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Guide to PCB sealing
Need a guide for PCB sealing?
We have created a guide to the key points for achieving successful PCB sealing.
At TWO Teknik, we collaborate with the country’s leading specialists in the field of PCB and can refer you to several experienced consultants.
The guide to PCB sealing helps you solve your PCB problems immediately. At the same time, below you will find the most important knowledge about sealing and encapsulation of PCBs.
TWO Teknik is Denmark’s first and most experienced company in sealing PCBs in building components.
We have been involved since the beginning, and with our focus on PCBs in indoor environments, we solve a lot of tasks annually in collaboration with contractors and consultants.
We have developed some of the world’s best and most versatile products and solutions for PCBs in building materials. Some of them we were the first in the world, some of them we have patents on. All of them, and our know-how, are available to you as a customer when you choose TWO Teknik as your partner for PCB sealing.
TWO Teknik has a solid collaboration with several major Danish knowledge centers and leading laboratories for testing and development of new products.
Why choose PCB sealing:
Total remediation
An expensive solution that can have many consequential costs. All tertiary surfaces are also remediated.
Partial remediation
PCB materials are remediated. Adjacent building components and possibly walls and ceilings are sealed. Partial remediation is often used and is an effective method for reducing PCB values.
Sealing
An economical and fast solution. You do not remove the PCB content, but encapsulate it for later remediation. This solution should be considered temporary.
Do you need help?
Do you need guidance regarding PCBs and PCB sealing?
Then contact a specialist from TWO Teknik.
We are ready to assist you.
Phone
+45 72 30 20 31
Mail
info@twoteknik.dk
Total remediation
Total remediation (removal) of the PCB-containing sealant and adjacent building components.
This solution is very comprehensive, both in terms of cost and time.
The solution can have many consequential costs but removes primary and secondary sources of PCB contamination. In this scenario, all tertiary surfaces must also be remediated. Tertiary areas include floors, walls, and ceilings. Often, this is done by sandblasting, spongeblasting, or by grinding the area.
This solution is the most comprehensive in all aspects.
Partial remediation
Partial remediation where the PCB-contaminated joint is remediated. In addition, the adjacent building parts as well as tertiary surfaces (walls and ceilings) are sealed with SPS Primary or SPS Primary Winter.
This solution is much cheaper than Total Sanitation and does not require re-establishment or disposal of building components. However, the PCB-containing sealant must be disposed of correctly after sanitation.
Partial remediation with subsequent PCB encapsulation is the most commonly used method today for reducing elevated PCB levels in indoor air.
Sealing
Sealing of the PCB-contaminated joint and building components with SPS Primer. This solution is very economical and fast compared to the first two solutions. However, the PCB is not removed, but instead encapsulated to prevent further gas emissions immediately. This solution quickly addresses the problem, and the renovation or remediation can be carefully planned. With a well-executed sealing, later remediation and renovation can be planned.
However, you should be aware that encapsulation and sealing should be considered as a very temporary solution.
Sealing – with what?
There are several different products for PCB sealing available on the Danish market, all of which can seal PCB to a greater or lesser extent. However, no other products offer the same possibilities for user-friendliness, environmental considerations, traceability, and application options as the SPS Series. We have been involved from the beginning and have developed our sealing products “first hand” based on the experiences we have gained over more than 10 years.
We always develop our products in close dialogue with advisors and contractors, with the greatest consideration for users and the environment. Therefore, all our products are not based on epoxy which (according to the Danish Working Environment Authority) is harmful and should be limited, as epoxy can cause, among other things. Contains carcinogenic substances such as bisphenol A. Our PCB sealing products are extremely effective, innovative, and can be used by all technical personnel.
We believe that our products stand up to comparison at any time. Below, we have collected the common PCB sealing products on the market and compared them based on a range of criteria that we believe are relevant in choosing a product for PCB sealing. We hope the chart will give you an overview and make it easier to choose the right product for the sealing job.
GUIDE TO PCB SEALING
Important information - about sealing with SPS products
Our SPS Primær products for PCB encapsulation are specially developed to prevent the hazardous emissions from being released from PCB-containing sealants and building materials.
TWO Teknik has developed the products in collaboration with several of the country’s experts in chemistry, including CISMI Foundation. The sealing products have been tested at Roskilde University and by Danish Environmental Analysis.
The SPS Primær products for PCB encapsulation have been developed in collaboration with several of the country’s experts in chemistry, including the CISMI Foundation. The sealing products have been tested at Roskilde University and by Danish Environmental Analysis. The SPS Primær products are documented, tested for both short and long term, and have a long reference list. We continuously test, control, and develop SPS Primær. Our newest invention is the SPS Primær Winter product, which is the only encapsulation product in the world that functions in cold temperatures around +1 degree Celsius.
The SPS Primary series is 100% free of solvents and isocyanates, and is not an epoxy product. This is precisely why SPS Primary is recommended and can be used by all professionals. SPS Primary and SPS Primary Winter are particularly suitable for sealing PCBs in building components, and after just 24 hours, materials or building components can be painted over.
TWO Teknik offers a robust quality assurance program, including the patented tracer SPS Seal Trace.
Can an in-place PCB joint be sealed?
As a starting point, the actual joint should always be remediated to remove the primary source of PCB contamination, but SPS Primær and SPS Primær Vinter can also, as the only products on the market, seal primary sources of gas emissions and thus be used as a temporary solution until a larger renovation is planned and can be carried out.
Can you just remove the joint itself?
By using SPS Primær and SPS Primær Vinter on joint flanks (building elements) and other secondary PCB sources such as walls, ceilings, etc., you can completely avoid the breakdown or demolition of the PCB-containing building elements, which means lower project costs and shorter project time.
The sealing of the flank edges with SPS products prevents the re-migration of PCB into the new joint, thus protecting against new contamination of the indoor environment.
Is all PCB gone when the joint is removed?
No, unfortunately not.
When the actual sealant is remediated, the primary cause of PCB contamination is removed. However, a considerable amount of PCB will still remain on the surfaces that have been in contact with the sealant, including painted surfaces such as walls and ceilings. These surfaces need to be addressed, and this is where SPS sealing products come into play.
(Linoleum floors typically absorb PCB after prolonged exposure, these cannot be sealed but must be disposed of properly)
How quickly are the results of the sealing visible?
Buildings and thus PCB cases vary greatly, and therefore it is impossible to give a definitive answer.
In most cases, there is a significant decrease in PCB levels within a month after the sealing has been completed, provided that all other sources of PCB contamination have been addressed. This may include older ventilation systems and other surfaces that have not been remediated or removed. If the SPS Seal Trace tracer has been used, the barrier effectiveness of the seal can be tested very quickly to ensure effectiveness.
Will the PCB contamination come back?
On the surfaces where the sealing has been performed, we know that PCB will be encapsulated for at least the next 10 years*. However, PCB is a difficult substance to work with, and it is therefore important to contact an experienced consultant who can ensure that the work is carried out correctly from the start. A level of PCB in a building will have a "level" depending on off-gassing sources and will rise and fall with the seasons and temperature.
A correctly executed remediation and sealing will not lead to suddenly experiencing a significant increase in PCB levels.
*Provided that the sealing has been carried out correctly and is tight.
