ideas for "moisture" cord barrier?

[jason the filter freak]

basically i want to have a seperated electronics compartment/area in my stand and try and keep moisture out of there for the most part, obviously not completly as the area around the stand is going to have high humidity and air has to circulate though but the compartment is inside the stand. i need to have a hole i can feed cords through but have the ability to have the hole pseduo sealed to keep moisture out of the compartment, the best ive come up with is using something like a snow brush bristles and feeding the plug/cord though that and the bristles should surround the cord, thoughts? it have to bring the cords though a 5/8" wall

[Dragon Eye]

Can you use a piece of conduit with maybe a rubber gasket or glue seal around the end? I don't see how a snow brush is going to keep moisture out.

[Brian Ward]

I would also recommend rubber or foam of some sort to seal it off. Maybe even run all the cables and then use some spray foam (great stuff) to seal the hole?

[jason the filter freak]

ive not been clear i need the be able to add and subtract cords when i add more equipment and probably run upto 8 cords or different shapes and sizes

[Charlie]

What I would do is run the cables through an outdoor grade electrical junction box. One of the problems that you'll find is that most of the connectors that you'll find aren't big enough to accommodate the plug end, so you'll have to go big (like 1 1/2 inch) and I doubt that Lowe's or Home Depot sells anything that size. You may want to try Dominion Electric Supply on Cherry Hill Rd in Laurel. Basically, you mount the box on the outside of your stand, and run the cables through a connector (you should be able to get a rubber lined connector) in the side (not the top or the bottom, because that would cause water to accumulate inside the box) and out a connector in the back of the box. You will have drilled a hole in the stand to fit the connector. I would paint the box to match the stand.

[jason the filter freak]

So this is what i designed... its not completed yet but the idea is there more or less. The V cuts over lap to seal around the cord and when there is no cord in the V cuts since they overlap there isn't a hole. In between each V is a cut is a slit which allows each opposing set of V's move independently from the set of V's next to it. So it should allow me to push/pull up to 8 power cords independently though the back of my electronics area.

 

 

 

 

 

Based off the 3 layered design and the V shaped cuts I should get a pretty good seal around a flatter or rounder cord.

[Coral Hind]

Are you aiming to keep out any water splashing or humidity?

[jason the filter freak]

not really splashing water at least i hope not but i figure under the stand humidity would be along the lines of 90-100% i guess even if i could get a drop to around say 70% that would be nice. the other primary reason for the seal is to prevent any significant air escape from where the cords enter the compartment the idea hopefully of the compartment is to let air in and out at only two contolled point allowing 1. efficent cooling of the comparment and 2. keep warm moist air out of the comparment to a reasonable extent

[Origami]

If this is in a closed in space and looks are not terribly important, just run your cords through whatever hole and use duct seal (cheap and effective) to putty around the cord. The stuff lasts forever, remains pliable (for easy removal), and is waterproof. I've seen it used to seal up homes where AC lines run in and out of the wall and in other areas. $2.50 will get you a 1 pound block of it at Lowe's.

 

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13591-12704-31-601_4294821477_4294937087?productId=3127723

 

 

Put a bag of calcium chloride in the sealed space and it will dry the air, too.

[jason the filter freak]

darn it the putty idea never occured to me and that would have been perfect and easy for what im trying to do. since im so far into what im trying now im going to go for it, if it doesnt work ill try the putty. the cal chloride isnt something id considered but that seems like a pretty solid idea

[Coral Hind]

The putty might be a little messy.

 

Adding a fan to blow air from outside the tank stand into the electrical compartment would keep things cool and also create a positive pressure environment. The would prevent inner stand humidity from going into the electrical area.

 

 

[flowerseller]

any excess putty would come off with goo be gone.

Just becareful of such a tight space creating condensation inside.

[thewire]

http://www.roxtec.com/products/

 

You can probably request a sample. This product use in CO/Cabinet/building for cable and blocking out outside element and even fire retardant

[Origami]

I've even used duct seal IN the aquarium to cover up GSP that hitchhiked in on a rock and pieces of an old green plating Montipora that I wanted out of my tank. When the offender has died off, I'm able to easily peel the duct seal off and remove it from the tank.