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Heating & Air Conditioning

mastic cure times

John Geltemeyer

7 years ago

How long must mastic cure before I can turn on my AC? It is high summer and I discovered that the duct work in my home was either put together using older standards or shortcuts. In particular all the joints in the sheet metal do not have mastic or tape sealant. A great deal of air is blowing through gaps at these joints. The Mastic container says do not use within 8 hours when rain is expected and that 20 hours is required to fully cure. The daytime temperatures are in the 90s so 20 hourst is not practical. The duct work is already put together and I intend to seal the joints in place. The ducts are in the attic so there is no rain danger. Is the 20 hour precaution realistic or would a shorter amount of time be enough for the task I am trying to accomplish?

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Comment (1)

Elmer J Fudd
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
If you're going to the trouble and work to finish the job the right way, why even risk not following manufacturer's advice? If you turn on the system before the mastic has cured, you might blow holes through your hard work and negate the benefit you're trying to have. Maybe using a foil mastic-backed tape like Hardcast 1402 could be usable sooner?
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Well, that rules out water-borne finish. If it smells really horrible, it may be an acid curing finish which is commonly referred to Swedish Finish. Due to the smell and it being tricky to use, we haven't used it in years. It's an excellent wearing product. It looks like there's a newer product that's a little more used friendly: http://glitsa.com/professionals/product/glitsa-multikote-finish/ It looks like it comes in 4 gloss levels: http://glitsa.com/media/MultiKote-Product-Sheet.pdf The issues you've highlighted seem to be unrelated. The milkiness may have been a chemical issue. The scratching is curious because old Glitsa customers rave about their finish. The swirl scratches are due to poor sanding or coating technique. When we were using Glitsa it was a combination of Bacca Sealer and Gold Seal. If something came out wrong with the Gold Seal, it was a real hassle. http://glitsa.com/media/goldSealSpec.pdf From Glitsa's website you can access all the data sheets for their products. http://glitsa.com/professionals/products/ The MultiKote can be recoated right away. The Gold Seal requires a 90 day wait or after a week one can apply another coat of one of their sealer than a coat of Gold Seal.
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