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GE SILICONE will NOT cure past expiration date.

T

Topper

EVE 280 LiFePo4. No more lead in 2021
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Jan 24, 2021
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I did a little project and calked it all. 48 hrs later it is not cured at all.
Further research, GE uses a eco friendly formulation which does NOT cure at all past expiration printed on the tube.
Lesson learned. I'll stick to my usual 100% silicone off brands which smell like vinegar and harden in the tube when not used.
 
Same here. I used black, new tube on some RV window frames. Ended up waiting weeks as the clean up and removal was nightmarish.

did not cure one bit. Parts in the sun started sagging and dripping. Mine wasn’t even to its expiration date. Had to spend a whole day doing a nasty clean and re caulk.

i wont by that brand ever again. I did return it, but likely they just throw it away.
 
Topper said:
I did a little project and calked it all. 48 hrs later it is not cured at all.
Further research, GE uses a eco friendly formulation which does NOT cure at all past expiration printed on the tube.
Lesson learned. I'll stick to my usual 100% silicone off brands which smell like vinegar and harden in the tube when not used.
Click to expand...
Odd… I use the stuff all the time. Keep it in my truck for equipment flashing sealant… never had any issues.

I wonder what they did to the formulation… that is terrible.
 
Supervstech said:
Odd… I use the stuff all the time. Keep it in my truck for equipment flashing sealant… never had any issues.

I wonder what they did to the formulation… that is terrible.
Click to expand...
I used to as well. GE silicone II, my go to. Never again.
 
There’s only four things I generally use, never silicone ever
Polyurethane Caulking from loktite or for certain applications 3M 5200
Lexel or equivalent
Butyl rubber

(Painters caulk I guess is a fourth but never as a sealant, phenoseal rarely is a fifth)

Everything is questionable for weatherproofing.
 
I've had caulk go bad on me. I can tell when it's starting to go bad. It becomes very difficult to form with my finger.

I have been getting rid of all the silicone caulk on the exterior of my trailer. I now use Geocell ProFlex RV Sealant everywhere except for where it would come into contact with the EPDM. I use Dicor non-sag sealant there.
 
I store many of my chemical-tools in the refrigerator, and even some in the freezer.

PVC Glue will last for years and years after being opened if you refrigerate it. Same with the silicone caulking, plasti-coat rubber, glues, and many other things.

Drugs too.. everything from aspirin to prescription pain killers.. their normal effective range of just a couple years can be extended out to over a decade or more if kept refrigerated or frozen.

Oh ya.. and lithium batteries.. Discharge to storage voltage, put them in the refrigerator....
 
Mine pulled a tube of epoxy out of the freezer to make room for more food. Thought to mention it later.
Fortunately, not much time had passed.
I told her when she finds something like that she is to bring it up with me FIRST, not do something about it and perhaps forget to tell me.
I doubt that sunk in.

We got some samples of underfill epoxy for work. Supposed to have 6 month freezer life and one week pot life. I cycled that one tube in and out of the freezer a number of times for prototypes. Another sample I was given I got around to using a couple years later. Tested a sample, think it was a little slower curing, but still OK.

The guys in procurement weren't happy about having to buy a carton of 24 tubes when volume in one tube was about a year's production. They told me to find an alternate that could be bought one tube at a time. I asked them, how many ($1000 each) PCBA could I utilize in a split to evaluate performance of a different epoxy, and how many man-days could I spend on the effort? I also pointed out that the one carton every 6 months they were expected to purchase would support production ramp up to $50M/year. I said I would be happy to try a different epoxy while developing the next revision board (which ended up not happening in my time there.)


Silicone - yeah, I've noticed if it is greasy or drips oil, it never cures.
Had similar problem with latex painter's caulk. Some more, think it finally got firm after a week or so.

Meds - Lantus (insulin) is supposed to get tossed after 28 days. Even people (human sized dose) don't like to waste it. Think it was $125 when I started giving it to our cat, rose to $280. Not because costs increased, but because other drugs went off patent.
Instead of warming it each use, I just kept it in the fridge. Heat and light break it down. It seemed to last the 6 months until used up. (After a couple years, kitty had recovered. I ignored Vet's recommendation to use Hills Prescription Diet with grain as the #1 ingredient, along with Lantus. Switched to grain-free Limited Ingredients diet. Diabetes in cats is a man-made problem.)
 
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Bragging time:

I have an entire door shelf in our fridge for my silicone, PVC glue, and plastic-dip.... When there's room left, there will sometimes be a bottle of ketchup or mayo on the same shelf..

Wife says "I'd rather deal with it in the fridge than have to pay to purchase more"

Its not like it smells or anything..
 
Topper said:
I did a little project and calked it all. 48 hrs later it is not cured at all.
Further research, GE uses a eco friendly formulation which does NOT cure at all past expiration printed on the tube.
Lesson learned. I'll stick to my usual 100% silicone off brands which smell like vinegar and harden in the tube when not used.
Click to expand...
I too found out the hard way to check the expiration date on all caulk, sealants, poly. silicone and adhesive!
These won't help if it's expired, but will keep an open tube fresh and ready for your next project.
The best investment I ever made was the purchase of two:

AirTite - Preserves Open Caulking Tubes​

 

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MurphyGuy said:
Bragging time:

I have an entire door shelf in our fridge for my silicone, PVC glue, and plastic-dip.... When there's room left, there will sometimes be a bottle of ketchup or mayo on the same shelf..

Wife says "I'd rather deal with it in the fridge than have to pay to purchase more"

Its not like it smells or anything..
Click to expand...
Nah… bragging is pointing out you have your own fridge in the garage for storage of these goods… having a reasonable woman in the home is pure common sense.
Mine draws the line at tracking in mess on my shoes, but otherwise let’s me put stuff where I want to. I have completely taken over the dining room with projects… that is a reasonable companion.
 
Supervstech said:
Nah… bragging is pointing out you have your own fridge in the garage for storage of these goods… having a reasonable woman in the home is pure common sense.
Mine draws the line at tracking in mess on my shoes, but otherwise let’s me put stuff where I want to. I have completely taken over the dining room with projects… that is a reasonable companion.
Click to expand...
Our very large wood kitchen table has been a work and project bench many times for us.
 
sometimes i use small sheets of coroplast as platter/temp space to make moving an active hack easier

it made me feel so smart the first time realizing that i could organize this way. lol. adding small amount of folded over tape on the edges to prevent roll off.

caulking fridge tray! ?
 
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