silicone shelf life?
 

I came across some questionable silicone hose which has been stored for several years. I'm not very familiar with silicone, but it does not look right to me. Mainly, the color is not consistent on all sides and it seems partially faded. I thought silicone had a long shelf life, but it is possible this stuff was exposed to something which compromised it. What does worn-out or aged silicone look like? (hose, not breast implants) Is there any way to know if it is still usable? Otherwise I'm thinking of just chucking it all. Also, is there a way to determine what grade the silicone is, and whether it is platinum catalyzed? Thanks.

PM HighTempSilicone, he knows silicone stuff inside and out.

But, considering how cheap silicone vacuum line is, I wouldn't risk using old, funny-looking line. Just get some new stuff.

Dale

Sorry for the late reply on this.

Silicone does in fact have a SHELF LIFE of 20+ years. Depending on the color of the hose and what pigments were used, if it was sitting in direct sunlight for extended periods the pigment could fade. Although this seems unlikely due to the fact that silicone uses pigments that are color fast for many years.

The only way to check and see if a your silicone is Platinum Cured is to have some experience with silicone compounds. I would be able to check the Specific Gravity of the material for you and let you know what it is if you life. Platinum silicones have a much lighter Specific Gravity compared to TS50 cured silicones.

Let me kmnow if you still need help. Just give us a shout at sales@hightempsilicone.com if you ned more info.

Thanks
Jim