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SUBJECT: 3M DUAL LOCK WEATHERING REPORT AFTER 4 YEARS OF SUN/UV EXPOSURE

Dear John D. Smith, President & Inventor of Storm Stoppers^®:

As you may recall, I purchased and installed your Storm Stoppers^® system in May of 2005. My house is located in east-central Florida about fifteen miles from the coast in Brevard County. Recently, I gave the Dual Lock fasteners on the window and door frames a good looking-over and thought you might like a 'weathering report':

The 3M Dual Lock fasteners are well into their fourth season of exposure (I haven't installed CAPS strips) and still appear to be very robust, both visually and tactilely. When compared to a new, clear fastener (top photo), the existing clear fasteners on my white door frame trim have darkened slightly, but other than that, show no signs of functional degradation.

Overall, you've done a great job with your materials selection, as the Storm Stoppers^® system seems to be holding up quite nicely. If we have to endure hurricanes -- and unfortunately we do -- I'm glad I've chosen to protect my home with Storm Stoppers^®.

Thanks again for a fine product.

M Spotes Brevard County, Florida

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Storm Stoppers® Ultra-Violet Panel Properties

Plastics are very subject to attack by heat and Ultra-Violet radiation in the frequencies from 250-385 nanometers.  Without protection plastics will experience loss of strength and impact resistance, discoloration or yellowing and crazing or loss of gloss.  No plastic will be protected forever; however maximum outdoor performance can be achieved when the plastic is protected with the right UV protection system.  There are many UV protection formulas available that are of no value in this specific application.

Storm Stoppers^® panels are protected by a UV dual protection system that is formulated to shield the plastic from harmful UV under all expected exposure and chemical issues for the longest life possible.  Two different Nationally Certified Testing Labs each performed a series of accelerated weathering tests on the panels with excellent results.

The first procedure was used to choose between the initial series of UV formula choices (a short list based on analysis of desired performance characteristics).  The test was a procedure that can best be described as “aggressive to plastics”, in order to quickly evaluate a long life UV protection formula.

Using a single-port focused light source, a beam from a xenon arc lamp, filtered to pass only the specified UV frequencies, is aimed at the test specimen.  The UV exposure rate is calibrated to expose the sample to pure, plastic degrading UV light at a rate equal to the average annual UV exposure in Albuquerque, New Mexico, every 6 days.  This procedure allowed us to choose the most effective candidate quickly.

The winning formula was then submitted as sample sheets for accelerated actual sun testing in New River, Arizona.  The EMMAQUA procedure uses 9 mirrors to repeatedly focus the sun on the sample.  Daily the samples are sun exposed and twice daily they are water sprayed.

The Governing Standards for this testing include: 

            ASTM G 147-02 -- Standard for Conditioning and Handling of Nonmetallic Materials for Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests.

            ASTM G 90-98 -- Standard for Performing Accelerated Outdoor Weathering of Nonmetallic Materials Using Concentrated Natural Sunlight.

The samples in this test were exposed for 12 months, returned for examination and then tested for an additional 12 months.  This represents a total of 2,510 MJ/m² of UV exposure in the 295-385 nanometer range.  Phoenix Arizona has a UV exposure average of 180 MJ/m² per year.  The samples thus underwent an estimated 13.94 years of continuous sun/UV exposure.   

The specific choice of type of pigments and selected concentration level have been chosen for their additional UV protection properties.  For arid desert conditions, Storm Stoppers^® contain 7% UV, almost 3 times the standard for outdoor signage.  The particular UV used gives the Storm Stoppers^® Translucent Panels a slight bluish tint.

Insulation: Original 3/8”– R factor is 1.8

Service Temperature Range: -35º F to 150º F

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