OT Learned a lesson today

[Caryc]

Had some big storms here last week and my sliding glass doors started leaking from around the top frame.

I picked up some silicone caulking at TSC. I got up there with a heat gun today and scraped off all the old caulking and grabbed the caulking gun. I punctured the inner seal many times and started to squeeze the gun. Nothing would come out. No matter how hard I squeezed nothing came out.

I finally grabbed the heat gun and heated up the tube thoroughly, still nothing. Then I finally noticed the date on the nozzle end of the tube. It was made in 2013. I took it back to TSC and they checked their shelf, sure enough it was all 2013.

Got my money back and went to home depot and got some new stuff and came home and finished the job, no problem.

I noticed one thing. On the bad caulking when I squeezed the tube just with my hand, there was no give to it. It was hard. On the new stuff, I could squeeze the tube and it would give. So give your caulking a friendly squeeze before you buy it. You might also check the date.

 

[HCooke]

I just don't shop at TSC. Luckily, I can choose between three other farm and home stores.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

" I just don't shop at TSC. "

Other than chicken feed and their UTF, I agree.
75 Tips

 

[ratface]

I learned that recently also, now I don't buy it by the case anymore. Always like to have some tubes handy but they just don't keep very long. Best to buy what you need at the time.

 

[HFJ]

interesting timing on this topic. bear with me here.

i've seen caulk that turns solid while sitting, thrown out many tubes. but i've also seen caulk that defies age.

no excuse for TSC selling 3+ year old caulk - but i bought a 6 pack of DAP's cheapest stuff at home depot, and i've still got 2 plus an open one and they're still soft as can be.

i wonder what the variables are. i've got to think caulk composition doesn't vary much, and i lean toward suspecting packaging. certainly, once u start a tube, any slight failure to recap/seal that tube will not go over well. what brand did u have to return?

the reason i said interesting timing - i just had the occasion to use some gray "concrete" caulk. i was nervous because the tube was open, and i could only hope the nail i used sealed it well. i pull the nail out, and i feel it [i:0a7780e751]sliding[/i:0a7780e751] out, and instantly, the heavenly scent of acetic acid hits me - and i smiled. sure enough, the caulk was fine. caulked the area i wanted to, put the nail back in, and hung it back up on the wall for the next time.

the punchline is that that tube was opened in 2006. for the record, it's GE.

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 19:56:03 01/31/17)
interesting timing on this topic. bear with me here.

i've seen caulk that turns solid while sitting, thrown out many tubes. but i've also seen caulk that defies age.

no excuse for TSC selling 3+ year old caulk - but i bought a 6 pack of DAP's cheapest stuff at home depot, and i've still got 2 plus an open one and they're still soft as can be.

i wonder what the variables are. i've got to think caulk composition doesn't vary much, and i lean toward suspecting packaging. certainly, once u start a tube, any slight failure to recap/seal that tube will not go over well. what brand did u have to return?

the reason i said interesting timing - i just had the occasion to use some gray "concrete" caulk. i was nervous because the tube was open, and i could only hope the nail i used sealed it well. i pull the nail out, and i feel it [i:d4adb3f0a5]sliding[/i:d4adb3f0a5] out, and instantly, the heavenly scent of acetic acid hits me - and i smiled. sure enough, the caulk was fine. caulked the area i wanted to, put the nail back in, and hung it back up on the wall for the next time.

the punchline is that that tube was opened in 2006. for the record, it's GE.

I don't exactly remember the brand but I think it was Liquid Nails. I just wonder where it was sitting for three or four years before TSC got it. Or better yet why would TSC buy caulking with a 2013 date on it?

 

[HFJ]

love that edit button. forgot to say i bought those tubes of DAP at least 5 years ago.

 

[HFJ]

or was it at TSC the whole time, either in the store or warehouse?

i just looked again. couldn't find any dates on the DAP, but i did find one more tube of it the GE concrete stuff said "use by <scratched off>/07". and then i noticed the other caulk gun, which has about 2/3 of a tube of GE clear silicone in it, which is still soft too. its tube says use by 03/05. i may be a bit behind schedule with them.

one common trait of all the old tubes which still are, or at least feel, good: every one of them is a plastic tube with a plastic nozzle and a plastic plug in the bottom. no metal ends, no cardboard tubes.

 

[Caryc]

It could have been in TSC's warehouse all that time. After all they probably don't sell much caulking. I only bought the caulking there because I had to go there to pick up a two gallon jug of 90# mineral oil. I was happy that I didn't have to go to Home Depot from there. Boy, was I wrong. Only a half hour back to town and another half hour back home.

 

[W_B]

When I built my log house I bought caulk called Log Builder. Had a lot left over, like several cases. That was 25 yes ago and I'm still using it. It comes in plastic tubes that have to be absolutely air tight.