I will go into the details of assembling/erecting my new greenhouse later, but wanted to get this out ASAP:
I read where it was advisable to use silicone caulk as an additional adhesive/sealant to better secure the clear plastic window/panels to the framework of the greenhouse. This is indeed advisable.
HOWEVER: Make sure you check the expiration date of the silicone caulk. I learned this the hard way. I just bought this caulk off the shelf at the local hardware store on Saturday (4/5/09), took it home and used it the same day. Now, 2 days later it still is not curing and is just as free flowing as when first applied. Now, I have done alot of caulking over the years, including using 100% silicone caulk, and never had a problem like this. Subsequently, I googled it and found other people had this problem and it was because it was beyond the expiration date. To further research this, I went to the GE mfgrs website, and sure enough, if it has expired IT WILL NEVER CURE!!! It remains like a gooey lubricant. I checked the tubes I bought and they had an 10/08 expiration date.
The only recourse is that you get a refund for the product. Unfortunately, that doesn’t nearly begin to compensate for the major effort it will/would take to remove the silicone that you have already applied. You have to totally remove all the expired silicone, using isopropyl alcohol as necessary. In my case I am not going to bother with it, and will just leave it. I had applied 4 tubes of this stuff in 3/16″ wide channels. Can you imagine trying to remove some 300 lineal feet of this? Plus I would have to remove all the panels and risk damaging them in the process. Plus not only would I have to remove the silicone from the channels, I would also have to remove it from the panels. This stuff is so gooey/sticky, that the task would be virtually impossible.
SO: If you are going to use 100% Silicone Caulk…be sure to check the expiration date…and buy it as far from the expiration date as possible!
Also, I had bought the GE Silicone II Caulk. A number of the reviews mentioned that DAP brand is a much better product.
I love my new greenhouse, but I still am very upset over this silicone caulk issue.
FURTHER LESSON LEARNED: Always check expiration dates. Never assume the store is rotating stock or pulling expired stuff off the shelves!
Oo… how ANNOYING! That is just not ok. Pht! to everyone invovled!
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I just finished my shower wall replacement job yesterday, the ge ll slicone is just as gooey as it was yesterday!!!!!!! , guess what? , it expires 04-10 , don’t always trust the expire date, I hvae done alot of caulking in my time, I wil never buy ge again, what a mess, Bernie
I’ve read a number of complaints on google about the GE 100% Silicone. Most recommended using a different brand. Yours was the first I’ve read about unexpired silicone not curing. Maybe it would be a good idea anytime you are using silicone caulk to dispense a tiny bit and verify that it cures by checking it the next day (before using it on an actual job). The inconvenience of having to “test” it first is nothing compared to the aggravation of having to remove the uncured stuff.
Yep….I have the same problem..and the expiration date is still good. Now I have 2 large tiled showers I will have to spend a few days cleaning and re-caulking…NOT with GE Silicone again, that is for sure.
I used it over a week ago and it still has not cured. i would have never thought this would be a problem with caulk and/or sealant. But not my first problem with GE products. I guess i will have to remove it and replace. going to research DAP first, dont want to get burned again!
Just so you know….(Isopropyl alcohol) plain old rubbing alcohol..cleaned it up nicely. You have to remove the heavy stuff of course, but any residue cleaned up well. Thank goodness!
How ironic…the Amazon widget on this page is advertising GE silicone II. I found your blog searching for “uncured silicone caulk”…I too am one of the unlucky ones…
Well I guess that explains my problem. Mine is 60 days past expiry and I just had to remove the gooey mess from the tub. Arrrrgggh!
Thanks for this bit of info.
The fact that some silicone don’t cure is not a brand problem. In the past I had the same problem with an unexpired GE Silicone II tube, unexpired and expired Mono tubes.
One could argue quality control but there’s also the way the tubes are stored. For example, you can’t know what happened to the truck that brought the batch you tube was part of. Maybe the trailer was not temperature controlled. Maybe it was but it failed and the batch froze.
My first experience with a bad tube was with my main shower that I had just recently renovated with acrylic walls. There was a LOT of seals there as there was a window to take into account. Took me three days to clean up the mess without harming the acrylic sheets.
So the best advice I found is to test the bloody tube first. It’s a necessary evil unless you don’t mind cleaning up and redoing the same job. Maybe more then once since you could have a bad tube from another company. :)
I’d be glad to test the tubes first, if GE would go back to having that removable tip. Now that it’s one piece, you have almost no say on how big the opening can be…and when it gets hard in the tip, you can’t clean it out without making the tip even bigger. A lot of waste with that kind of cartridge. Of course, that is the point I guess..run back to the store and buy another one. And, I am pretty sure that silicone caulking does not freeze…latex yeah, but silicone can be left in the cold without damaging it. Yeah, I’m bitter ;)
that’s weird. up here (Quebec) they still have that removable tip…
Oh and indeed, my bad about Silicone freezing. I don’t think it can affect the product. I was thinking of heat. Anything that can affect the product basically.
And I have a question about the Silicone II conservation. After how much time can 2/3 full cartridge be reused? Days/weeks/months/until it expires?
Well, shucks. I have of tube of this, expired in 1/10 (it is now 5/10) that I bought and used part of in 7/09. It indeed will not cure (get hard), but thankfully I was suspicious and tested before using it. And it was stored in 110 degree heat here in Tucson — I am told storage in temperatures over 80 will screw it up. Not the stuff for this part of the country. Moral is always test before using, or switch brands.
I had the save issue with Dap Kitchen Bath Kwik Seal Plus. The cleanup wasnt to much of a problem because the caulk was more like chalk. I let it dry for 2 days and it just rippled.
Jason
I had the save issue with Dap Kitchen Bath Kwik Seal Plus. The cleanup wasnt to much of a problem because the caulk was more like chalk. I let it dry for 2 days and it just rippled.
Jason
Oh, how I wish I had come to this site before buying caulk for the laundry room floor. Bought some GE Window, Siding, Door caulk because the label said “weatherproof”. Sounds good. After almost a week, it has still not dried and obviously never will. Now I’m faced with removing it. Forget warning labels on (name pet peeve), there should be a big warning label on GE products.
Bought GE brown Window, Siding, Door caulk, “weatherproof”. Decided to use it along edge of too big expansion gap of underlayment before laying down vinyl plank. After almost a week, still hasn’t cured. Now I must remove it all. Makes me mad enough to sue, if I thought there was any hope of winning.
GE is pathetic, and now they are cozied up with a government role. God help us all.
Silicone sucks use polyurethane
Anyone had this problem with the new cartridge? I bought some in Canada, and there is a new design (along with 10 mL less product). I noticed it’s more free-flowing and drippier, with a tendency to form stringy tendrils when you pull the tip away, or are applying it against gravity. Also advertises 3 hour shower ready, but I’m not going to test that.
I had the curing problem when I did my shower 2 years ago. One of the corners did not cure (or, rather, 2-3 feet of the corner did not cure), while all the other edges and corners did. This was all from the same tube. I don’t think I did anything differently in preparing the surface, applying the caulk, or treating it once “cured.” It did eventually cure, about 3 months later, and before I replaced it the other day, felt the same as the properly cured areas.
I used the same tube (stupid, stupid) a few weeks ago to do the backsplash and sink on the bathroom cabinet, figuring I’d finish off the old tube and buy a new one for the rest of the bathroom (you have to redo this stuff frequently if you want it to stay white; couldn’t find anything that cleaned it). I looked at the expiry date and saw it had elapsed by over a year, but figured that just meant it might be dried out. I applied it to the backsplash, but it was so difficult to squeeze (couldn’t do a continuous bead) that I ended up applying acrylic around the sink as a stop-gap until I bought a new tube of proper bathroom caulk. Thank god, since the old Silicone II has yet to cure, and has developed cracks every half inch or so. I was googling for a way to remove uncured Silicone II, which is how I found this blog. At least I know it’s not something I’m doing that causes it not to cure (besides not chucking the expired tube). Hopefully the apparently new formulation doesn’t have curing problems.