Weather Stripping

Weather stripping is an industrial rubber product that’s placed between two surfaces to prevent the flow of gases or liquids. In outdoor applications, the gas is usually air and the liquid is usually water. Static seals are used when there’s no relative motion between mating surfaces. Dynamic seals are recommended when there’s motion or movement between sealing interfaces, such as with a door and door frame.

Weather Stripping

Standard Weather Stripper

For static sealing, weather stripper with an adhesive back stripping is available. This closed cell foam is available in a medium-density neoprene blend and provides good oil and aging resistance. In addition to weight and dimensions, product specifications for standard rubber weather stripper include quantity per coil. Other sizes and rubber compounds can be supplied upon request. 

Standard sealing products are recommended for static environments but not for dynamic applications, such as doors that are opened and closed repeatedly. Environments with changing weather conditions and temperatures may also require dynamic seals. Examples include weather stripper for commercial buildings and door seals for electronic enclosures.er

Custom Weather Strips

Sealing the doors on outdoor electronic displays usually isn’t a job for standard, off-the-shelf weather strips. Temperature extremes can cause the enclosure’s sheet metal to expand, and static seals demonstrate poor compression set recovery. To protect the sensitive electronic components inside, use reliable enclosure gaskets for dynamic sealing.

Rubber seals for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems must be able to withstand to hot and cold temperatures, too. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, wind and weather can also create sealing challenges

When Standard Weather Stripping Fails

bad-windowOften, the materials that are used in standard weather stripper form a static seal. Because these compounds aren’t designed for dynamic sealing, they may demonstrate poor compression set recovery with repeated opening and closing. This can cause improper sealing or even seal failure with commercial doors, the doors to mobile equipment such as snow plows, and the doors for electronic enclosures. Winters can be tough, but remember that summertime conditions can cause sealing challenges, too.

For example, when a cold-weather company needed to supply electronic enclosures to warm-weather locations, the manufacturer discovered that standard weather strips couldn’t withstand the summer sun. That’s when the company asked Elasto Proxy for a specialized sealing solution. The custom-fabricated weather stripping that we supplied was used to retrofit hundreds of cabinets, helping the electronics inside the enclosure to stay dry and the supplier to keep its contract.