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Seam sealing ID SILSHELTER


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  • #1286917
    gunther kirsch
    Member

    @goonch92

    Locale: Northern California

    So i'm about to seal my Integral Designs silshelter, after doing a lot of research on the forums. I'm still confused about a couple things though. I'm using the ID silicone sealer that came with the tent. i went on the website and it said this seal is of the McNett silnet brand. the website said nothing about diluting and said to seal the INSIDE of the fabric….

    the forums tell me i should dilute… but is it necessary for this product? also people recommend sealing the outside on the forums (sometimes??)… but the website says inside… What do you all recommend?

    #1851708
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    There is silicone sealer that is intended for sealing seams of tents. It is ready to use.

    There is also silicone sealer that is not primarily intended for this. It is more for general household sealing. It is rather thick, so it needs to be diluted for seam sealing of a tent.

    –B.G.–

    #1851710
    gunther kirsch
    Member

    @goonch92

    Locale: Northern California

    with your experience did you seal the inside or outside of your tents?

    #1851713
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    Yes.

    In some cases, I seal the outside. In other cases, I seal the inside. On some, I do both.

    If you seal the outside, more sealant is likely to leak out and be visible, which is not so good. If you seal the inside, it won't be visible. If you seal only the inside, and if enough rainwater can seep into the seam, it will be caught there. That might lead to a mold problem.

    In some cases, I have just lightly smeared the stuff on. That isn't very neat at all. In some cases, I have used a plastic syringe to inject the sealant more directly into the middle of the seam. That works good. In some cases, I have just applied dots of sealant into the needle holes.

    –B.G.–

    #1851843
    gunther kirsch
    Member

    @goonch92

    Locale: Northern California

    After seam sealing my tent for 2 hours i feel like i was just painting 50 high school girls toe nails. one for the similarity in the task (don't ask how i know) and two because of the amounts of volatile fumes i've just inhaled…

    I need a breather

    #1851851
    Tim Zen
    Spectator

    @asdzxc57

    Locale: MI

    " If you seal the outside, more sealant is likely to leak out and be visible, which is not so good"

    B G why is visible not so good? Surely not aesthetics.

    #1851857
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    Tim, use some common sense.

    The more goop you have visible on the outside of the shelter, the more goop will be cooked by sunlight, and that tends to make it separate from the material, so it won't be doing much good. Stuff on the inside doesn't get cooked.

    –B.G.–

    #1851903
    Tim Zen
    Spectator

    @asdzxc57

    Locale: MI

    Bob.

    Are you saying UV degrades silicone rapidly,
    But the silicone in in fabric, assuming it is silnylon, degrades much more slowly?

    #1851905
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    In some cases, I have just applied dots of sealant into the needle holes.

    Whoa! For a whole tent or tarp? You must have the patience of a saint!

    #1851993
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    Tim, stuff that is mostly transparent, like most seam sealer, allows sunlight to penetrate into it rather completely if it is directly exposed, so it can all degrade. Stuff that is rather opaque, like 1.5 ounce silnylon does not allow sunlight to penetrate very deeply. So, only the topmost coatings will be degraded, and the sealer down inside the seams will be unaffected.

    –B.G.–

    #1852304
    Colin Krusor
    BPL Member

    @ckrusor

    Locale: Northwest US

    I don't really want to encourage a debate about UV degradation. I just thought I'd share what I recently read, in case it helps anyone to decide what to do with their gear.

    I read that silicones are among the most UV resistant polymers used in outdoor gear. They are far more UV resistant than sensitive materials like kevlar and urethanes, much more resistant than nylon, and a bit more than polyester. In direct sunlight, the silicone coating on a silnylon fabric should outlast the nylon fibers underneath.

    #1852351
    John S.
    BPL Member

    @jshann

    #1852680
    gunther kirsch
    Member

    @goonch92

    Locale: Northern California

    Great link^ wish i had that earlier.

    the shelter has been drying formore than a day now and is losely folded up. the seamsare still stlightly taky but i guess thats the nature of the silicone sealent. anyway hopefullynext weekend i can take it out and see how well it works, should be lots of rain coming my way in the next week or so

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