt, What salt.....

I just love looking at the latest engines and how they combat rust. The
tanker we got last year is highly praised because "It's an ALL stainless
body" Great, Stainless is good, BUT crawl under it and OOPS, yep the
BODY is stainless, but the frame is double wall steel, support hardware
is plain steel, wiring runs are in plain steel. Care to guess what the
problem becomes?

Others use aluminum. No problem. EXCEPT aluminum and salt are REALLY bad
combinations.

One of the newest things is to use the electronic protection like they
use on ships. Nice idea, FOR A SHIP. Doesn't work very well to stop rust
on a vehicle that is operating 99% of the time in a non-conductive
environment. (you do see the occasional fire truck off the pier or into
the pond/river)

I spent most of last week crawling under our rigs doing wiring repairs.
I at least use good wire, strip, wrap and solder the connections then
seal them with a coat of liquid tape. Then wrap that with a layer of
GOOD E-Tape and finally coat that with liquid tape.

NFPA still says to use unsealed, crimped connections and terminal
strips... My last letter to them was to take a look at military wiring
standards.

If I had my say the wiring would all be run inside sealed plastic
conduits. Places where the seal is broken would get Packard style
connections with a coating of extra sealant. Terminals would be gold
plated with NO slide on styles allowed unless they have a positive lock.

Sealed LED lamp assemblies OR sealed conventional lamps would be very
welcome as well.

-- 
Steve W.