freezing silicone sealant

[Bill Wright]

I've bought too many tubes of sealant. Can I freeze it until spring?

Bill

[GB]

No, you can't freeze it, unless you have a freezer that goes down to liquid nitrogen temperatures. :)

Can you put it in a domestic freezer? Obviously, you can, but the plastic tube might become brittle.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Seems that you might be able to freeze it. But, will it work properly afterwards?

[Bill Wright]

Clever dickey

Why is it obvious? I don't know how the contents will behave. Bill

[Bill Wright]

That's the question.

Bill

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

The question that nobody seems to know the answer to apart from this guy in my link.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Use it. Silicone has extreme low temperature resistance and we routinely refridgerate and/or freeze it to extend shelf life at my day job. Silicone caulks are dimethyl based silicones and remain flexible down to -40F. Phenol based silicones are good down to -140F.2

I'd not take the chance. You could be looking at a f*ck up of biblical proportions, an invasion of spiders and Muslimes moving in next to you.

[Chris Hogg]

No idea, but I'd be a bit wary about where I put it to freeze it. You wouldn't want the entire contents of your chest freezer tasting of some slightly volatile component in the sealant.

[Bill Wright]

There's nothing wrong with spiders.

Bill

[Bill Wright]

Oh err never thought of that. I'll put it in grandma's freezer.

Bill

[newshound]

Not necessary, IMHO, if it hasn't actually been opened it will be fine for years.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Spiders are not of this world, they are ancient horrid invaders from another galaxy and should be birched before they are killed. David Vincent knows all about them.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Bloke next door bought a few boxes of them. After two years the whole lot had gone solid.

[newshound]

OK maybe you can't generalise. I have found tubes solidified in the past, but only ones which had been opened. I'd still bet that most "unopened" ones would still be OK after a few months.

But I would not attempt to "lay down" a few boxes like wine. I might occasionally pick up a couple of tubes when they are on offer on the grounds that I can't remember whether or not I have some in stock.

[Peter Parry]

I've got several tubes of proper silicon sealant (the vinegar smell stuff) which have been in the freezer for many years and work perfectly when removed. (The reason for the many tubes was an aircraft manufacturer binning lots which were a week out of date - and I happened to be near the skip).

[FMurtz]

It is obvious because you can physically put almost anything in to a freezer. what will happen to it is another question.

[Brian Gaff]

Without spiders we would by up to our armpits in insects. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

I'm at a loss that a company would produce a substance that wile not used in an unopened tube would have such a short shelf life.

Most of them used to keep OK if merely kept at lowish room temperatures, however its been a while since I've used any.

Brian

[Martin Brown]

Provided that you don't break the seal on it the stuff keeps perfectly well in a cool frost free environment out of direct sunlight or sat on a shelf in the garage for months and possibly years without going off.

A part used one lasts longer wrapped in kitchen foil too but you will need to swap the nozzle since that is easier than drilling it out.

[tabbypurr]

stick wire or large screw into the nozzle while wet. Once fully cured, waggle sideways & pull it out.

NT

[Tim Lamb]

Huh! There is never a spare nozzle about when you need one! I see you can purchase a pack for around ?0.5 each nozzle but I'd like a bag full to hang off a shelf.

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