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Air pockets are a hidden danger installers face when they install loops in narrow grooves. If there is not enough space in the groove for sealant to fully encapsulate the wires and fill the groove air pockets will form which can allow water to seep into the groove and come in contact with the loop. Air pockets are especially worrisome in colder climates where water in the groove can freeze and expand the air pocket, eventually pushing the loop up out of the groove after repeated freezing and thawing. Besides the water danger of air pockets, another frustrating issue can occur in loop systems with air pockets: false detections. Each wire in a loop produces its own EMF (electromagnetic field), if any of the wires were to move even slightly a false detection can occur. Movements in the wires can be caused by ground vibrations from vehicles on the street, or even the gate itself.
Using a 3/16” groove greatly reduces the likelihood of air pockets in the saw-cut groove, and can dramatically increase the lifespan of your saw-cut loops. If you are currently using a ?” blade to cut your saw-cut grooves it would be wise to switch to a proper sized 3/16” blade to take advantage of all the benefits a wider groove can offer.
Chemque’s switch to a 3/16” sealant tip is a bold move that encourages installers to use a smaller blade size and save on sealant in the case of moving down from a ¼” blade down to a 3/16” blade. Most sealant suppliers encourage installers to cut a ¼” groove which takes more sealant to seal. Besides the sealing saving incentive, Chemque’s tip has an intelligently designed angled tip that allows the groove to be sealed from the bottom up. The angled tip can prevent installers from having to repeatedly seal grooves as they wait for the sealant to seep around the wires, and when the sealant tip is used with our preformed saw-cut loops it allows the installer to seal the groove in one pass.
We are thrilled that the addition of Chemque’s cleverly designed sealant tip has made it even easier to save time, money, and materials when installing a BD Loops preformed saw-cut loop.
3/16” Pro Diamond saw-cut blades are available through most BD Loop Distributors. Check out our distributor locator on www.bdloops.com to find a BD Loops Distributor near you.
About BD Loops
BD Loops is a manufacturer of preformed direct burial and saw-cut inductance loops and installation tools. BD Loops has a focus on education, and improving the industry by sharing knowledge and promoting best installation practices. BD Loops’ loop class has been very successful, and has received several letters of recommendation testifying the value of the course’s material.
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