We don’t think to look, but sealants (caulking) do expire so check the date before you buy. Most companies will put an expiry date on the sealant itself. When buying a loaf of bread or eggs, usually you can push the date a little if need be, but I don’t advise that with sealants or construction adhesives, especially with silicone. Old silicone has the tendency of not curing properly. What happens is after you apply the silicone, it is still “wet” and never cures. Save yourself some trouble and dispose of old sealants. Usually the sealants are good for about 12 months or so. Some other less expensive sealants like acrylic (alex plus is a good example) have a similar shelf life, however from my experience, you can push it a little longer if you expect little movement in your application as the acrylic tends to set (dry out) rather than stay wet as with silicone.
- Check the expiry date of all sealants
- Don’t use expired sealants, or you will end up having to clean it up.
I had imported about 500 PU sealants a year back but date has expired – can they be used anywhere else
Generally products have the expiry date also for warranty reasons. I personally would not chance it as reapplying 500 tubes could be a nightmare if it fails (which it probably will) Just my two cents.
I’d have to admit that expired sealants are truly a nightmare. I used a new silicone sealant on the edges of a shower pan and there are no water leaks whatsoever. I was so confident that I was willing to use the same silicone again for my next reseal, but I forgot to check the expiry date. Then, the silicone failed me big time because it’s already 18 months when I first squeezed the tube. There is water dripping into the unfinished basement and now it costs me so much more time and effort to redo the entire process again. For those of you out there, just buy a new sealant and get it done right. It costs me over $100 (Silicone remover, solvents, etc) and 3 days of time to repair my mess!
Sigh*
The large manufacturers do not have an expiration on the tubes. They can tell you when it is made but cannot tell until after you buy it for the code. The manufacturer is clearly the problem with buying new chalking from the store which also cannot tell you how fresh it is. It is not a big deal until you put on old chalking and have to remove it. Which is a very time-consuming job.Incidentally, they do not even call you back when you ask them where the expiration date is located. Let the buyer beware. Try a little somewhere and check it the next day seems to be the answer.
That is correct that some do not post it, however the date of manufacturer can be used in conjunction with a technical data sheet on the manufacture website will sometimes stated the exported shelf life. Your method (a mock-up) is a good way of checking. Because sealant is so inexpensive, if there is the slightest bit of doubt in my mind, i just buy a new tube.
where to look for the expiration date on a caulking tube???
usually at the bottom of the cylinder or where the plunger makes contact with the tube (bottom)
I have two tubes of ever build bath sealant both dates are 3/1/17 one tube was open but it’s not applying properly is this due to it being already open and out of date as other tube not being opened yet but will that be same as it’s same date or will it apply properly
It is hard to pin down an exact date, but opening a package (like food) does reduced the expected service life
But How do we read expiration date on tube? Numbers are not similar for a date Data.
I have 114281 whit 17:36
Unfortunately there is no standard practice between manufacturers. The best thing to do is to call company and ask them to decipher the code for you. Sometimes I can decipher the code myself with year and a date ( up to 365) can be seen, however I found out over time that this is not a sure thing.
The last tube of caulk I orderered was $ 26. One of the very few that is safe to use on plexiglass other than silicone. Silicone would be a poor choice for this application. I hope and pray this caulk has a date stamp because of the damage it can cause if it sat in a warehouse too long. From what I have read its not uncommon to happen.
Do NOT use old silicone!!!
It’s just not worth it.
If it’s questionable and you have the time put some somewhere, on paper,wood, cardboard??
And see if it sets up over night.
I found out the hard way buy by using a unopened tube i had sitting around on a project that NEVER cured, still a gooey mess after a week.
So then having to get it out, clean surfaces again and replying BRAND NEW silicone was a real pain and time consuming.
The brand new silicone cured over night.
Just not worth it!!!
I never knew silicone went bad until this experience and i will never chance it again.
Just my 2 cents.
Silicone that I just bought has only Produced date on it. It says Dec 2016.
Is it useful or not
Unlikely
Bought 10 tubes of brown mastic for movement joints in brickwork, applied mastic to joints, then noticed the use by date on the tubes was 1,1,17, it is now 9,11,19, what shall I do?
Call the manufacturer
very helpful thanks!
Hello, wondering which silicone you think is the best? I prefer the acrylic type because it seems to hold better and dries faster and doesnt stink. I have even used it on wood. The silicone and pu caulk tend to stink for days also i notice the silicone tends to get moldy after some time even though the 100% silicone is supposedly mold proof. And the polyurethane type seems to fall apart eventually if exposed to occasional water. I also have used expired tubes and the acrylic type still seems mostly usable whereas the others do not. By the way what do you think of using acrylic silicone instead of grout? Have some outdoor tile steps but it seems like after one or two years the grout has washed out. I am not a fan of grout it is messy to work with and to mix and i find it comes out uneven. So i am thinking to use the acrylic instead. The steps are porcelain ceramic, if that matters. Thanks in advance.
I would not say that silicone is the best for everything. It depends on the application. whenever in doubt, read the technical data sheet for the product to see if it is compatible with your situation, And still call the manufacturer to ensure your application is compatible with their product.
What does DOM, followed by date, stand for/
Date of manufacture