Heat Shrink Sleeve Coating Failures

Heat Shrink Sleeve Coating Failures

     I expect you've found this article because you are doing some research trying to find out about heat shrink sleeve coating failures.  I am guessing that because when I do a google search for heat shrink sleeve coating failure, very little comes up.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  One of my competitors (of a competing cold applied technology) says quite a lot about heat shrink sleeves; all bad; much of it made up - in order to improve the market for their own coating technology.  What are you going to do?

     I am just completing my 16th year in this business.  Every one of those years has been committed whole heartedly to heat shrink sleeve sales.  I've seen this market grow to record setting highs (2008) and I've seen this market shrink to scary lows (2001).  Ups and downs.  Highs and lows.  Most of our product catalog has remained exactly the same for this last decade and a half.  In that time we have sold a lot of shrink sleeves.  We have also trained a lot of crews.  We have helped to write a lot of specifications.  We have taught a lot of inspectors.  We have visited a lot of job sites. 

     My loose calculations here show that I have sold just about 5 million shrink sleeves in the last 16 years.  That averages out to just around 350,000 per year.  That is a bunch.

     So all of that is simply to say:  I have a lot of experience.  I have talked to a lot of people about shrink sleeves.

How many times have I heard that a product I sold failed?  None.
How many times have I heard that a product I sold is not sticking to the pipe?  None.
How many times have I heard that an old line with my products installed is now experiencing some corrosion issues?  None.
How many times have I heard that a product I sold came off the pipe or got significantly damaged during a road bore or directional drill?  None.
How many times have I heard that a product I sold experienced wrinkling from soil stress and caused a corrosion problem?  None.
How many times have I heard that one of my products created a shielding problem that resulted in some kind of (major or minor) corrosion issue?  Never.

Why is that?  I'd love to know!  I read some of the advertisements out in the world and it makes it seem like nobody is using shrink sleeves anymore.  That simply isn't true.  You read some article in one of the pipeline magazines - that pretends it is an article - but is really a long advertisement promoting a specific coating technology - and you'd think heat shrink sleeves are a dead technology.  They aren't.  You look at the byline for an "article" that is trashing heat shrink sleeves - and you see that the author is actually promoting his own product - not really trying to educate the pipeline world about pipe coating technologies and you just have to wonder

In my 16 years, every time I've found someone who claims to have experienced or been a part of a shrink sleeve failure; it is the same story:  minimal details.  Was it my product?  I'm not sure.  Was it a Raychem product (that used to be what we were called)?  No it wasn't - it was one of the other brands.  Never once have I heard about my product failing.  Why is that?

So if you have experienced a Raychem (also called Covalence / Seal for Life / Tyco / Berry at different times) - then I would love to speak with you!  Don't worry; I won't give you any kind of a hard sales pitch.  I won't hound you to re-evaluate my product - I simply want to know whatever details you are willing to share - because I'd honestly like to know.

I'm easy to reach:  steve@jsicoatings.com