View Full Version : Seam sealing tents....
A friend of mine is doing relief work in Mississippi and the voluteers are being house in 50 urethane coated nylon tents that are apparently leaking. Instead of spending $200 for 50 tubes of seam sealer he asks if anyone knows if diluted silicone caulking used on silnylon would work.
Anyone have a clue?
i heard of using mineral spirits and GE silicon caulk....go sparingly with the spirits and in their case, they could probably just use straight caulk and smear it in well....they are going to be there a considerable ammount of time
Thanks Burn. I guess there's no harm in trying.
justusryans
11-04-2005, 03:27
i heard of using mineral spirits and GE silicon caulk....go sparingly with the spirits and in their case, they could probably just use straight caulk and smear it in well....they are going to be there a considerable ammount of time
I used mineral spirits and 100% Silicone caulk to seam seal my Henry Shires Cloudburst. As a matter of fact, This is his recommended way of seam sealing. The thinner you make it, the easier it is to apply. Straight caulk is too thick. It has to be clear caulk. The colored caulk won't stick. Just keep stirring until it is the consistancy you want. It works great and I've had exactly zero problems with leaking.:D
Coolabah
11-04-2005, 06:46
I used mineral spirits and 100% Silicone caulk to seam seal my Henry Shires Cloudburst. As a matter of fact, This is his recommended way of seam sealing. The thinner you make it, the easier it is to apply. Straight caulk is too thick. It has to be clear caulk. The colored caulk won't stick. Just keep stirring until it is the consistancy you want. It works great and I've had exactly zero problems with leaking.:D
Yep. Agree with you 100% , worked the same for me on my Cloudburst.
A friend of mine is doing relief work in Mississippi and the voluteers are being house in 50 urethane coated nylon tents that are apparently leaking. Instead of spending $200 for 50 tubes of seam sealer he asks if anyone knows if diluted silicone caulking used on silnylon would work.
Anyone have a clue?
Hey Sly. I was just reading this yesterday on the TarpTent FAQ.
" Mix about a tablespoon of silicone with a couple of tablespoons of mineral spirits(paint thinner) and then apply the solution with a small foam brush. Add more mineral spirits if the solution gets too thick."
From the Henry shires Website:
Q: Do Tarptents need to be seam-sealed?
A: Yes, it's a good idea to seal the the seams along the rear arc and the pullouts to protect the stitching. The ridgeline seam can also be sealed but has proven to be extremely water resistant without sealant. Silicone is the only material that will stick to the fabric. Urethane sealer will flake off. An inexpensive product that works well is GE Silicone II clear sealer/glue. It is available as a squeeze tube in most US hardware stores or in the Tarptent Store (http://www.tarptent.com/cgi-bin/surfshop/shop.cgi?searchtext=silicone+sealer&c=search.htm&storeid=1&categories=&Submit=Go%21). Set up the tent ouside in a in a well-ventilated location. Mix about a tablespoon of silicone with a couple of tablespoons of mineral spirits(paint thinner) and then apply the solution with a small foam brush. Add more mineral spirits if the solution gets too thick. Avoid skin contact and breathing fumes.
A friend of mine is doing relief work in Mississippi and the voluteers are being house in 50 urethane coated nylon tents that are apparently leaking. Instead of spending $200 for 50 tubes of seam sealer he asks if anyone knows if diluted silicone caulking used on silnylon would work.
Anyone have a clue?
Sly,
Since all of the tents are polyurethane coated you need to use a polyurethane based sealer, such as Seam Grip by McNett.
Silicone won't stick well to the polyurethane. So just like you can't use polyurethane to seal silnylon tents, you can't use silicone to seal polyurethane tents.
Ron
i heard of using mineral spirits and GE silicon caulk....go sparingly with the spirits and in their case, they could probably just use straight caulk and smear it in well....they are going to be there a considerable ammount of time
i've done that. heard later that the generic/cheaper clear caulking is the same as GE brand, and works as well. someone on here had a great web site for the whole process. something about a 1:3 mix by weight. but i think you'll have a hard time gettting silicon to work over a poly tarp... not sure they mix right...
Nightwalker
11-05-2005, 19:04
A friend of mine is doing relief work in Mississippi and the voluteers are being house in 50 urethane coated nylon tents that are apparently leaking. Instead of spending $200 for 50 tubes of seam sealer he asks if anyone knows if diluted silicone caulking used on silnylon would work.
Anyone have a clue?
Absolutely. 1 caulk:3 camp fuel or mineral spirits. Paint it on with a brush. You can even use it to make your own even-better-than-sil-nylon.
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/support/seam.asp says 1:1 for seam sealing. I guess the 1:3 that I read before was for homemade, utra-perm silnylon.
Anyway, Sly, there ya are.
Nightwalker
11-05-2005, 19:06
Sly,
Since all of the tents are polyurethane coated you need to use a polyurethane based sealer, such as Seam Grip by McNett.
Silicone won't stick well to the polyurethane. So just like you can't use polyurethane to seal silnylon tents, you can't use silicone to seal polyurethane tents.
Ron
Ron, I use silicone adhesive in maintenence work to stick to a lot of things that aren't silicone. Urethane is one of them. Not arguing, just disagreeing.
Which is the least smelly after applying? I want to seam seal a new tent, but don't want a nasty residue smell for months...ideas?
Absolutely. 1 caulk:3 camp fuel or mineral spirits. Paint it on with a brush. You can even use it to make your own even-better-than-sil-nylon.
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/support/seam.asp says 1:1 for seam sealing. I guess the 1:3 that I read before was for homemade, utra-perm silnylon.
Anyway, Sly, there ya are.
what is the purpose of thinning the caulk, just to make it go further or is there some performance reason?
Footslogger
12-02-2005, 11:13
what is the purpose of thinning the caulk, just to make it go further or is there some performance reason?
===================================
Well for starters ...the GE Silicon Seal is much thicker than Silnet. Regardless, what I noticed was that the thinnner mixture dries (cures) faster and is less tacky.
'Slogger
Rain Man
12-02-2005, 11:21
Okay, dumb question number 734 from me ....
WHY do all the instructions say to seal the INSIDE of the rain fly? Seems to me that that is like shutting the door after the horses are out of the barn.
Why not seal the OUTSIDE and keep the water out of all those seams, tie-straps, sew-throughs, and etc in the first place???
I've never understood this concept of sealing the inside, but I assume there's an obvious answer, as they all say to do that.
Rain:sunMan
.
tlbj6142
12-02-2005, 11:45
Okay, dumb question number 734 from me ....
WHY do all the instructions say to seal the INSIDE of the rain fly?Appearance. That's it. I find it much, much easier to seal the outside, so that's what I do. Clear caulk on silnylon (not sure about PU stuff) is barely noticable anyway.
Another reason to thin the caulk is so that is "runs" into the seam a bit better. Otherwise, it just lays on top like Racoon $hit on dead fall. I like my goop to be very, very runny. You'll end up with a better seal and use less caulk. I mix it up inside a glass jar (from a pile of old baby food jars, I've kept) and apply it with one of those sponge brushes. It dries very, very quickly in the jar. So, I have to apply it fast and/or mix in more spirits during the procedure.
Youngblood
12-02-2005, 12:40
what is the purpose of thinning the caulk, just to make it go further or is there some performance reason?
Others have answered this, but this is the summary:
It is much easier to work with, it covers better, you end up using less of it and it stays on better. When it is undiluted or too thick it sometimes tends to peel off while the heavily diluted stuff tends to wick into the fabric and seams. Of course there is a limit to how thin you want it as well, as you don't want it to be all thinner (mineral spirits or gasoline) and no silicone adhesive. It is the thinner that actually wicks and you need it to 'carry' the silicone adhesive with it so that the silicone adhesive will be cured into the seam area when the thinner evaporates.
OK, so a single wall tent you only seal the outside, correct?
Nightwalker
12-02-2005, 13:54
what is the purpose of thinning the caulk, just to make it go further or is there some performance reason?
It goes down into the fabric better, and it goes on easier. Plus, yeah it goes further.
Nightwalker
12-02-2005, 13:56
OK, so a single wall tent you only seal the outside, correct?
If you don't mind the ugly. Otherwise, do it inside.
Nightwalker
12-02-2005, 13:59
P.S. I found out that silicone does indeed not stick to polyurethane coated tent material. My maintenence experience was wrong. In that situation, we'd put a little toluene or alcohol on the leaking/offending surface (polyurethane and polycarbonate) and put on the silicone. It sticks like, well, like glue!
On polyurethane coated tent material, it peels. I ain't puttin' toluene on the floor of my tent just to help it not get so slick!
:o
tlbj6142
12-02-2005, 14:33
If you don't mind the ugly. Otherwise, do it inside.Don't you see the ugly on the inside? While I've never sealed PU, sealing silnylon is almost invisible. Maybe a bit of extra shine in the area, but that's it.