WARNING: GE Silicone I and II probably no longer safe due to added mildew inhibitor

[zimmerj]

I always wondered about the safety of the foam too... so the spray can stuff is safe, as well as the wood glue? Guess I'm getting paranoid now :P

Hey, that just means you're putting a lot of thought into it I'm in the same boat as I'm also in the process of a build & have 2 others I wanna rebuild. I think it's better to be safe than sorry!

[irThumper]

Hey, that just means you're putting a lot of thought into it I'm in the same boat as I'm also in the process of a build & have 2 others I wanna rebuild. I think it's better to be safe than sorry!

Thanks Zimmerj! That's true, I want to make sure everything is safe and sound before I bring my new frog friends home next spring

[zimmerj]

It looks like many wood glues meet the reg for incidental food contact. Just picked up a gallon of Titebond II at Lowe's for about $18. This should go pretty far.

[deranged chipmunk]

Titebond 2 is not waterproof. Titebond 3 (green) is the water proof one.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[zimmerj]

Titebond 2 is not waterproof. Titebond 3 (green) is the water proof one.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

Neither are waterproof. They are only water-resistant. Titebond II passes ANSI/HPVA Type II water-resistance. Titebond III passes Type I. I don't need the specifications of Type I for a vivarium and Titebond II is cheaper than III. In my opinion, it seems to be just fine for my application. I do like to take advantage of my smartphone while shopping

Here is the difference, from Titebond's website:

What is the difference between the ANSI/HPVA Type I and Type II water-resistance specification?

Both of these tests are conducted using 6” by 6” birch laminates glued together to make three-ply plywood. The test for Type I is clearly more stringent than Type II, and involves boiling the glue bonds and testing the specimens while they are wet. 

Type I testing involves cutting the 6" by 6" assemblies into 1" by 3" specimens, boiling them for 4 hours, then baking the specimens in a 145°F oven for 20 hours. They are boiled for an additional 4 hours, then immediately cooled using running water. The specimens are sheared while wet, and the bonds must pass certain strength and wood failure requirements to pass the Type I specification.

Type II testing involves cutting the 6" by 6" assemblies into 2" by 5" specimens, soaking them for 4 hours, then baking the specimens in a 120°F oven for 19 hours. This is repeated for a total of three cycles, and the bonds must not delaminate to pass the Type II specification.

[DigitalPunk]

You may not need to boil your tank or have it survive being sheared, but they extra strength of the III means less chance of water getting in and leeching chemicals into the soil. I buy 3 buy the gallon and love it. I tried 2 once (bought a small tube of it) and hated how it turned out. Just my opinion though.

[zimmerj]

That is a good point. Maybe I'll go exchange it for III. It was about $9 more per gallon but that $9 is worth the extra safety.

Another great thing about Titebond: It is FDA APPROVED for use with indirect food contact, specifically for cutting boards (per the label). I'd say that's fairly direct contact with food, although maybe only food storage is considered direct contact. Anyway, that means they went through the rigorous approval process and spent a lot of money to do so.

[DigitalPunk]

Yeah I love Titebond. It cleans off your hands super easy (like elmers glue). It dries fast, but will need 24 - 48 hours between coats to make sure you dont end up with deep wet spots that take forever to dry.

I always try to look at things from a. Yeah it will save me money now, but what risk am i exposing myself to and is it worth the savings.

[zimmerj]

I have some large gaps I need to fill. Do any of you know if there are any safe wood fillers or anything like that? Or should I just use the glue?

[DigitalPunk]

Zim,

A gap in what exactly?

[zimmerj]

Spray foam. I'm a rookie so I didn't know how to use it very well and had to cut it back in some parts. I found that the bubbles get larger the deeper you get. So I need to fill some of the bubble cavities.

[DigitalPunk]

You can fill it in with more spray foam

[canadian frog]

so are there any conclusions as to the silicone issue, Im starting a build and would love to know if im going to have a problem, as for titebond III, can not find it anywhere in my
Canadian city any alternative, what are my fellow Canadians using instead of titebondIII, maybe I will have to go to the states to get it, let me know please.

[deranged chipmunk]

i spent an hour reading labels on ge silicone today at home depot (Mrs. Chipmunk was less than thrilled over this), and could not find one thing that mentioned mildew inhibitors on the label. and yes, i know, they aren't going to advertise that, but then i went over the links in the original post. this is not an amphibian issue, but a REEF TANK issue. i found this quote within the thread that was linked in the first thread.

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve The mildew inhibitors are petroleum distillates. The only thing that will remove them is aspiration by a skimmer (basically "undissolving" them) and big water changes. They don't stick to carbon. The silicone may also be leaching ammonia if it didn't cure long enough. Add an ammonia absorbing pad. . GE didn't even list the petroleum distillates in their MSDS until recently as they were a trade secret.

so, after doing some research and talking to a few reefers who i know and respect a LOT, i have come to the conclusion that for a vivarium, ge silicone is indeed safe. now, if you are one of those people who wants to run an paludarium with an overkill protein skimmer in it, then i would only use aquarium sealant. also, if you are adding silicone to a waterfall, i would avoid it also, since the splashing of water somewhat duplicates a protein skimmer (but this is an extreme case).

as far as canadians and titebond 3, elmer's makes a waterproof wood glue that is almost identical to titebond 3.

[canadian frog]

wow bill, ive spent countless hours at lowes, home depot, bmr and home hardware (last 2 are Canadian hardware stores) looking and reading countless numbers of silicone tubes and glue bottles i'll try the elmers stuff, but for my waterfall aquarium silicon should be safe, thanks for the info back to viv construction, thanks again

[zimmerj]

This thread has me wanting to start my build over again.

Oh yeah, the Titebond, that dries clear?

[deranged chipmunk]

titebond dries yellow. but 2 part epoxy dries clear and it is completely inert after curing.

[canadian frog]

what brand of two part epoxy do you use

[deranged chipmunk]

I like loctite brand.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[canadian frog]

any Loctite 2 part epoxy, or is there a specific one