Epoxy Installation in Hot Weather
Install Epoxy in Hot Weather the Easiest Way
Minimize Hot Temperature Epoxy Installation Problems.
Installing epoxy in hot weather can be difficult and frustrating. The purpose of
this paper is to understand hot temperature epoxy installations. I will talk about
what the causes the problems with installing epoxy in hot weather. I will
discuss how to eliminate most if not all of the difficulties in hot weather installation.
Why does my epoxy set so fast in hot weather?
Epoxy cures by exothermic (producing heat) reaction. In cooler temperatures
(50° F to 75° F) the epoxy produces all the heat that it needs to cure.
Whith about each 17°F that the temperature of the epoxy increases it sets about
twice as fast. That is great when you are talking getting back onto your epoxy
for another coat. It is very bad when the pot-life (time it is usable after
you mix it) is cut in half. A batch of epoxy that would have given you a 30 minute
pot-life at 70°F will only give you a 15 minute pot-life at 87°F. At 104°F
you are down a potlife almost to short to be able to use the epoxy fast enough.
This can be made worse if you store your material in a truck, in the sun or some
other hot area. The hotter the material is when it is mixed the faster it
will set. This makes for a short set time and a much shorter pot-life.
Why do my bigger batches of epoxy have a shorter pot-life?
Epoxy generates it own heat. So the bigger the batch the quicker it gets hot,
and the shorter a pot-life that you have. Pot-life is based on a small amount of
material that is easitly quality tested in a lab. Pot-life is given to give you
a comparison from one type or brand of epoxy to another. With bigger
batches of all materials the material can set many times faster than the
published pot life on the data sheet. That is why we encourage everyone to
start with small batches and slowly increase the size on a given day.
What can I do to make epoxy installation in hot weather easier?
Keep your epoxy in a cool area as long as possible. Store it in air
conditioned areas, or even put it on ice in a Styrofoam cooler if needed.
Ideally keep the material as close to the upper 60°s F. to lower 70°s F
as you can.
Make very small batches. If you make a batch too small you can
always make a bigger batch. Make it to large it WILL
harden in your bucket, roller and roller. If this happens best case you lose
a lot of material and job supplies. Worst case it makes a mess on your
surface or you run out of material before you can complete your job.
If these steps are not working, you might want to consider delaying the
job for a cooler day or starting work earlier in the day or overnight in the
cooler hours.
For more information please contace Epoxy.com Technical Support
info@epoxy.com.
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