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Sealing Ends of Strips


Little_b

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Sorry for starting another thread, but I couldn't find the one I was reading a while back.  I bought some new Pixel Strips this year that are different than what I've been using. Up to this point the ones I've been using are the ones that look like a half dome with sticky tape on the back.  When I cut and solder them, I've just been using Hot Glue to seal them and haven't had any issues.  The ones I bought this year are in the silicone square tube.  The Hot Glue doesn't stick to it on the outside.  (I am mounting them to a board and that is how I learned the hot glue doesn't work.  So I bought some brackets for them.)  What has everyone been using to seal them?  I've seen the end caps online, but can I just fill the end with hot glue, or will it not stick well enough to seal the end?  Do I need to go back to using Silicone II on them?  I was hoping for something that will dry quickly.

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Use the silicon end caps with some caulk/adesive sqeezed into the end of the tube and cap itself. I'd never use hotglue to seal anything outdoors...ultimatley it's going to fails. 

 

The tubes on pixel strips do come in different sizes and you can get end caps to match. 

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I use GE Silicon II. I have strips that have been installed year round for close to five years with no leaks.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk, so blame any typos on Android!

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I agree on the hot glue. Won't hold up outdoors.


Sent from my phone using Tapatalk, so blame any typos on Android!

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On ‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:57 AM, k6ccc said:

I use GE Silicon II. I have strips that have been installed year round for close to five years with no leaks.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk, so blame any typos on Android!
 

I use exactly this same type and it works very well. Also suggest that everyone seal the ends where the 3-4 wires exit. If looking closely, many are not sealed properly. I found that out the hard way. Our idea of weatherproof and China's are different.

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  • 1 year later...

Now I have a follow up.  How is everyone dealing with failing pixels in the middle of the strip?  In the past on the dumb strips I would cut out the bad section and solder in a new one, and use the silicone II to seal it.  With the tubing, I'm not sure how to seal it well enough.  Does putting a big blob in both sides of the joint in the tubing seal it well enough that water doesn't get in?

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46 minutes ago, Little_b said:

Now I have a follow up.  How is everyone dealing with failing pixels in the middle of the strip?  In the past on the dumb strips I would cut out the bad section and solder in a new one, and use the silicone II to seal it.  With the tubing, I'm not sure how to seal it well enough.  Does putting a big blob in both sides of the joint in the tubing seal it well enough that water doesn't get in?

When I have to repair or replace a pixel in the middle of a strip I use silicone and clear shrink tubing.

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Repairs in the middle of a strip can be a pain.  That's one HUGE advantage of pixels over strips.  I have a couple of dumb strips that have one bad segment (missing one color), and I'm dreading needing to repair them.  I had one that had so many bad segments that I just replaced the entire strip last summer, and I have another one that I will do the same this year.  Part of the issue in my case is that the strips are "glued" to brick with GE Silicon II.  Getting the strip off the brick in order to repair them tends to do destroy them.

Now, to answer your question, where I have replaced sections, I pretty much do the same this Mr. P does.

I am largely phasing out strips where possible.  Unfortunately, a lot of my landscape lighting, does not really give me much choice.

 

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In the 5 years my dumb strips hung on the house I replaced 3 little sections.  After less than a year with pixel strips up, I'm looking at at least 7 sections so far.  I bought the pixel C9's to replace, but the wife likes the strips better.  I think it's because I use them each month for the major holidays and they look more like accent landscape lights rather than Christmas lights.  Luckily the way I have them hung, they come off easily so I won't have to try and do it on a ladder. 

Will 1/2" shrink tube fit or do I need to go with 3/4?

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I also like the look of the strips for the way I use them for my landscape lighting - and I run them every night , all year long.  There are photos on my web site.

 

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