12v 7AH Battery

[maverick54]

Hi guys this question is not about my car but about my 5 yr old Grandaughter's 12v ride on car lol.

 

Just had to change the battery on it and it has spade connections on the terminals. Had to give the wires a gentle prise off as there is some sort of protective silicone over the contacts. Guessing its to prevent the wires coming loose and to keep out any condensation. Whatever it is it must be applied over the contacts then sets to form a solid waterproof bond.

 

I would like to apply some onto the new connections but haven't a clue what it is. Any one know?

[patrolman]

When building rally cars we did somthing similar on starter terminls and any exposed wiring  and we used white silicon bathroom sealer

[pikpilot]

Is it black in colour? if so it is liquid waterproof tape. You paint it on with the supplied brush and it sets hard but can be cut away if needed.

[maverick54]

Thanks for the replies guys. Its clear in colour. It does look like silicon sealer but was a bit tougher to prise off. Silicon sealer usually dries with a rubbery texture if I'm correct but this was a little bit firmer.

 

As long a silicon won't hamper the conductivity I'm happy to try that.

[MikeTheThinker]

22 minutes ago, maverick54 said:

As long a silicon won't hamper the conductivity I'm happy to try that.

 

You may be OK with plumbing sealer silicone but a cautionary note; the plasticiser (the stuff that makes it soft) in plumbing sealers is acetic acid (smell like vinegar) which can and will etch metals so there is a risk you will end up with a non-conductive layer of "rust" on the terminals - which sort of defeats the object!

 

Some quick Googling{tm} shows various sellers of the liquid tape mentioned above in sizes from 1oz to 4oz and prices from £6-15 or so.

 

Just a thought, though, if the battery terminals aren't in need of mechanical protection (ie. nothing rubbing directly on them) why not just slather them with Vaseline? It gives good water protection but won't offer any mechanical strength.

 

PS Unless the terminals are to be exposed to lots of water (ie under it) you could use self-amalgamating electrical tape. About £6 a roll from a good electrical supplier or if you only need a few inches (Brexit-speak for millimetres ...) PM me your address and I'll send you some.

Edited 13 January, 2019 by StickyMicky

[pikpilot]

Just one point about self amalgamating tape. It has no glue on it and the first layer will not stick to the thing it is wound onto.

Professional use of this materiel is to first wind on half lapped pvc electrical tape followed by half lapped self amalgamated tape with 50 to 100% stretch. Some companies recommend a further covering of pvc electrical tape.

 

 

Edited 13 January, 2019 by pikpilot

[J.R.]

20 hours ago, maverick54 said:

Thanks for the replies guys. Its clear in colour. It does look like silicon sealer but was a bit tougher to prise off. Silicon sealer usually dries with a rubbery texture if I'm correct but this was a little bit firmer.

 

 

In which case it will be a PU mastic like Sikaflex which is what I would use for moisture and mechanical protection.