Zinsser Sanding Sealer can failure

[Puckdropper]

I had a gallon can of the Zinsser Sanding Sealer shellac sitting on the concrete garage floor for several months. As I was walking by today, I noticed a goo around the can and it turned out to be shellac oozing out of the can.

After transfering the contents to another can, it was easy to see the hole in the bottom of the can. It was a small hole about an inch in from the rim. In the area where the product was leaking, there was an approximately

3/4"x1/2" depression in the concrete. I'm thinking some chemical was spilled there (it's near a sink, so who knows? It's also near the garbage cans where bags of pool shock are disposed of.) and the can failed.

Just to be sure, has anyone else seen a can fail in this manner? We've had

100F heat with 20% humidity for the last month.

I've cleaned up the affected area on the floor as best I can. Any problems with just leaving what didn't wipe up on the concrete?

Puckdropper

[dpb]

On 7/22/2012 9:19 AM, Puckdropper wrote: ...

Sure, although a few months is a little short. It's possible there was a material flaw in the can and the floor had little if anything to do with it. OTOH, there could have been something outgassing from a spill that exacerbated the problem, too. Who knows??? "Stuff happens..."

...

W/ shellac, I don't see any problem if you don't. :) It might indeed be _a_good_thing_ (tm) to cover up whatever it was that spilled (presuming something did)...

--

[G. Ross]

Was the metal etched or rusted around the leak? If so, sounds like an external chemical reaction rather than a flawed can.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Only can failures I've had were external causes. Considering where you had it and the proximity of other chemicals, I'd think it was an external cause, not a bad can.

[krw]

I've had that happen, though it took longer than a few months and I caught it (purely by accident - we were moving) before more than a drop or two leaked. Concrete is moisture permeable. The can bottom will trap moisture against it and start corroding the steel.

The space under the can undoubtedly had much higher humidity.

Other than the mess, I don't see how it would affect anything. You're leaving it on your furniture.

[cedarsonny]

I once had a can of beer, or 2 or 3, can't recall, that FAILED to induce en= ough machoism, in me, for me to properly/adequately hold an open quart can = of Sealcoat, as I walked across the shop, resulting in the Sealcoat having = slipped from my grasp onto and all over the immediate shop floor. Some "ca= ns" can, indeed, fail.

100 degree temps with 20% humidity sound comfortable, compared to 100 degre= e temps with 85% and/or above humidity.

[Leon]

In years past metal cans were used with everything so to speak. As more water based products have been introduced the cans began to rust internally hence you now see a lot of the plastic cans with metal tops.

I know you said shellac but if it is water clean up, it has water in the product.

[dpb]

On 7/22/2012 10:43 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote: ...

I'm only saying it's possible there was a weak point exacerbated by the external environment...

[Dave]

On Sun, 22 Jul 2012 14:37:23 -0400, "Mike Marlow"

Hey. This forum is the male equivalent of a perpetual gossip fest. Asking for advice here is tantamount to saying "Hi, I'm here know, how are you doing?"

:)

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------ I learned a log time ago NOT to keep metal cans on concrete floors.

Don't store wet cell batteries directly on concrete floors either.

Lew

Lew

[Steve Barker]

the battery thing is an old OLD wives tale.

[tiredofspam]

The pools stuff alone eats away at the metal, so anything else in the concrete is just fuel...

The heavy heat, humidity, and a can that is blocking off the air flow under it is a good way to ensure this problem. Its why I tiled my basement floor aside from saving some tool edges.

[tiredofspam]

Yes and no.

If there is any hint of salts going down the side of a battery it will kill the battery.

Also the problem with concrete and batteries is usually cold winter floors.. Batteries don't like the cold in general, but usually revive if you keep them charged. On the other hand if the battery runs down you get dendrites which can short a battery... Soooo it is a wives tale, but partially true, just for the wrong reason.

do it in Florida, and it's not likekly to hurt the battery. In Wisconsin, it can...

[WW]

lived in high country 13 years. parked outside. Minus 35 Fahrenheit nights. never had a battery failure. WW

[krw]

It will, then, in a car, too. The battery is typically sitting in a metal battery holder.

It's not the temperature but the delta temperature from top to bottom. ..or so the theory goes. It's really not good to leave lead-acid batteries off charge for long periods. They'd rather be constantly "float" charged.

It's not the cold that kills batteries, rather heat. You just don't need the capacity until it gets cold. My car batteries lasted eight years in the North

- never failed to start the cars. The first summer in the South killed 'em both.

[tiredofspam]

We're not talking 1 night. We're talking unused for a period of time. I agree a fully charged battery won't have the problem, but batteries lose s percent of their charge daily depending on the battery type the percent can be small... Lithium, to 10% Nicad... The lead acid batteries depending on the quality vary quite a lot... You leave your vehichle out for a month and let see what happens.

[Puckdropper]

"G. Ross" wrote in news:A8Gdnc46NJjZhpHNnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

The area around the leak was rusted, it was about 1/8-3/16" in diameter. Everything else on the bottom of the can is intact and still shiny.

Since it was so localized, I'm wondering if it might be a combination of a flaw in the metal (to allow the reaction to start) and an external chemical reaction (that did the bulk of the work).

Puckdropper

[Ed Pawlowski]

A properly sized battery in good condition is OK. I've had problems with older batteries in the cold. Many years ago I had a '64 Karmen Ghia that we converted to 12 volt. (Used a Chevy alternator with a counter bored shaft to go on the generator shaft) Battery was marginal so I took it in the house every night until I got a new one.

[krw]

...or a scratch through the cladding in that spot.

[Larry Jaques]

Yes. Cans sitting on the concrete floors pick up the condensation from the floor and it immediately promotes rust. Put all steel cans on wood shelving to insulate them. Shelves are always less wet than concrete.

-- In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. -- Albert Camus