Butyl Tape ?? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-02-2012, 04:27 PM   #1
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Name: Harvey
Trailer: '84 Scamp 13' & 2001 Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe
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Butyl Tape ??

All my reading/exploring of the forum convinces me that butyl tape is the sealant of choice for jobs like replacing/resealing windows, vents, etc. I've started using the Lexel sealant for sealing around rivets when replacing them. I'm gonna be re-sealing & replacing windows, vents, access doors, & such on my 84 Scamp & 76 Trillium.

My question about the butyl tape is what is the difference between butyl tape & the gray 'putty tape' I've been using for years on my RVs? I still have a partial roll of the putty tape 3/4" wide, about 1/8" thick with a sorta 'crinkley' waxed paper separating the coils of tape on the roll. Looked at some butyl tape (Dicor brand I think?) at local RV supply place & it looked identical to what I have. Felt the same also,

Years ago I bought a small roll of butyl rubber tape that was completely different; it was white, very sticky & adhered to every surface it came in contact with. Used it to seal a roof vent & when I had to replace the vent, thought I'd never get the residue of the stuff off.

Searching the www I also see a great disparity in price for what appears to be identical rolls of butyl tape, some even from the same dealers? Also see it in gray/grey, off white, black, etc. I want to use quality products & have no problem paying the 'going rate' for such but, don't want to spend money unnecessarily either... Anyone have some good advice on solving my dilemma... If there's a difference in what I've been using & 'real' butyl tape, what is the difference & how do I tell?
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Old 03-02-2012, 04:57 PM   #2
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Somehow one of them may be mislabeled? There are few similarities between the two aside for being marketed for the same purpose.

Find a Body shop supply house and ask them for Butyl Rubber Tape and it will be like the white stuff you remember,it is only removed from anything by itself.
The stuff is miserable if it get out of control and it is always right on the line for me.

Butyl really will not get dried out like the putty tape and also makes a better seal.

They use butyl to install windshields.

This is where I get it

http://www.crestmidwest.com/default....arch%20Results
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Old 03-02-2012, 05:09 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
......................They use butyl to install windshields............
I don't think they use butyl caulk for windshields anymore. They do use it for gutters.
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Old 03-02-2012, 05:20 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Thomas G. View Post
I don't think they use butyl caulk for windshields anymore. They do use it for gutters.
Really?

My link is to an automotive jobber supplier and they call it glass sealant.



I'm just Sayin,with tongue out!
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:10 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
Really?

My link is to an automotive jobber supplier and they call it glass sealant.



I'm just Sayin,with tongue out!
Yea, glass is now a structural part of auto bodies and the urethane glues it tighter than butyl, which previously was used.
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:53 PM   #6
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Ed, your link brings up :
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Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
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Old 03-02-2012, 08:05 PM   #7
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Here's a source of the tape:

Rv,trailer,camper
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Old 03-02-2012, 08:06 PM   #8
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Huh?
It must time out after a while?

Well if you pull up this one

Crest Midwest Online

and then type "butyl" into the search box they will be found.

Sorry

Oh and I love that face,can you tell?

By the way,this catalog can be some interesting reading too.
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Old 03-03-2012, 10:55 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura & Rick View Post
Here's a source of the tape:

Rv,trailer,camper
Thanks Laura & Rick. That appears to be exactly the same stuff I saw at the local RV supplier. It also appears exactly the same ('cept for the color of the paper) as the partial roll I still have from 6yrs ago. I've used that stuff over the last 20-30yrs for installing vents, windows, etc. The last roll I bought just said 'putty tape' on the bin. In 2006 I built my little teardrop trailer & used that stuff to install the Fantastic Fan & the door windows. It is still flexible & I've never had the first drop of water enter around it. Just went down to the 'shed' & retrieved the partial roll. It's been laying on a makeshift table, exposed to temps from low teens to more'n 100 degrees fahrenheit, stored (not sealed) in a clear vinyl bag since 2006. Was 31*f this morning & the stuff is still flexible tho not as 'sticky' as it was 6yrs ago. Still don't know if it's butyl or putty tape?? Might be better off to just buy a new roll that I know is marked butyl. Gonna need several feet of the stuff so this roll won't be enough anyway

What say y'all...
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Old 03-03-2012, 11:09 AM   #10
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Putty
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Old 03-03-2012, 02:20 PM   #11
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If it were me, I would just but a roll of the tape.
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Old 03-03-2012, 03:36 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laura & Rick View Post
If it were me, I would just but a roll of the tape.
That's just what I did. Went to the RV Dealer today & picked up a 25' roll of 'Butyl Tape' that appears identical to the partial roll I have except it is a little wider & feels lots more flexible/sticky than my old roll. They have plenty & the price is much better than some of the online places, plus I don't hafta wait or pay for shipping. Thanks all!
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Old 03-03-2012, 05:21 PM   #13
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dicor lap sealant
501 LSW
Self - Leveling Lap Sealant
For Industrial Use

I ordered it along with the Fantastic Fan and I worked out really well.

I also use butyl tape but not on that installation.
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Old 08-27-2017, 07:45 AM   #14
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Butyl in a tube?

Our rear tail light casing has water going in behind it - running into the hole for the wires - that can accumulate quite a bit when in a torrential rainstorm.

We have taken the assembly off and I thought about putting a gasket, or butyl behind the light assembly then attach it to the trailer then put the cover on.

Has anyone heard of butyl caulking? Could I make a gasket with that then attach the case the the trailer do you think?

The product is EXCEL Grey Butyl Acrylic Caulking at Home Hardware.
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Old 08-27-2017, 08:19 AM   #15
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There seems to be total confusion about butyl tape among users but also among retailers. In my search for it, I was given as many different answers and products as there were stores that I visited. Most salespeople, never having heard of it, just looked at me with blank stares. Others scoffed that no one uses it anymore and\or tried to sell me a different product.
I finally ordered from Amazon.ca and received what I believe to be butyl tape, though I guess only time will tell, if it stays soft. The rolls arrived in triangle and hexagonal shapes from transit but were intact and worked well for installation.
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Old 08-27-2017, 10:47 AM   #16
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Thanks Patricia. I too have looked and read till my eyes are raw - I find that Butyl and putty tape are not the same. Putty tape will harden and crack.

I really wished I could navigate this site better - when I do 'search' it does not come up with the word I am looking for. I end up googling the question that leads mt to the rv forum site with those topics.

What the heck am I doing wrong I wonder.

Thanks for responding.

And I learned that the paper quality with the butyl determines the quality of the butyl as well. If the paper is crinkly it's putty? And smoothed paper it's butyl. Make sense?

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Old 09-07-2017, 02:24 PM   #17
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When I had new windows made about 4 or 5 years ago for my Burro, the window company installed them for me, and they used a neoprene-ish rubberized sticky gasket tape. They've never leaked a drop, even blasted with a hose when washing the trailer. And my LED tail lights came with a similar gasketing (not sticky), and they don't leak either.

I've used the 'putty' tape with the 'krinkly paper' for installing new water inlet flanges etc, and my door hinges and they don't leak either. All of this has been in temps from 4F to 107F over the years.

I think what matters most is a good clean surface and the proper amount of pressure exerted by the fasteners. Properly done, none of the tape/gasket should see much exposure to UV rays anyway. If secured right, flexibility shouldn't be an issue re cracking - there shouldn't be that much expansion & contraction going on, except maybe for the weight of a heavy door on door hinges.

My $0.02...
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Old 09-08-2017, 07:34 PM   #18
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Thank you - that sounds like good, logical advice!
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Old 09-08-2017, 10:09 PM   #19
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No, sorry many of you have got it all wrong...

Here is why this subject is confusing you....putty tape is the generic name for the whole class of this product, which is a soft flexible sealant in a relatively narrow strip that is rolled up.

This is kind of like saying I use tooth paste but as most of us realize there are different makes and different versions of the stuff such as the white kind but there are also newer gel kinds, etc. However we still use that same old generic name tooth paste for all of them. Many people still use the generic name "putty tape" and it does not make a spit of difference if they do as it has been a number of years since you could buy anything other than the Butyl rubber formulas of putty tape. All the manufactures of it have already given up making those old formulas because they were not nearly as good of a product.

Hengs and Dicor are the two primary suppliers to the RV trade and they both exclusively use Butyl and do not sell any other version of putty tape. 3M also makes it as do other companies. The marine stores sell it and they are also exclusively selling butyl formulas.

So everyone relax and please quit freaking out about this subject. There is absolutely no need to rehash it over and over again and give out dire warnings as no one can even buy the bad old kind, it is not out there on the shelves. If anyone is in doubt about what they are buying then just tell them to ask for the MSDS sheet and they will quickly find out that what they have already bought or are looking to purchase contains Butyl rubber.

As far as putting crinkly paper vs smooth paper on it, that distinguishes nothing about what materials the putty tape contains. It is simply the manufacturer's preferential choice for a release paper. Again...the only sure way to know for sure is to ask for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The stores are required by law to give you one or direct you to where it is located if you ask them for it. Every company who uses it in the manufacturing process (such as installing windows, inlets, outlets or vents) is required to have it on hand in their files as part of their records for employee safety.
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