PROTECTING DROP IN LINERS FROM COLD CRACKING

Although we ship tank liners all over the world, at this time of year, the majority of our liners go to areas that are experiencing colder climes. With that comes an increase in concern about cold cracking of a PVC liner. Fortunately it is a rare phenomenon and with some proper care can be avoided.

We package our flexible liners as tight as possible to provide the best shipping rates. When in service PVC can handle temperatures well below freezing but when folded for shipping cold temperatures can on occasion cause a crack in the area where the liner is folded. From our end we take several precautions to prevent cold cracking. We don’t ship liners when the local temperature is below 32oF. We also pack the liners a little bit looser in the box to help reduce some of the stress on the folded areas. Further, we place cold crack warning labels on the carton to remind you to let the liner warm up before taking out of the container.

When receiving a liner take the following precautions. Never remove a liner from the box until the liner itself has warmed up to at least 70oF. Installation surroundings should also be around that temperature. If this is an outside installation that can’t be tented to keep temperatures above 50oF it is best to wait for warmer temperatures before performing the installation. A video with full instructions on receiving a liner can be found here.

Any liner that has been subject to cold cracking can be repaired in the standard fashion using either a hot air gun or flexible PVC adhesive. Scrap material for making the repair will be included in the box.