New PageWeatherproofing the Feedpoint — Step by Step
- Clean the connections first. Use a small wire brush or fine sandpaper on the copper wire and hardware to get any oxidation off before you seal anything in.
- Apply a thin coat of dielectric grease (like the kind used on spark plugs — cheap at any auto parts store) over the bare metal connections and screw hardware. This displaces moisture and slows future oxidation.
- Wrap the connection with regular electrical tape first — just one snug layer to give the self-amalgamating tape something to grip and to hold everything mechanically in place.
- Wrap over that with self-amalgamating (self-fusing) tape. Start a couple inches below the connection on the coax, wrap up and over the whole connection, and come back down a couple inches past it on the other side. Stretch it as you wrap — that's what makes it fuse to itself and seal out water. No adhesive needed, it bonds to itself.
- Optional but good — one final layer of regular electrical tape over the self-amalgamating tape. Self-amalgamating tape can get sticky and collect dirt over time in UV exposure. The outer electrical tape layer protects it.
- Check the coax entry point into the house wherever it comes through the wall or window. That hole needs to be sealed too — a weatherproof grommet or even just silicone caulk around the cable where it enters. Water loves to wick down a coax cable and into your wall.