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Winter Freeze Warning: What You Need To Know Before Ordering

Winter Freeze Warning: What You Need To Know Before Ordering

Pro Clima tapes and adhesives have superior properties that perform well in extreme conditions, whether it be hot, cold, wet, or dry. Water-based products can freeze, and although all products with adhesive should be stored above freezing to help ensure they perform best on a cold job site, there are 3 items that require special consideration to avoid shipping or storage through frigid temps:
  1. VISCONN - Water-based acrylic dispersion air barrier that can be brushed, rolled or sprayed on to for a seamless, elastic, air and vapor variable membrane once dry.
  2. VISCONN FIBRE - Same water-based acrylic dispersion as VISCONN with fibrous materials mixed in to fill gaps up to 3/4" to CMU, concrete, wood, and joist bays.
  3. TESCON PRIMER RP - Primer for wood, OSB, plywood, fiberboard, brick, concrete, roofs, walls and floors to prepare the substrate for the adhesion of Pro Clima tapes.
  4. STEGO MASTIC - a liquid-applied vapor retardant membrane, designed to be used in conjunction with StegoHome® vapor barriers and retarders to create a quality installation that greatly resists the ingress of moisture and other gases.

We need to avoid shipping or storage through freezing winter conditions, as liquid-applied products can "turn" when exposed to freezing temps. Chances are high for more deep freeze Polar Vortex events this winter, a time when delivery trucks get too cold for too long. The Polar Vortex of 2019 brought Saskatoon temperatures as low as −45 °F (−42.6 °C), and −28 °F (−33 °C ) in Minneapolis.

Buying During a Cold Snap? 4 Things To Know

Builders work year-round. We know this. People like Alex Carver of Northern Timbers Construction, featured in the video below, builds with Pro Clima products in the deep chill of Vermont on the edge of lake in February. Here’s our rules to remember when ordering liquid-applied products during a extreme winter weather:

  1. Unfortunately couriers can’t help - All couriers (UPS, FedEx and trucking companies) cannot guarantee packages will be kept above freezing during transit. It’s up to you to know when extreme cold may interfere with your order’s route. Note that the courier may move product through different environments en route to your job site.
  2. Keep products above freezing - These products must be kept above freezing at all times. This includes time spent sitting on the job site. Delivery trucks often leave packages outside without signature. Know when your package is due to arrive and avoid leaving it out in freezing conditions. Check immediately upon delivery to ensure what has been delivered is not frozen. As an alternative for TESCON PRIMER RP, use CONTEGA HF if winter weather prohibits shipping/storage above 32F (0C).
  3. Thawing is not an option - Once fully frozen, VISCONN, VISCONN FIBRE, and TESCON PRIMER RP will turn. This is not reversible unfortunately. We can’t accept returns of products that left our warehouse in good condition but became frozen on the job site or in transit.
  4. Contact us, we’re here to help - 475 will work with you to ensure you get what you need when you need it. If you’re concerned about the temperature on the week of your purchase, talk to your 475 Sales Rep, or our Operations Department. We’ll ensure we do everything we can to avoid freezing. This will likely mean holding off a few days until temperatures increase or shipping with faster service (reducing travel time, or other means of "frost protection" if possible).

Stay warm out there, and enjoy this 475 On-Site Video from February of 2015 with Alex Carver of Northern Timbers Construction in Vermont:

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