Wrong silicone? What to do?

[KingAlee]

Alrighty guys… made a rookie mistake here, I used 100% supreme silicone window and door, (just grabbed it not thinking about it as I saw the 100% silicone) I sealed up the new sumps I built along with adding baffles into another… used the whole tube…

This all being said, is there anything I can do to counter the mold inhibitors? Is this actually safe or am I going to have to do the dreaded and scrape it all out and use the 100% all purpose?

The all purpose is silicone I which everywhere states is fine but I can’t find out if it’s silicone I or II.

 

[KrisReef]

Alrighty guys… made a rookie mistake here, I used 100% supreme silicone window and door, (just grabbed it not thinking about it as I saw the 100% silicone) I sealed up the new sumps I built along with adding baffles into another… used the whole tube…

This all being said, is there anything I can do to counter the mold inhibitors? Is this actually safe or am I going to have to do the dreaded and scrape it all out and use the 100% all purpose?

The all purpose is silicone I which everywhere states is fine but I can’t find out if it’s silicone I or II.

I can’t find a product information sheet that shows what is in the silicone to inhibit mold, but according to the manufacturer it’s completely safe to use in food preparation areas once it’s completely cured.

So, does it contain toxic substances or does it have something in it that makes the surface dry and resistant to mold growth (too slippery to stick and grow on?)

The website also says that you should wash down and remove dirt and debris that build up on the sealant to prevent mold growth in the surface dirt.

I have heard that they put toxic chemicals in the mixture, but I can’t find anything that says what they add. Maybe mold resistant is a smooth tightly bonded sealant surface and nothing else?

 

[KingAlee]

Alrighty guys… made a rookie mistake here, I used 100% supreme silicone window and door, (just grabbed it not thinking about it as I saw the 100% silicone) I sealed up the new sumps I built along with adding baffles into another… used the whole tube…

This all being said, is there anything I can do to counter the mold inhibitors? Is this actually safe or am I going to have to do the dreaded and scrape it all out and use the 100% all purpose?

The all purpose is silicone I which everywhere states is fine but I can’t find out if it’s silicone I or II.

I can’t find a product information sheet that shows what is in the silicone to inhibit mold, but according to the manufacturer it’s completely safe to use in food preparation areas once it’s completely cured.

So, does it contain toxic substances or does it have something in it that makes the surface dry and resistant to mold growth (too slippery to stick and grow on?)

The website also says that you should wash down and remove dirt and debris that build up on the sealant to prevent mold growth in the surface dirt.

I have heard that they put toxic chemicals in the mixture, but I can’t find anything that says what they add. Maybe mold resistant is a smooth tightly bonded sealant surface and nothing else?

This atleast gives me a little hope let me see if I can find one of the sheets. I just don’t want to spend the next several hours scraping silicone off of three sump boxes

 

[KingAlee]

I found this, idk if it is the safety sheet or not.

https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/5b/5bbe5865-cd69-4acd-977d-d2715a3e5eb6.pdf

 

[KrisReef]

This atleast gives me a little hope let me see if I can find one of the sheets. I just don’t want to spend the next several hours scraping silicone off of three sump boxes

Well scraping and replacing is the only sure way to remove the threat!

I gave you hope and I know that a bunch of people will come out to destroy all hope and I wanted to be the first.

I hope (see what I did there) you contact the manufacturer and ask them for the information as what kind of inhibitor (toxic chemicals or something else-like smooth surface) is in the mix. If it is a nontoxic substance it would be great to know because other people will use it in the future and come asking the same question.

Gl

 

[KrisReef]

I found this, idk if it is the safety sheet or not.

https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/5b/5bbe5865-cd69-4acd-977d-d2715a3e5eb6.pdf

We need a chemical reference now, but I don’t think I see any toxic substances clearly labeled!?

Silane, dichlorodimethyl-, reaction
products w ith silica 68611-44-9 >= 5 - <= 10


Hydrocarbon C11-25 dearomatized 64742-46-7 >= 5 - <= 10


Trimethoxy(methyl)silane 1185-55-3 >= 1 - <= 5


1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexamethyldisilazane


Based upon the msd I suspect that I am correct that this product is food safe- toxic free once it dries.

 

[FUNGI]

Let it cure 100%.....IMO you will be OK to use.

 

[UncommonSense]

This raised a red flag for me…

Formaldehyde was used in pressure treated wood for decades in California before we switched to a copper based mold/rot/pest inhibitor for environmental reasons…

Formaldehyde would make an excellent mold inhibitor in silicone too… hmm…

 

[X-37B]

Hit up Randy in the chemical Forum. @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[KingAlee]

Ok thanks guys I appreciate it! I called GE and they said “it’s not aquarium safe” but then again I know they always say it unless it’s specific

 

[UncommonSense]

Ok thanks guys I appreciate it! I called GE and they said “it’s not aquarium safe” but then again I know they always say it unless it’s specific

it seems like the majority of silicone sealants aren’t technically rated for continuous immersion… that doesn’t stop it from working for hobbyists and manufacturers alike!

Here’s a thread I did on the topic a little while back!

Dow silicone is not intended for continuous immersion.

I figured I would post this as a bit of a PSA for those of us building our own tanks, or doing DIY water seals! I reached out directly to the Dow Chemical Company; asking which, if any, of their silicone formulations would be ideal for large marine aquarium construction, with continuous...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[KingAlee]

Ok thanks guys I appreciate it! I called GE and they said “it’s not aquarium safe” but then again I know they always say it unless it’s specific

it seems like the majority of silicone sealants aren’t technically rated for continuous immersion… that doesn’t stop it from working for hobbyists and manufacturers alike!

Here’s a thread I did on the topic a little while back!

Dow silicone is not intended for continuous immersion.

I figured I would post this as a bit of a PSA for those of us building our own tanks, or doing DIY water seals! I reached out directly to the Dow Chemical Company; asking which, if any, of their silicone formulations would be ideal for large marine aquarium construction, with continuous...

www.reef2reef.com

These were just used as extra precautionaries for leaks. It was just kind of the last line to seal as it’s in acrylic boxes that were bonded and “welded together” this was just for pin holes honestly

 

[UncommonSense]

These were just used as extra precautionaries for leaks. It was just kind of the last line to seal as it’s in acrylic boxes that were bonded and “welded together” this was just for pin holes honestly

That helps! I do know GE silicone doesn’t have the most impressive lap shear strength, vs aquarium specific competitors!

So, having your seams welded will do the heavy lifting, structurally speaking!

 

[KingAlee]

These were just used as extra precautionaries for leaks. It was just kind of the last line to seal as it’s in acrylic boxes that were bonded and “welded together” this was just for pin holes honestly

That helps! I do know GE silicone doesn’t have the most impressive lap shear strength, vs aquarium specific competitors!

So, having your seams welded will do the heavy lifting, structurally speaking!

So now it’s just all about if it’s toxic, I’m starting the scraping process now so hopefully I can get an answer before doing it all

 

[UncommonSense]

So now it’s just all about if it’s toxic, I’m starting the scraping process now so hopefully I can get an answer before doing it all

I’m wondering about just scraping the fillet of silicone from the interior of seams, then going over any mold inhibitor impregnated silicone embedded in the structural seams with aquarium silicone!

 

[exnisstech]

This is what I've used. its an old tube so I don't know if its the same with and older label or not but it does say silicone 1 which is what I've always read was recommended.

 

[edd59]

your working on an aquarium so why didnt you buy aquarium silicone. saved a couple of bucks, now big head achs.

 

[KingAlee]

So now it’s just all about if it’s toxic, I’m starting the scraping process now so hopefully I can get an answer before doing it all

I’m wondering about just scraping the fillet of silicone from the interior of seams, then going over any mold inhibitor impregnated silicone embedded in the structural seams with aquarium silicone!

So talking to chatgpt said I could do that just have to make sure to completely seal it up! The only 100% safe way to go about it is to completely scrape and go

 

[UncommonSense]

So talking to chatgpt said I could do that just have to make sure to completely seal it up! The only 100% safe way to go about it is to completely scrape and go

Brand new square edged razor blades are the way to go here; they make quick work of silicone on glass! — you can use the squared edge as a blade guide when cutting parallel to the structural seam, too! (This keeps you from accidentally cutting into the structural component of the seam!

 

[KingAlee]

your working on an aquarium so why didnt you buy aquarium silicone. saved a couple of bucks, now big head achs.

It happens, I just grabbed it really quick not thinking about it, lesson learned!