Closure Sealing, Grounding and Mounting

Purpose

Leave a sealed, grounded, properly mounted splice closure with neat slack. Water is the enemy of splices. A closure that leaks, floats unbonded or lies in mud can cost a truck roll, an outage and a re-splice later.

When to Do It

• After the trays are organized and labeled (SPL-09) and, where the owner’s process allows, the open-closure verification shot (SPL-11) is reviewed, so you do not reopen a sealed closure to fix a failed splice.
• Before final acceptance testing. Acceptance in SPL-11 runs on the finished link, after every closure on it is sealed, mounted and its slack stored, per the owner’s process.
• Previous step: SPL-09 Tray Organization and Labeling. Next step: SPL-11 Testing and Acceptance. SPL-10 and SPL-11 run together; see the order below.

Roles

• Lead splicer: fits seals, closes and tests the closure, and makes the bonds.
• Splicer helper: stages hardware, mounts brackets and coils slack.
• Foreman: confirms the mounting location matches the prints and the owner’s standard.

Equipment and Materials

• Closure seal kit: grommets or gel blocks sized to each cable.
• Torque wrench or the closure’s clamping tool.
• Test valve adapter and pressure gauge, if the closure has a test valve.
• Grounding and bonding hardware and ground wire per the owner’s standard.
• Mounting hardware: strand bracket (aerial), wall bracket or rack (handhole or vault), or pedestal hardware.

Safety

Procedure

Hold Points

Records to Keep

• Photo of the sealed closure, the bonds and the mounting.
• Flash or pressure test result, if the closure has a test valve.
• Photo of the stored slack and the closure location.
• Closure location (GPS) for SPL-12.
• Open-closure verification shot results, where taken, per the owner’s process. These are not the acceptance files.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong grommet size. A loose grommet leaks; a tight one crushes the cable. Use the closure chart.
• Skipped flash test. Leaks found later mean a re-entry and wet splices. Test every closure with a valve.
• Floating grounds. Unbonded armor is a shock hazard. Verify the internal bonds before closing, then connect the external lead to the system ground.
• Treating the open-closure shot as acceptance. Closing and coiling add bends. Acceptance is the SPL-11 bidirectional test on the finished link, after every closure on it is sealed and mounted.
• Closures lying in water. Mount on the wall or rack, not on the floor of the handhole or vault, per the owner’s mounting standard.

Standards and References

• Telcordia GR-771 for splice closure performance.
• NESC (IEEE C2) for bonding and grounding.
• 29 CFR 1910.268 for telecom maintenance work. OSHA scope decides: 1910.268(a)(2)(i) excludes construction work, which Part 1926 governs.
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA for manhole and vault entry during construction work (see SPL-02).
• 29 CFR 1910.146 (permit-required confined spaces in general industry, including telecom maintenance). 1910.146(a) excludes construction work, which 1926 Subpart AA covers.
• Closure manufacturer’s instructions (seals, torque, test pressure).
• Owner bonding, grounding and mounting standards.

On the Map

• Aerial Splice Closure: the sealed closure on the strand with its slack on snowshoes.
• Underground Splice Closure: the closure mounted in a handhole or vault.
• Handhole Slack Coil: stored cable coiled within bend radius next to the closure.

Related Tools

Not applicable: no FAHMY tool covers closure sealing and mounting.