Tech Tip: Avoid Reported Leak Distance Issues with Very Short Lengths of RLE Leak Detection Cable
RLE Technologies’ distance-read leak detection controllers are effective at detecting leaks on up to 10,000 feet of RLE leak detection cable.
The accuracy of the reported leak distance can be problematic when leak detection cables (sensing cables) shorter than 25 feet are used. At cable lengths of 10 feet (3.048 m), for example, the resistance of the cable is so low that leak-detection signals generated in the cable can get lost in the electrical noise of the surrounding environment. This problem manifests itself in wildly erroneous cable resistance values and leak distances.
To fix or avoid this problem, always make sure the controller sees at least 25 feet of cable—and 50 feet is even better. This can be done literally, by installing at least 25 or 50 feet of sensing cable. It can also be simulated by including a resistance equivalent to 25 or 50 feet of cable in the string of sensing wire. RLE sells three products with this 50 feet of resistance built in:
- The SD-Z spot detector
- X-CON X-connector
- WCCS-50 weighted cable connector
Although maintaining a minimum cable distance is not the primary purpose for these accessories, they work very well for this secondary purpose.
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