In terms of DIY, seals are used in many areas, from insulation to sanitary, through tiling, to ensure a perfect seal. The purpose of seals is to prevent liquid or gas leaks at a connection. They can also be used in the field of construction to prevent rainwater, wind, cold, etc., from entering a building. Overview of the different types of existing seals and their different uses
Static and dynamic seals
Permanent type static seals
These seals are intended to remain fixed at a specific location. The most common are used in plumbing such as pipe joints and valve joints. Permanent static seals can be flexible, such as mastic when installing glass or even door bottom insulation seals, for example.
Flat Type Static Seals
Flat seals are made up of 2 parallel faces which ensure the seal between 2 fixed parts. The best known are the seals that are placed on food containers such as canning jars or bottles of sparkling liquid. These seals are most often made of red elastomer material. Flat gaskets are also used in plumbing to seal between a tap or a flexible pipe, for cold or hot sanitary water pipe connections. These are made of paper, cork, plastic or fibers rather than rubber. The flat graphite gaskets, blue in color, are used for the gas-boiler connection.
O-ring type static seals
O-rings, which are in the form of a ring and made of elastomer material, are mainly used in DIY to seal moving parts in valves. They are economical, light, easy to assemble and require little maintenance.
Dynamic seals
Dynamic seals are used when the surfaces to be sealed are in motion relative to each other.
Inventory of the most used do-it-yourself seals
Many DIY jobs, big or small, require sealing with the different types of gaskets listed above. An inventory of the most common gaskets:
plumbing seals
Gaskets are essential in plumbing and heating to ensure the tightness of connections. There are different types:
- vulcanized fiber seals : red in color, they are the most used during mechanical tightening, that is to say with a tool, in plumbing installations of hot and cold water and heating. Their lifespan is quite short.
- the “green” seals or CNA : green in colour, these seals are of high quality and used for drinking water connections.
- the “red” seals or CSC : very good quality, they are used for drinking water connections and more particularly for temperatures up to 180°C.
- “blue” or CNK seals : they are mainly intended for gas installations.
- rubber seals : the most common and used for handmade connections in the garden, between plastic tubes or washing machine pipes for example. Rubber O-rings are used for sealing work in valves.
Sanitary seals
- silicone gaskets : they are mainly used to guarantee the tightness of sinks, washbasins, bathtubs or shower trays. They have the disadvantage of blackening and not being easy to install.
- self-adhesive gaskets : these are self-adhesive strips with the same characteristics as silicone gaskets but their installation is easier and the finish more perfect.
Tile joints
These seals have the function of ensuring the space necessary for the expansion of the tiling due to temperature variations and thus avoiding cracks, as well as water infiltration. Tile joints are made of silicone, rubber or elastomer and are applied using a rubber squeegee.
Door and window insulation seals
Indispensable for sealing doors and windows against cold and drafts, insulation seals are of different types with varying performance:
- foam gaskets : the least expensive but also the least efficient and with a short lifespan.
- PVC seals : more robust than foam gaskets, they can be stapled, glued or nailed.
- metal seals : by their composition, these seals are the most effective and the most durable. They nail to doors or windows.
- les mastics : these silicone seals make it possible to achieve a solid and flexible caulking and also protect against water infiltration.
Placo® gaskets
The assembly of a Placoplatre® partition requires the meticulous realization of joints between the plates. They make it possible, among other things, to avoid cracks and to guarantee the initial performance of the material such as sound insulation and ensure a perfect finish of the surface. These seals are made with a specific coating in the form of paste or powder to mix yourself.