Our Annual Cold Weather Warning - Keep Your Tape Warm!
Our Annual Cold Weather Warning - Keep Your Tape Warm!
At times this year it was uncomfortably hot. Here in the South my grass dried up and turned yellow. Finally we had some rain but the temperatures remained well up on seasonal averages. Now, at last, it looks like winter has set in.
But spare a thought for your tape. It doesn't like the cold!
About Temperature
This year some people (not our customers!) had tape problems in the hot weather. After all, tapes are tested (and therefore perform their best) at 23 degrees C. Above this, they start to lose adhesive strength and some cheaper tapes started to fail.
But below 23 degrees, tapes gradually and progressively start to firm up and become more solid. As they firm up they lose tack, or stickiness, and cannot bond as easily. Eventually, usually at around -20 to -40 degrees, most tapes "freeze", become rigid and brittle, lose all tack and will not bond at all.
Cool and cold weather isn't good for adhesive tape.
Two Factors
Actually there are two factors affecting tape in cool conditions. The first, as described above, is that the tape becomes less tacky and will not bond as easily or quickly. This phenomenon affects all tapes, but not equally. Some tapes that are very tacky at room temperature lose tack rapidly at lower temperatures. Others that appear not to be as tacky, retain their tack well. Ask us for advice!
The second factor is that condensation becomes a problem at low temperatures. Air contains a significant amount of water vapour. Warm air can hold a lot more moisture than cool air. So when warm air cools, the water precipitates out as condensation - or dew. Hence the expression "dew point". Dew actually accounts for far more water exposure outdoors than does rainfall. For this reason we do not recommend using any tape below 5 degrees C even though some may retain good tack at this temperature.
Phone us for advice on 01628 642800
Look Out For...
1) Cool temperatures.
At cooler temperatures tapes take longer to bond and may need more pressure. Also tapes, particularly foam tapes, are great insulators. A box of foam tape that has been kept in cold conditions over the weekend will take a very long time to warm up. Until it has warmed up, it will be lacking in tack. So try to keep the tape in a heated factory rather than an unheated store or the boot of a car!
2) Condensation
A material stored in cold conditions and brought into a warmer factory is likely to attract condensation. If you keep substrates such as sheets of metal or glass in unheated conditions and bring them into a warmer factory they are likely to attract a film of condensation which may not be easily visible.The tape simply will not stick to a layer of condensation. Sorry.