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Tadpole Gaskets (Tadpole Seals)

Tadpole gaskets are used in situations where a thermal seal is required. Tadpole seals create a thermal barrier that will increase the efficiency of a unit while driving down operating costs. They are composed of a variation of resilient core materials and covered by a wide array of heat (or cold)-resistant materials. The name tadpole comes from the distinctive bulb of the seal and its tail. The flat flange of the tadpole gasket is called “the tail” (tadpole tails) and used to affix the seal via clips, screws, rivets, bolts, etc. It can also be engineered to simply slide into a slot. This unique feature always for quick removal and replacement down the road during maintenance shutdowns.   The bulb of the gasket is designed to compress under pressure creating the seal. Different core material options allow for more or less compression to create an ideal thermal seal for a wide variety of applications. Tadpole gaskets or Tadpole seals, the terms are used interchangeably, are ideally designed for high and low temperature environments. Tadpole seals are most commonly used on doors and access panels in industrial ovens and furnaces, but they also make excellent flange and edge seals for low temperature environments like cryogenics applications, and freezer door seals.

Tadpole Tape

Tadpole tape is another term for tadpole gaskets and seals. While some companies apply an adhesive backing to the gasket. Gasket, Inc’s tadpole gaskets do not have an adhesive backing. This is due to better sealing success by using methods other than PSA for install.  Most tadpole tapes are just a tadpole seal/tadpole gasket. Other terms that may be used are “tadpole gasket tape” or “tadpole sealing tape”. This term is more commonly seen on flat sealing tapes like Gaskets, Inc.’s flat, fiberglass “tapes”. Our GF011 is one example of this.  While these products are not actually an adhesive tape this is the long-standing industry terminology.

The advantage of a tadpole seal is the ability to manufacture it in different cover and core material configurations and sizes for a wide variety of applications. Another advantage is its adherence to uneven surfaces like warped sheet metal doors, access panels, etc.

The best way to select a tadpole gasket is to answer the following questions:

1. What temperature range the seal will be exposed?
2. What type of chemicals, abrasives, etc. will the gaskets be exposed to?
3. How large of a gap is needing to be sealed?
4. How much conformance to uneven surfaces is required?

Gaskets Inc. uses a variety of different core materials to allow their tadpole seals to work in many different applications utilizing many different compression ratios. The tadpole gaskets are also available in a large variety of bulb sizes and tail sizes to allow for proper sealing and easy install.

List of the configurations, cover and core materials available for our tadpole seals.

Common tadpole gasket environments

• Industrial oven door seals
• Industrial furnace door seals
• Pollution Control Equipment
  • access panel seals
  • ducting flange seals