will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

a1bigtuna · October 2010

Have not been able to loacate Tedlar tape for sealing the edges of a DIY panel. Had an eBay item, but he said he was out of it, after I bought it.
Was looking at 2.2 mil thick polyvinylchloride tape as a replacement. Will this hold up and seal out moisture?
One additional thing. I am at seal level and will assemble the panel at sea level, this panel will go with me to camping sites and some will be up in the 5,000 ft level. Will that be possible to seal the panel and not have the seal broken when going to the lower barometric pressure areas, and when returning to sea level not having air with moisture sucked in if the seal is compromised?

BB. · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

One simple way of getting air out something before sealing is to build / buy a plastic bag to overlay the panel while sealing/curing/baking and attach to a vacuum cleaner (or vacuum pump if you have one).

One warning about a vacuum cleaner motor--may use the airflow from vacuuming to keep the motor cool. When you pull a vacuum, there is little to no airflow at the end of the cycle--The motor can overheat and pop the thermal breaker.

Sorry, I do not know about PVC tape.

-Bill

a1bigtuna · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

Hi again, I have found a sealing tape called Tyvek tape by DuPont that is Permanent
acrylic adhesive air and moisture vapor resistance (MVTR @ 100°F and 90% Relative Humidity) 0.3 g/100 in2/24 hr. withstand temperature extremes from -40°F to 220°F and will remain pliability. With EVA sealing the cells to a tempered glass plate would think the Tyvek will take care of sealing. I will just a vacuum seal unit (food vacuum system) to pull air out of the frame at the last stage in sealing. Still am wondering if atmospheric changes in pressure will weaken the seal or not. And does anyone know if desiccant packs if left inside a solar frame after they have absorbed any water vapor will release it back into the frame after time and temp cycles, or does it just keep the moisture locked up?

mike95490 · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

desiccant packs release their moisture in heat, usually over 210F. I don't know if your panels will get that hot.

The glass will flex and solve your barametric issue, but I doubt you will be able, with consumer equipment, to make an "airtight" or hermetic seal. That's the holy grail of PV panels, and it's not easy without large hot machines.

System2 · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

Tyvek and Tyvek sealing tape are meant to be covered with siding or some type of house sheathing.. The adhesive may be permanent but I don't think it was meant to be exposed to weather for long periods of time... I'd check with Dupont.. 3M makes many heavy duty weather resistant tapes...most likely some better choices..
Good luck
M

a1bigtuna · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

This is what the vendor said about the tape, hope he is correct. Have also contacted DuPont on it as well, here is what he sent:

DuPont™ Tyvek® Tape is recommended as a best installation practice for sealing seams of DuPont™ Tyvek® Weatherization System to help provide a continuous barrier against air infiltration. DuPont™ Tyvek® Tape is constructed of an oriented polypropylene film coated with a specially formulated permanent acrylic adhesive

AntronX · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

Make sure tape is UV resistant or UV stabilized. You would not want it cracking in few years. Have you explored ways to encapsulate cells in resin? It seems choices are either Sylgard 184 or EVA film. Sylgard is expensive, costs about $0.44 per Watt if applied in very thin layer of about 0.5mm total (0.25 mm per side). Did not research EVA film cost. Ethyl-Vinyl-Acetate film is what commercial panels use. It seems that the only way that works good, is what commercial panels use.

I tried Super Clear, UV stabilized urethane resin to encapsulate the cells. Apart from having major air bubbles issue, it seems to have very different thermal coefficient of expansion than glass, and tends to separate from the glass in few days under the sun.

a1bigtuna · October 2010

Re: will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

Hi, have bought EVA and will also seal the edges with Tyvek Tape and Polyken 438X Extreme Weather FSK, and will try to acquire a vacuum with a self sealing rubber blatter inside the frame. Then seal the vacuum hole with a non silicon seal, am looking for that one now. Will use a galv metal sheet at the rear with alumin extrusions attatched to the back for a heat sink. Just me, trying to get something that may/may not work. Have even more seal stuff that I will use, it would sound crazy, but I am not trying to save money on this project, just get a panel that will serve my needs in a remote area and be mobile, so it will have hinges and fold. Yeah, crazy, but I am gonna do it. Will post if it works or if it does not. It will only be used some 4 or 5 times a year for an average of 4 or so days or so.

will polyvinylchloride tape seal a panel?

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