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Customer Service received this nice email from a large utility: "We've specified Polywater Duct Sealant Kits for a number of years. For whatever reason (probably because it's quick and easy), our crews have been using the Great Stuff™ in a can and, as you'd expect, these installations are now experiencing problems. So we're taking this opportunity to make sure crews use the Polywater kits from here on out. Somewhere deep in storage, we found a bunch of boxes of the Polywater kits that are over 3 years old. We'd hate to waste them. Is there a shelf life for an unopened FST kit? Also, some of these boxes contain the FST-180 kit, which requires a special tool. Is this tool still available? Thanks." There's a lot to consider in this message. First, this is yet another customer confirmation of what we've been saying for years: FST Foam works for sealing ducts, and the cheap open-cell canned foams don't. Review our FST Lab Report for a thorough analysis of the issue. Second, a successful specification isn't the end of the sale. The testimonial above shows that constant vigilance is required to ensure that the correct product is being used in the field, human nature being what it is. Third, there is a 1-year shelf life on FST Foam. The FST-180 package and its special application tool were discontinued in early 2012 in favor of the FST-250 "caulking tube" package. So the tool is no longer available from Polywater, but that's okay because any FST-180 packages still in existence are now beyond their shelf life. |
