Tips & Guides Weather and Waterproofing

CloneWerks

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Upstate NY
I have been into high-end (read expensive) R/C crawlers and racers for a number of years now. When they are run in competitions they encounter a lot of very nasty conditions including "bog runs" and "Submarining" (driving the R/C vehicle completely underwater). Since a full custom build out on one of these rigs can approach the cost of an eBike, doing a good job waterproofing is of paramount importance.

One of the items used frequently is a silicate conformal coating that is usually brushed on and allowed to dry. Applied correctly and carefully this is an unbeatable method for waterproofing however it does require actual access to the items you want to waterproof.

The second method frequently used is to treat the various parts and electronics with a corrosion inhibiting lubricant that has di-electric properties (so it can safely be used on electronics and electrical components). My all time favorite is something called "Corrosion-X" which does a first rate job of expelling moisture, repelling additional moisture, and preventing or even removing corrosion. It is di-electric (safe for electronics) and extremely tenacious when applied (it takes a lot of work to wash-away, it doesn't just rinse off), but you can do your own research and find what you like best.

In the case of my bike actually sealing the motor controller would be nearly impossible so I opened the small rubber "access hatch" on the top of my controller housing and hosed down the inside with Corrosion-X (leaving a towel underneath for several days to catch the excess runoff.) Given my past experience with how well this stuff works I basically put a reminder on my calendar to re-treat in about 6 months and called it a done job.

Other areas I wanted to protect like the cables, shifters, and so forth get a wipe down with a cloth sprayed with Corrosion-X and I use a small needle dropper to feed a bit into the cable runs to keep them lubricated and keep water out.

Corrosion-X can also be used on the connector points, though with the larger ones such as where the battery pack plugs in I prefer to use a glob of di-electric grease from an automotive store simply because it's easier to see that it's there and doing its job.
 
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