Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
General Polar Bear Products & Weatherproofing...
All you need are some incense sticks (DIY Leak Detector); holding two or three together creates more smoke for easier detection. Powerful leaks (greater energy loss) will cause the smoke to dissipate and the tips of the sticks to glow. Slower leaks (lesser energy loss) will cause the smoke to trail away or move towards the leak. Another little trick is to use a flashlight to detect gaps around the edges of a closed exterior door. While shining the light around the doors edge have another person check for light penetration on the other side. If any light is visible you’ll want to seal these gaps to prevent further air leakage/energy loss.
If your entire home is correctly weatherproofed, it is estimated that you may save about 20% to 30% on your energy bill. Of course, the design of your home and the way in which the products are installed will cause varying results.
All Polar Bear Products are manufactured in Canada and the United States. We operate under our parent company, Jacobs & Thompson, and have 12 facilities throughout these areas and continue to expand.
A2LA certification means that our adhesive products comply with rigorous standards when it comes to product performance and durability. The advantage to our customers worldwide is that we have an in-house A2LA lab to deliver this certification service; this enables us to avoid the outsourcing of this procedure, and therefore allows us to control product quality in-house and create efficiency and savings to our buyers. Most importantly, with A2LA accreditation, our adhesives are guaranteed to deliver a premium performance every time they are used.
Our products range in warranty from 3 years to 25 years. Please check the Features tab on any product page to view warranty information.
Polar Bear Products is the consumer products division of Jacobs & Thompson. Jacobs & Thompson is a leader in foam fabrication and has been supplying foam weatherproofing and floor protection products to its customers for over 70 years. Our foams have made their way into your home via other brands that we’ve supplied to. Today we have our own consumer branch to deliver quality weatherproofing and floor protection products under the Polar Bear brand name.
Polar Bear Products can now be found in most Big-box Retailers. If you can’t locate our products ask a Sales Associate for Polar Bear Products by name. Here is a current list of all the retailers that carry Polar Bear Products; CANAC, Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, Farm-Fleet Inc., Home Hardware Stores Limited, KENT Building Supplies, Lowe’s Companies Inc., McMunn & Yates Building Supplies Ltd., Rona Inc., Solutions, The North West Company, Toolway Industries Ltd., and Walmart Inc.
We aligned ourselves with a non-profit organization named Polar Bears International – a company fighting for the survival of polar bears worldwide by directing their efforts to reducing the harmful effects of climate change and lowering our carbon footprint. Every time one of our products is purchased you take a step toward helping Polar Bears International save our friends up North. In addition, simply the use of our products will greatly reduce your own energy consumption and help protect the environment. Read more about it here.
To save even more money, your hydro supplier will often provide coupons for weatherproofing. Google their company along with the words “Save on energy coupons,” and you should be able to find printable coupons for weatherproofing products and other energy saving items.
Yes, we occasionally send out tips and tricks, product updates, and ways to save even more on your energy bills to your email. Register to our free newsletter at the bottom of any page.
Product Selection & Installation...
The entire Polar Bear Products line are designed to withstand the extremes of both hot and cold weather climates; expect excellent performance!
While all our products are created with durability, performance, and ease of installation; our Extreme products are made with better quality, heavy-duty materials with much longer limited warranty periods. In some cases as long as 25 years for maximum performance, protection and peace of mind.
Our weatherproofing products are colour-coded to help make product selection decisions for your home easier. Click here to get started with our “Product Colour Code Chart“.
While Foam Tapes are a great resource for removing drafts, there are some areas that rely on different products to reducing the draft: such as outlet seals for your outlets, door bottoms or sweeps, window and door kits to seasonally close an area, foam backer rod for larger gaps, and other specific products.
It is a matter of preference, but it also depends on how large the gap is, where it is, and how long you plan to secure the area. All of our tapes will work to secure your home from drafts but for long-term homeowners, we recommend our Extreme line of products for a lasting and durable product. For renters, our standard line will provide a reliable weatherproofing solution. Please use our “Product Colour Code Chart” to select an appropriate foam for your application.
Measure your door or window to determine the length of foam tape you need. To figure out thickness required you can use a simple “paper test”. Simply insert a piece of paper under your window or door. The size of the gap will be determined by how easy it is to remove the piece of paper. If it comes out easily you have a fairly large gap and should use products in our Extreme line.
Watch our video tutorials for these products.
Each product page has an installation tab that lists step-by-step instructions; If you need more help, please advise a home improvement specialist at your local hardware store.