VOLUME 2         

Polywater® Product Protects Cable From Ice Damage

A very specialized American Polywater product sold under the trade name IceFree™ Gel has successfully prevented ice-crushing damage to fiber optic cable for nine winters in the northern United States.

In 1992, some fiber optic lines began to show loss of signal every time a cold snap hit the upper Midwest. Over time, water had formed in the fiber optic conduits, and the failure was caused by pressure on the cable due to ice formation at railroad overpasses.

The solution was a special non-freezing gel made by American Polywater that was pumped into the duct around the cable. Thousands of meters of fiber optic cable were protected with this IceFree™ Gel system. The gel does not freeze, prevents the ingress of water, and yet allows cable removal and replacement if necessary. The gel is compatible with PE fiber optic jackets for long-term immersion exposure.

If you have problems with ice damage to any type of cable, including electrical, perhaps the IceFree™ technology could be useful. Please feel free to call our technical service department to discuss details.

Web references for additional information on the IceFree™ system are:

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