When encountering the danger of electricity leakage, tape can help us tide over the difficulties. There are many items that may require different tapes to be effective.
For example, you may need to seal a small crack in the wire. Or, when relocating, it may be necessary to pack the cutlery into a box with tape. The examples are too numerous to list. However, the crux of the problem is that different situations require different tapes, which reminds us of the essence of the difference between PVC tape and electrical tape.
Or are they the same thing? First, let us pay attention to their meaning and their general purpose.
What are PVC and electrical tape?
Electrical tape is an insulating tape, usually used to wrap pipes and wires. It is made of slightly elastic material. The tape also has a pressure-sensitive rubber type adhesive.
There are two main types of electrical tape. These include PVC and vinyl. However, vinyl is the more popular version of electrical tape. In a sense, you can think of vinyl as synonymous with electrical tape.
Therefore, when we talk about the difference between PVC tape and electrical tape, we mainly compare PVC tape and vinyl tape.
In essence, both types of tape can achieve similar purposes. However, they are the difference between the two, so you can’t just say that PVC tape and electrical tape are the same.
What are they used for?
Electrical tape has good insulation properties. Therefore, it is beneficial to protect the wire joints. It can also be used to provide additional insulation for wires. If you look up PVC tapes quickly, you will find that they help insulate electrical applications.
The difference is that it is made of a popular plastic, which is called polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride. Therefore, it exhibits some valuable functions, such as long-lasting adhesion and good insulation. The tape can also withstand temperature well. This means it can work efficiently at temperatures below 80 degrees Celsius.
You might think that electrical tape is only black. However, there are several options for colored PVC. This means you can get tapes of different colors, such as red, blue, orange, etc.
Comparison sketch of PVC and electrical tape
Although vinyl and PVC electrical tape may come in handy in similar situations, they also show some differences. For example, they have different tolerance to cold weather, and their weather resistance is also different.
PVC cold-resistant tape is usually suitable for outdoor use.
The tough PVC coating shows good potential and can resist various physical damages such as metal corrosion, different weather conditions and abrasion.
This durability makes PVC cold-resistant electrical tape very suitable for wrapping underground and outdoor pipes. On the other hand, vinyl cold weather tape is waterproof. At the same time, it is durable. These two attributes make it most suitable for outdoor use.
Similarly, in cold weather, the two tapes show significant differences. Electrical tape made of vinyl performs well in the temperature range of 15-175 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means that when the temperature is below the freezing point, vinyl electrical tape is not suitable for outdoor applications. On the other hand, PVC electrical tape can withstand temperature when the temperature is lower than -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the heat resistance of PVC is the same as vinyl electrical tape.
However, in this case, compared with electrical tape, PVC tape is most suitable for cold weather. Finally, vinyl tape is best for enclosed mechanical and electrical repairs. It can well deal with metal corrosion (such as chemical acid leakage). PVC tape can also help. However, it has a better grasp of the business of outdoor tape demand.
When packing-things to keep in mind
PVC tape is an electrical tape that is most suitable for outdoor use due to its durability and weather resistance. But the important thing to remember is that you need to use the correct tape when wrapping the wires.
PVC electrical tape is made of rubber-based adhesive, which helps it stretch. Be aware that using any other conventional tape to fix cables and wires is unsafe and will increase the chance of fire.
