Does It Really Do That? Flex Seal
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Saving time and money on repair bills sounds great.
Flex Seal promises to fix leaks fast.
A lot of KDKA-TV viewers wanted to know, does it really do that? Anchor Jennifer Antkowiak worked with professional carpenter Scott Berry to find out.
He'd seen the Flex Seal commercial.
"It makes it look easy, and I'm curious about it," he told Jen.
Scott gathered some items for the test to look at how Flex Seal would work on a variety of materials listed on the can. He had PVC piping, a rubber hose, a plastic strainer, a terra cotta planter, and a piece of aluminum gutter.
Scott read the directions, and was concerned about the fumes.
He also was skeptical that Flex Seal would work as quickly as it shows on TV, because he noticed at the end of the directions, it says Flex Seal takes 24 hours to completely cure.
Scott shook the can and sprayed evenly on the plastic strainer to get started.
It took a little while before they saw any coverage. Right away though, Scott and Jen noticed a pretty strong odor, which Scott said supported the need for adequate ventilation.
Next, Scott used a saw to make a cut in a piece of PVC pipe, and then tried to fix it fast with Flex Seal.
He also cut the rubber hose, and applied Flex Seal. Scott was eager to see how it would work on something with some pressure behind it.
Scott also wanted to try Flex Seal on a terra cotta planter that was the victim of our harsh winter. The Flex Seal commercial shows that, as well as a gutter.
He tried to cover holes in a section of gutter, but the spray kept going through the holes. He used a stick to move the product around.
"That's definitely more coverage than straight out of the can, anyway," he said.
And finally, Scott wanted to test how Flex Seal would work on a PVC fitting.
He went back to check on the strainer, and after about 20 minutes, it was still very wet.
"So far what I see is it's taking longer than what they tell you on the can," he said. "'Stops leaks fast. Ready to go. Quick.' It's really not so far."
Scott agreed to monitor the drying process, and add extra coats of Flex Seal as necessary.
Twenty-four hours later, when the directions say the Flex Seal should be fully cured, Jen went back to Scott's house.
Scott told her it took about an hour and a half for the Flex Seal to dry in between coats. He wasn't having a good feeling about how it would work.
The cut on the PVC pipe was covered, but Scott said the Flex Seal kept sinking in.
And, although the Flex Seal sprayed over the cut in the hose, Scott said, "I noticed when you pick up where the cut was, it kind of splits open."
The Flex Seal on the planter was dry, and when the commercial shows Flex Seal working on terra cotta, the announcer comments, "Now that's a beautiful seal that will last a lifetime."
Scott tested the seal by seeing if the broken piece was tight. Without much effort, the whole piece came right off!
"That was pretty easy," he said.
Flex Seal doesn't claim to be a glue; it's a sealant. So, maybe you'd need to glue, and then seal a break like that.
Scott and Jen check how it worked on the strainer. Scott pours in some water, and within a couple of minutes, they saw drips from the bottom and sides.
They saw more drips from the patch on the cut in the PVC pipe, and as well as on the fitting.
"Wow, that didn't hold good at all. I definitely thought it would have held better than that," Scott said.
Flex Seal covered over the holes in the gutter well, drying to a solid rubbery finish, and it worked well there, no drips out of the sealed holes.
Scott didn't have much hope for the rubber hose, but he hooked it up, and as he was afraid of, water came spraying out.
Flex Seal promises a fast, easy, inexpensive way to fix leaks fast, on a variety of materials.
Does it really do that?
Scott shook his head.
"You'd only be able to use it on aluminum, I guess, or some type of metal," he said.
"Was there anything that impressed you about it?" Jen asked.
"No, not really," Scott answered.
Flex Seal is available online and in stores for $10 to $15 a can.
Although, Jen has read reviews from people who said they were billed $40 for online orders that only allow you to buy more than one can, and then add in extra shipping and handling.
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