Flex Tape Flex Seal

[Squerly]

This stuff (image below) is 4" wide and comes on a 5' role, and can be purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot for about $13.00 a roll. (The image looks like a can, but it's actually a 4" wide roll of tape) Wow, that's a bunch of cash for 5' of tape, right?

But it works terrifically. I bought 10 rolls a while back when I was sealing questionable areas on the roof of my past RV. Never had a problem with any kind of leak afterwards.

Per the manufacture, "Specially formulated with a thick, flexible, rubberized backing that conforms to an shape or object".

And it does just that. But for $13.00 a roll, you have to question if there isn't a better, or at least, less expensive way to seal these areas.

So here it is. I found this exact same product from a seller on Amazon who is selling a roll of this wonder tape for $5.00 a roll, shipping included. I bought 20 rolls as I know how well it works and I know I will have a use for it somewhere along the line.

Just thought I'd pass it along for anyone who might be in need of sealing the area around a vent, air conditioner or maybe some other area up on the roof of their RV.

Amazon link (as of today anyway) is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...&condition=all

[16ACE27]

Or just buy the real stuff that has been the industry standard for roof taping on RVs - Eternabond:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Squerly]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

Or just buy the real stuff that has been the industry standard for roof taping on RVs - Eternabond:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well, I guess you can do that too. Sorry, I just thought it was worth mentioning.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Squerly

Well, I guess you can do that too. Sorry, I just thought it was worth mentioning.

Nothing to be sorry about, I just didn't know if you knew about Eternabond. It's much cheaper than your original FlexSeal price and has been proven on RVs for years whereas FlexSeal has not.

[DbleDutch]

I love the tape as undercarriage sealing and protection of wires. The original fiber tape that held many small wires under our 24F, like tank sensor wires, was letting loose and wires would drop down. The Flex Seal tape has stick power and a good shield. Yes, I zip tie many wires up, but the tape holds and shields in vulnerable places. YMMV

[mkapala]

I have just used white liquid Flex Seal successfully (I hope) on the roof of our newly purchased (used) 2013 Thor ACE 29.1. Recent downpours revealed a roof leak at the central skylight, with dripping inside the RV. I removed the inner liner where some water had collected, and waited for a few sunny days of drying & ventilating. The OEM sealant at that skylight and at some vents was showing several cracks. I thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned those sealant areas with plenty of acetone, then brushed on the white Flex Seal liquid rubber over the original sealant, totally covering it and filling in the cracks. The stuff went on very easily and smoothly, and made what looks like a "beautiful" job. I ended up doing all the vents, skylights, seams, etc., with less than a quart of the Flex Seal. When it rained again there were no leaks, so the immediate need was satisfied. I'll be keeping a close eye on it over time to see how well it weathers. This photo shows the job partly done. Gray stuff is the old sealant, and bright white is the Flex Seal over it

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zy...BVwTiaqQThm1PN

[ducksface]

I did a long term test of Flex Seal spray.
It showed no deterioration in six months time.
At 18months there isnt even the tiniest amount left. It's gone, turned to Rice paper like ribbons and flakes, and blew away as particulate. No major peeling, no seperation from the substrate, just gone.

I used it on a stationary street number plaque facing west at 6500ft altitude and Temps from -10f to 100f.

Or

My long term test on plasti-dip spray lasted five years in Lake Havasu city. The red was still red, not pink, a lighter red, but no sunburn and no pink.
(I sold the sandbuggy/23t bucket so no word on plasti dip after five years.)

Rolling all the time, it was at 400ft altitude at Temps from 30f to 130f, in the shade.

[Squerly]

Originally Posted by ducksface

I did a long term test of Flex Seal spray.

I wasn't happy with the spray either but the stuff in the can seemed to work well. That being said, I haven't got the MH any longer so I won't be able to give a long-distance report.

[mkapala]

Wow that's good to know. I hope that the brush-on liquid does better, so will see as time goes on. But for now it's doing the job, looks great, and was pretty easy. If I get a few years out of it, I might just do it again.

[ducksface]

What's the can life on the canned stuff once opened?
The plastdip cans(sold at hd) pretty much need used within a month of opening.
That's from memory. I haven't used any in a while.

Everything leftover/unused now gets a shot of argon to eliminate the oxygen before closure. It makes the shelf life almost the same as an unopened can or bottle of wine or paint, anything that oxidizes.

[mkapala]

On the can there is no pot life info, but it says that Flex Seal reacts with air to cure, and that once a can has been opened, any stored liquid can form a "skin" over time. Also says that cured skin can be skimmed off and stored product can be used. Cure time depends on temperature and humidity. The Flex Tape can cure under water, so possibly the formula is a moisture-curing material?

[Squerly]

As an update to my original post, Amazon no longer advertises this product as "Flex Tape" although it was when I bought it. It's now just called "rubberized tape". Not sure why the name has been changed, perhaps a licensing conflict?

Also, I want to note that during the hot days of Summer, I used several rolls of this, end to end, on the roof of my RV. Now in the cold days of Winter, the tape has shrunk by a couple of inches on each end, leaving a 2" gap between the ends of each length.

I'll be able to fix the problem by cutting some "fill in" lengths, but that wasn't what I had been expecting when I applied it last Summer.

[cavie]

This is what happens to Flex Seal Clear Spray.

[mkapala]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrCtFRuKwM

Maybe the price was super-cheap because you got a knock-off product, packaged to look exactly like the real thing. Amazon is notorious for that.

[Squerly]

Well that doesn't make me happy in the least. I think a call to Amazon is in order.

[mkapala]

I'm pretty sure that Phil Swift and family have complained loudly to Amazon long ago. But unfortunately, although they claim to try, Amazon is not really in the business of policing the patents and trademarks legitimacy of its millions of sellers. So it really is just a "Wild-West" buyer-beware marketplace. That's why Phil recommends buying their products only at reputable retailers like Ace, Target, Walgreens, etc. I got my Flex Seal liquid at Lowes and I'm sure it's the bonafide stuff. Doesn't mean that it will last forever, but probably much better than any super-cheap look-alike would ever be.

[cavie]

If you buy on Amazon and it does not say "Sold and shipped by Amazon"
You are on your own. They have thousands of sellers and they cannot police all of them.

[jbwilli1]

Ordered this thru Amazon, came from China. Surprised that it was same packaging as Flextape. Compared the label, it was identical. No spelling or grammar errors which is the norm.


Comes in white too.


Wouldn't surprise me at all that it's the same company that makes it for Flextape. Chinese are notorious for making a product for a company, then use the info to make their own product to sell. Been going on for 20+ years. Wife invented a plastic product with patents & used a Chinese company to produce it. We sold a ton of it for 6 months, then the copies hit the market for half our price.



I didn't want to spend 3 times the price for the stuff I was using it on.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[mkapala]

We (wife and I) had a similar experience about 30 years ago. We were making a nifty toy product in California. The fun and profits lasted only until U.S.-based market prowlers took it to China and ordered container-loads of worthless knockoffs. Destroyed the quality of it, killed the market for it, and made us hang up the biz. There are many thousands of similar stories. We live and we learn.