Brush‑On® 50 Stops Leaks During Hurricane Irene

Long-time Smooth-On user Jon Scott wrote us an email about his success using Brush-On® 50 as a leak stopper during Hurricane Irene:

"Dear Smooth-On Team,

I just wanted to send a quick note of thanks and appreciation for your product Brush-On 50. Normally I use it for my mold making and have been very happy with it, but this past weekend I gave it a real test: leak prevention during the brunt of hurricane Irene.

My wife and I live in a historic home in Catasauqua, PA that was built in 1895. As anyone with an older home can attest, a lot of time, energy and money is needed to maintain and repair a house like ours. This spring and summer, the record Pennsylvania rainfalls have done a number on our roof, which dates from the 20’s. Buckets have not been enough to stop the flow of water from damaging a bedroom, a closet and our main stairway. With hurricane Irene (and potentially 10+ inches of rain) bearing down on the East Coast, we knew we had to try something to patch the roof and stop the leak.

I once made the mistake of not using release agent over one of my sculptures before applying Brush-On 50, so I know how adhesive it is. I decided to give it a try on the seams between the copper plating around the chimney where I suspected the leak originated. We applied the rubber Saturday morning, and the rain started Saturday afternoon and continued on through today (Sunday). I was hoping it would help slow the leak, but was shocked to find that it completely stopped it. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the results. We are looking to replace the entire roof sometime in 2012, but I am happy to know that the Brush-On 50 will work as a patch until then. Less than $10 of material will help us save thousands in costly repairs to the rest of the house.

My son helped hold the ladder and took some photos of the process. I’ve attached a few pictures along with descriptions, and you are welcome to use them on your site. Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Jon Scott"

Thanks Jon - we are glad to hear that Brush-On® 50 helped you get through the hurricane. If you decide to patch any other areas in the future, we would suggest adding Sun Devil® to the Brush-On® 50 (info: Sun Devil) to increase the UV resistance. This will help extend the life of the repair job.