Heel is a reliable seal

Heels are a type of gasket used in a humid environment. It looks like a strand of fibrous material, woven in a certain way (1-, 2- or 3-strand) and impregnated with a special solution. The fiber can be natural and synthetic. The composition of the impregnation depends on the scope of the heel. The main purpose of the heels is plumbing work.

Characteristic

Most often, natural fiber is used as a raw material for the production of heels : hemp, jute, flaxseed, agave and other plants. There are fibers made of synthetic materials: polyamide, polypropylene. After treatment with impregnating compounds, the heel has the following characteristics:

• tensile load - not less than 27 kg;
• impregnation ratio - not less than 40%;
• the rate of evaporation of the impregnation is not more than 1%;
• density - at least 1.00 grams per cubic centimeter.

Weaving of fibers provides a long service life due to high biological resistance.

Impregnation

A variety of compositions are used as an impregnation: oil (including machine oil), oil bitumen, tar -bitumen mastics, antiseptic, anticorrosive, antiseptic.

The impregnation is that the fiber is immersed in a heated composition and kept there for a certain amount of time, sometimes up to several days. This technology allows for deep penetration and the required percentage of fiber impregnation. Heel is an excellent sealant for many types of pipes, which is simple and convenient to work with. High-quality impregnation protects the seal from rotting, and pipes from rust.

To prevent drying of the material, storage and transportation is carried out in a hermetically sealed container. It is being packaged in bays. It can be plastic buckets or bags that protect the product from sunlight and high temperature. The labels indicate weight and diameter.

For professionals, the thickness of the fiber and the composition of the impregnation are important. The scope of its application depends on this. For example, plumbing works with a water supply system require an odorless light-soled cable, so as not to spoil the quality of drinking water. For sewerage, a dark sealant impregnated with bitumen resin is suitable. It is able to withstand prolonged contact with wastewater without losing its properties.

Heel is also a kind of tape tow with impregnation. It is also used for sealing bells, especially large diameters. They are made from wastes from processing flax fibers and hemp. They are impregnated with resin of coniferous trees or with E-1 grease (antiseptic and anticorrosive impregnation). The composition of tow may include jute, hemp and other components.

Benefits

Heel sanitary - the most popular sealant. Its application does not require special equipment or specific knowledge and skills. Both the plumber and the home foreman will cope with such a seal. The product from natural fibers treated with resin impregnation has a number of features:

• does not accumulate static voltage;
• resistant to heat and solar radiation;
• has chemical resistance in contact with waste water;
• does not emit harmful substances when heated;
• the maximum temperature at which it is possible to use this type of cable is 160 ⁰ , which allows the use of a sealant when installing a steam heating system.

disadvantages

For all its versatility, the cab has a number of negative aspects, which, however, do not affect the popularity of the seal:

• ropes made from natural fibers are prone to decay, therefore, they require special impregnation;
• flammable;
• black stains hands and work gloves with hard-to-wash impregnation;
• not very high breaking load.

Scope of application

In many cases, it’s the cab that acts as an effective and inexpensive sealant. The price of some product brands is shown in the table:

The versatility of the cab and technical specifications allow it to be used for many works:

• installation of sewer and water pipes;
• filling joints between beams during the construction of bridge crossings;
• used as a sealant for piping cases in places where they pass through the foundations of buildings or any structures;
• in large-panel housing construction for closing up voids;
• for caulking of the lower rim of log houses of wooden houses;
• for caulking of boats or ships made of wood;
• used instead of tow for stuffing along the edges of the timber during the assembly of log cabins;
• used in the manufacture of cables (for sailing ships).

Heel is a convenient, environmentally friendly, easy to use material, which is still a priority among a large army of plumbers, builders, sailors.