Super-Seal Complaints/Solutions

Complaint Cause/Explanation

^ Material is too thick *Do not judge Super Seal by its appearance in the drum. It is normal and proper for Super Seal to look as thick as grease, particularly if cold. Properly functioning equipment can pump material as cold as 30~F. Super Seal has a property called thixotropy - which means when at rest it is a gel, but when moved (pumped) it liquifies. Super Seal is gelled to avoid dripping and running. If material is encountered that appears to be thick, place some in a small container and stir rapidly. It will appear thin when stirring and return to the thick state when stopped. The same thing occurs when thick-looking Super Seal is pumped, providing the equipment is in proper working condition. Many equipment problems give the false impression that the material is too thick or too thin. Refer to the Equipment Cleaning & Operation Section of this Article if material will not pump.

^ Can't get last 4-6" of material ^The pump may draw material from the area near the pump intake shaft but leave
out of bottom of drum 4-6" of material near the edge of the drum. THIS IS A COLD TEMPERATURE
("coning") EVENT AND DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THE MATERIAL IS FAULTY. NEVER
THIN SUPER SEAL. There are three solutions for this concern:

(1) Store Super Seal in an area which will assure the actual material temperature will be 70-90~F. In winter, keep drums away from cold outside walls and raised off the floor (set drums on 2x4's). Even in a warm room, the bottom 6-12" of material will cool if the drum is in contact with the floor in winter. If the drums must be stored in a cool area, move them to a warm area (70-90~F) several days before needed for spraying. It is important to realize that a cold drum of material moved into a 70~F room can take days to warm to 70~F. Use the following as a general guideline:

Complaint Cause/Explanation

Material Days to Warm
Temperature to 70~F
0~ 3

20~ 3
30~ 2
40~ 1-1/2
50~ 1

NOTE: Drums should not be stored in direct sunlight or near a heat source.

(2) If it is not possible to keep the Super Seal in a warm area and/or coning is still experienced in the bottom of the drum, use a material follower plate (part number DMX-700) which can be ordered on the Super Seal Replacement Parts Order Form. The follower plate fits on the pump shaft and forces the material down as it is pumped from the drum. Experienced users and our tests have shown this is an effective solution.

(3) Transfer the last 4-6" of material into the next drum. If cold, clean the remaining material out with a clean stick or tip the near-empty drum into another overnight. For high volume users, several near-empty drums can be covered and saved for periodic consolidation into one drum.

^ Can't spray, poor spraying, or ^ Spraying problems are most often caused by faulty equipment or poorly mainfan spray pattern cuts off tained equipment. The most common causes of spraying problems are:
while spraying.

(1) Plugged filters. There are 8 filters in the Super Seal Seal Equipment System:
(A) A wire mesh screen at the base of the pump intake tube.
(B) A large material filter mounted to the pump itself (between pump and material delivery hose.)
(C) A filter located in the spray gun itself.
(D) A filter in each of the 5 metal spray wands.

Many operators are unaware of the filter located in the spray gun. Numerous cases of spraying problems have been caused by a plugged spray gun filter. See the Equipment Cleaning & Operation Section for filter cleaning details.

(2) Lack of pump oiling. Each pump has an oiler which must be filled daily for proper pump operation.

(3) Dirty/Plugged Wands. When not in use, wands should be stored in a solvent filled tray. If wands are not immersed in solvent, Super Seal will dry on the inside causing a restriction, or plugging of spray tips. Proper care of the spray wands will prevent many spraying problems. For wand and filter cleaning procedure see the Equipment Cleaning & Operation Section. NOTE: A SPECIALLY-DESIGNED WAND TRAY MAY BE ORDERED ON THE SUPER SEAL REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT ORDER FROM FPSD-10181.

(4) Insufficient or excessive air pressure. Normal pressure requirements are 40-60 PSI for underbody and exposed areas, 60-80 PSI for interior cavities. However, if a higher pressure is needed to maintain the proper spray pattern, one or more filters are probably partially plugged. At this point clean all filters.

If dripping is a problem at the above pressures, use the lowest pressure that gives a good spray pattern - or simply move the wand faster. Dripping from interior cavities usually means that the wand is being moved too slowly or the pressure is too high.

Figure 7:

Complaint Cause/Explanation

If misting or overspray is a problem, lower the pressure. If proper spray pattern does not occur with lower pressure, the filters need cleaning.

After verifying the above common causes are not the problem, then the tube and piston assembly in the pump should be serviced by adding a spacer (ARO part number 79231). The spacer and seal (Figure 7) are available at any ARO jobber. A list of ARO distributors is included with this Article.

^ Grit or foreign matter ^ Super Seal is filled into drums while hot. In the process, air bubbles are unavoidably trapped in the material. What looks like grit and dirt are actually tiny air bubbles. To verify, remove a small amount of Super Seal and spread out a thin film on a smooth surface - the "grit" (bubbles) should disappear. Just prior to filling, Super Seal is forced through an extremely fine filter to assure a clean product. The air bubbles do not affect the sprayability in any way.

^ To much material required ^ If too much material is being used per vehicle, the probable causes are:

(1) Wands being moved too slowly.
(2) Pressure set too high.
(3) Filters plugged and pressure set too high.
(4) Too many passes with the wand.
(5) All or several of the above in combination.

The amount of material used per vehicle is completely dependent on the operator and the equipment. Only a very thin film of Super Seal (5 mils/.005 in. dry) is required. Depending on vehicle size, 8-10 applications per drum is normal.

^ Layer of solvent on top of fresh ^ It is normal to see a thin layer of solvent on top of a freshly opened drum, partidrum of material cularly one that has been subjected to a high temperature in transit or in storage.
This does not affect the material or its sprayability in any way.

^ Material dried out in drum or ^ The top layer of material may look dried out or crusted over, particularly after crust on top drum has been opened for a time. However, the material is not actually dried out
or crusted. To verify, insert screwdriver blade and stir top 1/2" of material lightly - the apparent crust is virtually non-existent. Insert pump and spray.

^ Dripping ^ Too much material is being applied. See "Too Much Material Required".

^ Misting ^ Pressure is set too high.

^ Material runs off ^ Material is being applied too heavily.

^ Vehicle sheet metal is too hot (such as after sitting in sun too long). Allow vehicle to cool inside and then respray.

^ Material will not adhere to ^ Some areas of the vehicle such as quarter panels, may have a factory applied aluminized wax coating of aluminized wax. Many rustproofing materials, including Super Seal, occasionally will not adhere to this wax upon first application. If you notice a "slide off" condition occurring, wait a few minutes, then reapply a thin layer of material to the wax. Let this layer set for a few minutes, then reapply Super Seal until proper film thickness is obtained.