Tarps Fail the Wind Tunnel Test

By Stormseal. 

Stormseal proves superior to a tarpaulin in a video comparing wind tunnel tests.

This video clearly demonstrates how tarpaulins fail to protect storm-damaged properties and can cause further harm. It shows a tarp covering an angled roof in a wind tunnel under simulated rain. Despite the use of ropes and sandbags to attach it, the tarp blows off at a wind speed of 100km/h (62m/h), sending a roof tile flying dangerously. 

Australian company Stormseal Industries has invented a far superior alternative to flapping, leaking, flyaway tarps: a durable polyethylene film that heat shrinks to securely wrap a damaged roof or structure. Unlike tarps, Stormseal film stays put until permanent repairs can be made, holding strong through high winds, snow, rain and hail. 

When put through the same test, the video shows Stormseal staying firmly in place in rain and wind at 160km/h (99 m/h), the maximum speed generated by the facility. The product is also safer, easier and faster to install than tarps. 

Stormseal Founder and Managing Director Matthew Lennox said Stormseal had previously been proven to resist wind speeds of up to 150 mph by Haag Engineering in Dallas, and to withstand hail impact tests conducted by Insurance Australia Group and Fire Retardancy testing conducted by Intertek. Stormseal’s strength comes from polyethylene resins combined with fire-retardant and ultraviolet-resistant additives, creating a tough, lightweight film. Installers simply heat-shrink the film to wrap a damaged roof or wall, resulting in a durable, weatherproof cover that strengthens the structure without damaging the underlying materials. 

Lennox said that in his experience as an insurance builder, the average tarp blows off five times before repairs can be made, and up to 13 times. But out of several thousand Stormseal applications, only three have ever required reattachment. The product has stayed strong, protecting businesses, homes and families through all kinds of tough weather while storm victims wait up to a year for permanent repairs. 

Stormseal has even been installed on the roof of an exposed hut high in the Swiss Alps — the most extreme natural conditions the company could access. On a mountain at 12,700 ft, Stormseal survived a brutal winter, resisting ice storms and winds of up to 124 mph for seven months. 

Lennox has recently developed a non-intrusive fixing method that fixes Stormseal to brackets attached to the rafters, rather than directly on to the roof. The new method can be used even when access to the gutters is blocked, such as when a roof rail is in place. 

With Stormseal, you can be confident that properties will stay safe through the wildest weather. 

Have a question? AskARoofer.

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.