PILC cable buyers in Tennessee
What paper-insulated lead-covered cable is, how its copper and lead are weighed against reuse, and how to handle and load an old lead-sheathed reel safely in a yard.
Send us your reel list
Six details are enough for a first review: what the cable is, the metal, the size, the footage or reel count, the condition and where it sits. Photographs can follow by text or email. There is no fee and no obligation, and nothing moves until written terms are agreed.
PILC cable announces itself by weight and by the dull grey sheath under the jacket. Oil-impregnated paper is wrapped around a copper conductor, a lead sheath is extruded over the insulation to keep moisture out, and an outer covering protects the lead. It served underground distribution for most of the twentieth century and much of it is still in the ground.
When a PILC reel or a pulled length reaches us, two questions decide the offer. Can any of it go back into service, and if not, what does the copper and lead weigh? Paper cable that has stayed dry is a different item from cable that has been wet, and the difference shows at the sheath.
Lot basics
- Voltage
- 5 kV to 35 kV
- Insulation
- Oil-impregnated paper
- Sheath
- Lead
- Conductors
- Copper, single and three
How paper-insulated lead cable is built
The conductor is stranded copper, often compact or segmental at the larger sizes. Layers of paper tape are applied and impregnated with a viscous oil, then screened and sheathed in lead. Three-conductor versions wrap all three cores together with belt insulation and a common sheath, which makes the cable stiff and heavy for its rating.
Single-conductor PILC appears at the higher voltages in this range, where each phase is sheathed separately. Both types need careful bending, because the lead work-hardens and cracks if it is flexed repeatedly, and a cracked sheath admits moisture that ruins the paper in a short time. That is why old cable is often found kinked where it was coiled for removal.
Copper, lead and what a reel weighs
PILC is a metals-rich cable. The conductor is copper rather than aluminum, which sets a floor under the value of almost any length. The sheath is lead, a substantial fraction of the total weight at distribution sizes, and it is recovered separately when the cable is processed. Between the two, even a wet reel has real value.
That is why we ask for weight or a reliable length and size rather than photographs alone. A drum of 3-conductor 15 kV PILC carries a great deal of copper and lead, and the difference between an estimate based on diameter and one based on a scale ticket is worth settling before the reel is loaded.
- Copper conductor, stranded or segmental
- Lead sheath recovered separately from the copper
- Steel tape armour and jute covering on some designs
- Paper insulation removed as a separate waste stream
Handling an old lead-sheathed reel
Lead is soft, heavy and toxic, and old cable has usually lost the outer covering that protected it. Gloves are not optional when handling it, cuts and abrasion should be avoided, and any work that generates dust or fume needs proper controls. Cable should never be burned to strip it, both for the lead and for the paper.
For transport, the practical concerns are weight and bend radius. PILC does not coil like rubber cable, and a length that has been kinked may have a cracked sheath that is not obvious until it is tested. We ask how the cable has been stored, whether it was coiled or left on its original drum, and whether the ends are sealed.
Questions sellers ask
Is PILC cable still installed new?
Very rarely. XLPE has replaced paper insulation for almost all new underground work because it is lighter, easier to terminate and does not depend on a lead sheath. PILC survives in existing systems and in the spare stock held for repairs, which is where most surplus reels come from.
How can I tell whether PILC cable has taken water?
Look at the sheath and the ends. A split or corroded lead sheath, a missing end seal or a length that has been lying in wet ground for years all point to moisture in the paper. The definitive check is a test on the insulation, but the visual signs usually decide whether a lot is quoted as reusable or as recovery.
Do you buy PILC by weight or by length?
Both, depending on the lot. A tagged reel in good condition is quoted on length and size, because it may be reusable. Loose lengths and wet cable are quoted on weight, with the copper and lead content driving the figure. A scale ticket is the most useful single document for the second case.
Can three-conductor PILC be separated into single cores?
It can be dismantled, but not usefully for reuse, because the cores carry belt insulation and a shared sheath that cannot be rebuilt in the field. Three-conductor cable is bought as a complete item or for metal recovery, and separating it is a processing step rather than something a buyer would do to return it to service.
Send us your reel list
Six details are enough for a first review: what the cable is, the metal, the size, the footage or reel count, the condition and where it sits. Photographs can follow by text or email. There is no fee and no obligation, and nothing moves until written terms are agreed.
Old lead-sheathed cable in the yard?
Send the size, construction, length and a photograph of the sheath and cable ends.
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