DeoxIT - Clean/Recondition Electrical Connections

[Mike]

I've seen some passing references to a product that I just tried over the weekend on my home intercom system, and it appears to be pretty magical stuff: DeoxIT. I am sure that this is old news to those of you in the know, but DeoxIT cleans oxides and sulfides from electrical connections and conditions those connections to prevent future problems. It seems like a logical place to start with any problems you might be having with electrical switches, connections, etc.

 

My intercom system had been giving me fits--in a couple of the rooms the sound was cutting in and out, the volume control knobs had dead spots, and the switches worked intermittently. I pulled the units out of the wall, sprayed them with DeoxIT, and then worked them a few times, pushing the buttons and twisting the volume control knobs. After that, I hit all the connections with another shot of DeoxIT and closed things up. Voila! . . . the previously hinky controls instantly worked perfectly.

 

I know it' a far cry from the environment in which motorcycles operate, but it seems like this product would be the perfect solution to cleaning and maintaining electrical switches and controls on a bike. I know it's going to be part of my winterization routine from now on.

 

I'm sure my "discovery" is old news to many here, but this is good stuff. Give it a try.

[DavidEBSmith]

I've been using stuff called Rail-Zip, from Pacer Technologies, on electrical contacts for a while now. It's a cleaner/protectant intended for model railroad rails. It looks and smells a lot like DeoxIt.

 

BTW, Pacer makes a whole bunch of interesting specialty chemicals. They make a series of super glues for special purposes, like an ultra-thin glue that wicks itself into the joint (I've used that to repair cracks in auto windshields), gap-filling super glue, plastic-compatible super glue, and slow-setting super glue.