Icky-pick: Difference between revisions

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Icky-pick or icky-pic is a name for a gelatinous substance contained within outdoor-rated communications cables, including both twisted pair copper cabling and fiber optic cabling. Icky-pick has two primary functions:

Prevent water from entering the cable, causing corrosion and damage from freeze expansion
Deter animals from biting and damaging the cable due to the taste of the gel

Icky-pick is a very thick petroleum-based substance with very high flammability, and consequently is only rated for outdoor use, frequently direct-buried in the ground. An outdoor cable spliced onto an indoor terminal block is prone to leak the gelatin which is a fire hazard. The thick gelatin stains clothing and hands and is very difficult to remove. When fiber-optic cables are to be spliced, the gelatin must be removed with solvents and swabs to prevent fouling of the splice.

External References

Picking on Icky-Pick, http://www.nexans.us/US/2007/D2_ReelTime_1206.pdf

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 Icky-pick is a very thick petroleum-based substance with very high flammability, and consequently is only rated for outdoor use, frequently direct-buried in the ground. An outdoor cable spliced onto an indoor terminal block is prone to leak the gelatin which is a fire hazard. The thick gelatin stains clothing and hands and is very difficult to remove. When fiber-optic cables are to be spliced, the gelatin must be removed with solvents and swabs to prevent fouling of the splice.
-== See Also ==
+== See also ==
 * [[cable compound]]
 * [[fiber-optic cable]]