Here in Minnesota, heavy winter snows have created uncountable ice dams. And along with the dams comes a strong demand for roof repairs. Keeping caulks and sealants fluid for these repairs in freezing conditions requires special precautions. I start by prewarming them overnight in an indoor spot. Then I store the caulks and sealants in my insulated cooler (now a warmer), along with several disposable hand warmers.
Once at the job site, I keep the caulk gun and its contents warm with a pipe-insulation sock stuffed with disposable hand warmers. As shown in the drawing, I use a length of 2-3/8-in. ID foam pipe insulation to make a cylindrical blanket. I put up to four hand warmers inside the blanket, and then wrap it around the gun’s barrel with a few pieces of duct tape. The hand warmers keep the caulk fluid for six to eight hours — even while unattended. By the way, Tyvek tape works better than duct tape. It peels back cleaner and can be restuck in cold weather.
Bruce G. Koprucki, Chaska, MN
