VOC of 3M 8067 tape
potton
| Posted in General Questions on
– Does the 8067 emit VOC?
– Can it be safely used INSIDE to airseal flangeless window-frames to rough opening? (My primary air barrier is inside)
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
I don't know its VOC emission but I can tell you it smells fairly strong and for quite a while, used it to seal my windows to the wall internally. But it sticks very well to basically everything.
How long was 'quite a while'...?
Did you happen to cover it with some window returns (gypsum, or other) before smell vanished...?
I would say it did smell for 3-4 weeks after installation, uncovered. If you ever find the info on VOC, Îm very interested.
3M 8067 All Weather Flashing Tape is an excellent product in many ways but it is definitely NOT low-VOC.
Several years ago I designed a house with Zip system on the interior of the conditioned attic, and the builder switched from Zip tape to 3M 8067 (with my approval). I visited the jobsite when they were almost done and the smell was very strong, I immediately got a sore throat and headache, and the crew was acting a bit loopy. We opened windows and everyone recovered, but that was a rare (for me) example of what high-VOC situations feel like.
I now use a low-VOC tape for any enclosed space, even if it's just for a short time, unless I can open a lot of windows and run an exhaust fan.
Thanks.
Do you know if the tape continued to emit VOC for a long time on that project...?
Which tape do you now use for enclosed space (in particular to tape aluminium to wood) ?
I used the 3M tape for air sealing the interior of my home. I would say it had that distinctive rubber like smell for about one week. With proper ventilation, it went away pretty quick. This is about 200' of the 3" wide tape.
Great question....I think builders of high performance, tight envelope houses should always use low VOC products. There seems to be a widely held belief that there is no need to consider VOC's for products that are not exposed to the living space. However, as we know, vapor and air pass through building enclosures to some degree and therefor VOC's probably do to. If an issue arises, it is often very difficult to resolve.
I remember my first case in law school as a summer associate was representing the spray foam industry involving spray foams that used Urea Formaldehyde as a blowing agent. The industry was crushed by a tsunami of lawsuits (thankfully they use different agents today). Of course, the shear volume of chemicals in spray foam insulation make it a very different issue than tapes, but there are some chemicals that can set people off in very small quantities and take very long to disperse. Always best to go with the product with a lower VOC if it can do the job. It should be a selling point too.