Butyl Tape
SHOP BUTYL TAPE
Butyl (and butyl tape) is defined as:
Butyl (Tape)
[byoo-til, byoot-l]
- a brand of synthetic rubber prepared by polymerization of butylene containing little butadiene, particularly useful for inner tubes of automobile tires because of its leak-proof qualities.
- Adhesive tape containing butylene and other additives used in automotive, recreational vehicle, and other industrial applications.
This extruded product is the foundation of a multi-million-dollar worldwide industry and a major component used in a huge cross-section of manufacturing processes. In the recreational vehicle industry OEM’s use this product to seal walls, roofing, doors, baggage areas, and a large number of other applications within all the classes of RVs.
Butyl Tape is a crucial element in the manufacturing process of RVs. It provides adhesion to the contacting surfaces on the exterior and interior of your vehicle. It helps to dampen road noise. Most importantly it seals the surfaces of your rig so that outside elements (specifically water) do not infiltrate your RV. If you suffer water penetration in your RV it can cause a multitude of issues that you will have to contend with. Your RV can be afflicted with (because of leakage) mold, electrical complications, or separation issues to name just a few. If your tape fails, any of these can become quite costly to repair.
What can go wrong with your butyl tape? Where can it fail? What will cause it to fail? Catastrophic failure causation could range from temperature issues to cracking and threading. Here at RecPro we wondered what exactly could go wrong and just how far we could push some of the top brands in the industry before they broke. What if your RV was frozen, stressed, or even driven through a fiery inferno? How much extreme pressure could we put on these brands before they would break, or conversely, withstand the pressure and come out on top? We wanted answers to those questions so we set up a series of brutal tests that others in the industry just haven’t had the ingenuity, drive, or capability to undertake. Welcome to Butyl Week: Butyl Royale.
Butyl Royale
Submersion Test
Butyl vs. Submersion - Underwater for an entire week? What could possibly go wrong? Find out in this test where we send this butyl to its watery grave!
Ice Cube Test
Butyl vs. Ice Cubes - One of the most important tests of a butyl tape is will it leak or not? We wrap cubes of ice in butyl and see which ones spring a leak!
Freeze Test Part 1
Butyl vs. Freezing Temps - We see how the butyl sticks to clean tumbler's surface in near sub-zero temps!
Freeze Test Part 2
Butyl vs. Ice - A chip off the old ice block, we find out what happens when you put butyl under water and freeze it solid!
Fire Test
Butyl vs. Flamethrower - We put butyl through the ultimate scientific test when we heat things up to over 1800 degrees on the firing range.