NZCB InHouse magazine June/July 2022

Page 60

TECH TIPS —

Winter temperatures are more critical than we think! Soudal Technical Manager, Steve Loveridge speaks about the very real effects of dropping temperatures. As we hit the frost crunching days it is worth remembering that the teams building on our sites will start to see a significant change occur in terms of curing times for adhesives, sealants, membranes, and coatings. Quite simply many of these products will start to take longer to cure given the less-thanideal ambient temperatures that hit much of the country for large portions of the working day.

While none of the above issues are new – they are frequently forgotten in the collective haste to get projects and jobs pushed through as quickly as possible. An appreciation of the issue from both a specifier and contractor perspective will ensure jobs are done within a realistic timeframe and more importantly to a quality standard that understands and manages product risk appropriately.

As a rule, the curing rates expressed in product technical data sheets are based on a “stable, consistent” temperature over a 24-hour period. This may be the case in Rarotonga, but it isn’t in Queenstown, Palmerston North, or Auckland. The reality for us is that as temperatures drop, curing rates also drop until we get down to 10°C at which point the curing process effectively hibernates and goes completely on hold. Understanding that a slow-down of the curing rate is logarithmic (not constant), as opposed to linear (constant) means careful thinking onsite is required when fixing various construction elements.

Understanding that a slow-down of the curing rate is logarithmic (not constant), as opposed to linear (constant) means careful thinking on-site is required when fixing various construction elements. To this point, we have been discussing the ambient temperatures, but it is equally important to remember the physical substrate temperature and that the lowering of this can contribute to both slower curing and reduced bond strength of the adhesive/sealant to the surface – most particularly with damp/wet or frost bearing surfaces. There are solutions and mitigators in play in other parts of the world such as stabilised heating sources, but these are not commonplace in New Zealand. Added to all of the above, construction teams have one final hurdle when using MS & PU (elastomeric) sealants as the physical gunning of the product becomes slower and more difficult without the direct use of “hot-boxes” or an alternative method to slowly warm up the cartridges/sausages – again not commonplace here in gods own.

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For more information on curing rates or technical advice on sealants, foams and adhesives, please contact Steve Loveridge on 021 273 8894 or visit our website to see our comprehensive product range and technical data www.soudal.co.nz/ products/

This Tech Tip was supplied by NZCB National Partner Soudal. Soudal are a key supplier of sealants, foams and adhesives to tradies under our iconic Gorilla brand. For over 30 years Gorilla Grip, Foam, Glues and Silicones have proven their quality, reliability and technical performance in kiwi conditions. www.soudal.co.nz


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NZCB Affinity Partners

2min
page 70

IN THE MEDIA

31min
pages 66-69

Salt smart

1min
page 63

Installation tips to avoid sliding into trouble

1min
page 62

Winter temperatures are more critical than we think

2min
pages 60-61

Message from the AST Trust

1min
pages 56-57

NEWS BITES

5min
pages 58-59

Is TikTok good for business?

3min
page 50

Events Calendar

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page 51

Preparing for winter

2min
page 48

Looking after the most important person – you

3min
pages 46-47

Overlapping duties – who’s responsible for what?

6min
pages 44-45

Maximising profit on charge-up jobs

5min
pages 42-43

Employee or contractor… are your working arrangements sound?

4min
pages 40-41

NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM – Regional Competitions 2022

5min
pages 36-39

You should use determinations under the Building Act

7min
pages 34-35

GIB® Plasterboard supply update

5min
pages 30-31

Are you driving your business blindfolded?

3min
pages 32-33

Make your business more competitive with tech

4min
pages 28-29

Putting our partners in the spotlight

1min
pages 22-23

H1 Building Code updates

3min
pages 26-27

Scruffs clothing and footwear

1min
pages 20-21

Message from our Acting Chief Executive

5min
pages 8-9

What is a 10-year building guarantee?

5min
pages 18-19

The benefits of using a single insurance broker

3min
pages 14-15

NZCB’s new Chief Executive Officer

1min
page 7

Message from the NZCB Board

3min
page 4

Board Bites

3min
page 6

Notice of NZCB Annual General Meeting

1min
page 5
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