I hate electrician's tape

[Kestas]

I just spent a good part of yesterday doing a wire repair job on my car, and it finally dawned on me that I hate electrician's tape. I hate it because it doesn't stick to itself and it likes to unravel. What good is that?

Maybe I'm not using it properly, or I'm using some cheap product. I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on this.

 

[Astro14]

I don't use it much...heat-shrink tubing for most auto repairs, friction tape for some, depends on how they're being used...but regular vinyl electrical tape? I don't usually bother...

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
I just spent a good part of yesterday doing a wire repair job on my car, and it finally dawned on me that I hate electrician's tape. I hate it because it doesn't stick to itself and it likes to unravel. What good is that?

Maybe I'm not using it properly, or I'm using some cheap product. I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on this.


The best is the 3M stuff. However, like Astro, I normally just use shrink-wrap.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
I just spent a good part of yesterday doing a wire repair job on my car, and it finally dawned on me that I hate electrician's tape. I hate it because it doesn't stick to itself and it likes to unravel. What good is that?

Maybe I'm not using it properly, or I'm using some cheap product. I'm hoping someone can enlighten me on this.

I think you've got some old or khrappy tape. Also the technique is to always stretch the tape while you wrap, but that easier said then done in many tight areas. I use the shrinking connector wrap tubes alot now too, just have to remember to put them up the wires before you do the connections...

 

[Knox]

Both shrink wrap and electrical tape, vary greatly in quality. Stick to one that you know works. I've found that usually the more it shines the worse it is. A dull looking tape or shrink wrap tends to work better in my experience. Also if you let tape sit around to long it just becomes a messy glob of glue and vinyl.

 

[SLCraig]

I love black tape. Always works great. I usually pull on the tape as I wrap so that it's very tight. Have never had any problems. The only issue with black tape is the sticky residue it leaves behind on the wires after time. Can be annoying to deal with.

 

[Jimmy9190]

The only electrical tape I would use in a Northern climate is 3M Super 88. It is made to withstand both heat and extreme cold. Super sticky, stretches very easily and if properly applied, it should not unravel or become loose. Stretch the tape as you wrap the connections. How much to stretch the tape is kind of done by feel, I guess. 3M is the very best electrical tape you can use, especially in very hot and/or very cold climates. Down here, in the Florida heat, 3M Super 33 is best.

 

[mpvue]

the 3M brand works well, never had an issue, BUT, if you stretch it too much, it will recede, leaving some sticky residue.
it also helps if your fingers are clean, otherwise the tape will pick up the grease/dirt on your fingers and not work wuite so well.

 

[bepperb]

I don't trust electrical tape in a car. Actually, I don't really trust it anywhere. Get some 3m heat shrink and worry less about your car burning to the ground.

 

[eljefino]

They make nice electrical tape. But I have some cheap stuff to use up first.

I like to finish it with heat shrink tubing... why? I get tubing about 3x the wire diameter and it fits better with some tape "underpants".

If I forget the heat shrink, I'll use a cheap zip-tie to keep things from unravelling. Seems to work.

 

[JHZR2]

3M is the only way to go. As i was doing electrical work in my home this weekend, I had the opposite issue - it wanted to stick to itself too much - so I couldn't route it neatly as I wanted...

 

[01rangerxl]

I like electrical tape a lot for some applications. It's good for temporary stuff, testing things, and oddball tasks like securing the dead man handle on lawnmowers. I don't use it for the primary insulation on wiring though. If I am soldering two wires together, I use heat shrink tubing. It has never failed me. If I am trying to add insulation to a connection that is already soldered or repair insulation, I use liquid electrical tape made by Permatex. If you follow the directions, it works well. You need to let it cure before energizing the wire, but as long as you do that it works great.

Also, I like to wrap wire tubing in electrical tape on harnesses. Looks very factory on Fords. Ford likes sloppy wiring and loves electrical tape.

 

[Pablo]

As the others have said there are a variety of grades, I buy some camo colored stuff from:

http://www.battlesystemsllc.com/Vinyl_Tape,_Coyote_Brown.html

I use it unconventionally. It works great!!

 

[Spazdog]

I really hate the cloth tape that comes on German cars.

The adhesive is greasy and doesn't stick to itself or wires but it will adhere to skin and it stains everything it touches. (which makes it a lot of fun in a Magnolia white Audi interior)

Why do they have to use a black adhesive?

 

[PandaBear]

I hate electrician's tape too, but mainly because of the residue it leaves. I prefer crimping butt splice and soldered/heat shrink if wanting to seal the contacts.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I really hate the cloth tape that comes on German cars.


Do they still use that stuff? It was all over in my old Audi, but it had parts that were still labeled Made in West Germany.

 

[UncleS2]

Scotch 33 down here in the Texas heat. No discount store stuff need apply. I learned that from a first-class electrician more than 30 years ago.

 

[Shannow]

Yep, like others have said, it needs to be stretched.

I have the wire in the sticky fork of the tape, and roll it around the thing to be taped, so the roll is sort of "skidding" on the already laid down tape, stretching it so that it's probably 5% thinner across ways than it started.

But I LOVE 3m self vulcanising tape.