Found a rusted split-bolt in a 15 year old splice, still worked fine

Pulled a junction box open near the rail yard in Cheyenne and found a split-bolt splice that was so corroded it looked like a fossil. Voltage drop measured less than half a volt across it, which shocked me. Has anyone else seen old compression or split-bolt joints that refuse to die, or am I just lucky with the dry climate out here?

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1 Comment

wilson.sam15h ago

Hell, that's barely worth mentioning. Half a volt across a splice that's been carrying load for 15 years is pretty much noise in this line of work. I've pulled open 30 year old joints in wetter areas that looked worse and still passed a megger test. Dry air out there does a lot of heavy lifting, sure, but copper oxide is still a decent conductor anyway. Unless that thing is actually cracking or overheating, I wouldn't call it a win, just normal wear and tear.