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NACA Vent Sealant - Pro-seal or RTV - What are you using?

jimzap

Member
I'm trying to figure what I should use to seal the NACA vents to the side skins. I'm using blind rivets every 2 inches or so also. I have left over pro-seal but might go with RTV.


What sealant is everyone using?
 
Proseal or polyurethane and NOT silicone because paint will not stick to silicone (assuming the plane is going to be painted). :)
 
Proseal. I didn’t use any rivets. Going on 17 years with no issues.

No rivets for my vents either. But the pre-punched holes were drilled, deburred, and dimpled. The vent flanges were countersunk, and I used JB Weld to mount them. Clecos held them in place while the epoxy cured. Removed the clecos and filled up the dimples with freshly mixed JB Weld. Viola! Adhesive bond and cast-in-place mechanical lock.
 
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I used some West Systems epoxy resin mixed with flox just because that's what I had lying around. 3 rivets to hold in place while it set. One top, one bottom and one forward.
 
Proseal for sure

Proseal will hold them by itself, but I threw in a few soft "0" solid rivets for extra measure. Proseal is compatible with everything and paintable and can be smoothed into the seam nicely . I don't recommend any type of RTV.
 
My NACA vents were installed with ProSeal ONLY over 30-years ago. After over 3,500 hours of flying, they are still installed like new.
 
NACA

Proseal here as well. Taped off the area. Applied proseal to fay surfaces. Stuck the NACA in place. Stuck a bunch of neodynium magnets inside and out to clamp it down. Wait a day or two and peel the tape.
 
Proseal and a few rivets. Do not use silicone if you intend to paint.
 
Bunch of soft rivets with a backing plate. I didn't use any sealant.

I didn't have any sealant when it came to that step, and I wasn't going to use something paint wouldn't stick to.
 
I do not like pro-seal….

3M 5200 is an excellent adhesive/sealant for bonding things like fiberglass, plastic and metal. It’s designed with marine conditions in mind, but works well on aviation hulls too. It has a very high tensile strength and is available at most hardware stores in black, white and mahogany colors… MUCH easier to work with than P-S and more applicable when not dealing with a fuel tank. It is not silicone and is paintable.

The only downside is that the standard cure takes about 3 days to achieve full strength, but provides a ”tough, yet flexible, polyurethane polymer” retention and seal for things like ducts and vents.
 
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Recently replace both of mine in an RV-6.
They were initially installed in 2001 with Proseal and I installed the new ones with Proseal
Just cleaned and roughed up everything up good, thin coat on both parts and held them in place with masking tape till it cured.
Worked real good, Wiped down the outside with thinner to smooth out, Painted
All done
Oh ya as a side note. If you ever have or want to remove/replace them the Proseal method works great. Just apply some heat, then use a very thin putty knife and you can just slice them off.
My luck varies Fixit
 
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Only 11 years on mine. Stuck them on with proseal, no rivets. No issues either!

+1. ~same amount of time. Don't forget to make a nice fillet on the outside where the vent and skin touch, where the proseal is (barely) visible, so it looks good after painting. :)
 
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