Why you shouldn't use GE I Windows and doors

[boldtogether]

This thread is useless. Everyone knows GE silicone 1 is aquarium safe and cheapest thing you can get. This has been debated way too many times before and it has been proven over and over again that it is aquarium safe.

AGREE. You can not only SEAL tanks with this brand you can BUILD with this brand.

Next.

 

[Zander_The_RBP]

There is a little bit of misunderstanding about silicone and what it really is. What it isn't is 100% silicon. It isn't the stuff that is used in computer chips and it isn't what glass and sand are made of.

The element on the Periodic Table is silicon (no 'e'). It is what computer chips are made of. It is also the notorious component in glass and sand. It is also a component of silicone (spelled with an 'e').

Silicone is a formula for a polymer. That formula can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, brand to brand, or even product to product under the same brand. That is why a silicone product with mold inhibitor added to it can still be called 100% silicone. I tested the adhesive strength of different brands a while back and it is clear that each brand is a different formula. The properties are even different in the cured rubber.

This is 100% silicon:

yes we are aware that silicon and silicone are different silicone is a polymer of silicon and oxygen, carbon or hydrogen.


what i was trying to get at is that there is simply nothing to leach out of these so called aqaurium unsafe silicones becuase all that is in them is silicone (in varying forms) they put this label on their products simply becuase they don't want people who improerly reseal their tanks calling them and sueing them. That's all

 

[Jim in Michiana]

I have used GE I on about 60 tanks with NO related fish deaths.

 

[Red_Belly_Pacu]

I have been informed that GE 1 kitchen and bath is not the one to use. It is GE 1 door and window that can be used for aquariums

 

[Clay]

I have used GE I on about 60 tanks with NO related fish deaths.

I would be very surprised to hear of any deaths related to GE1. I wouldn't be shocked to hear that it had trouble curing or that leaks formed. I don't think you will find any statements I've made that say that GE1 will kill your fish. I believe my goal and intent has stayed true to a few ideas:

Aquarium use is not the intended use for the product.
There are better alternatives available for a relatively low cost difference.

I presented factual proof of both of these statements (pictures and data sheets). I also said several times that many people have used GE1 with great results. I said that they were going to continue to use GE1, and that they will recommend GE1 over and over. Great! You found a product that works for you! I went a different route, here's why, and here's my experience.

 

[piggy67]

thats just so GE can make 10x as expensive silicone and sell it to other companies who put their label on it so we end up paying 10x as much.



it's a marketing ploy silicone is silicone

Thats not exactly true. Some silicone has mold inhibitors in it to prevent mold from growing on it, it will kill your fish cured or not.

 

[pjsmetana]

It's actually a GE (or was before GE sold off part of their product line to Momentive) silicone product as well. It's called RTV108, however, the last number indicates the color. 102 is white, 103 is black, 108 is clear....

GE RTV108 IS GE Silicone I, Marketed for the average laymen user. GE Silicone II is the same thing as GE Silicone I with one difference... Bioseal. Arguing if GEII is safe or not would be smarter than arguing about GEI.

Thread over. Please.

 

[Red_Belly_Pacu]

Here is a link to GE 1 kitchen and bath. Do not use. Use GE 1 door and window.

http://www.caulkyourhome.com/ge-silicone-I-kitchen-and-bath.php

 

[cvermeulen]

I would be very surprised to hear of any deaths related to GE1. I wouldn't be shocked to hear that it had trouble curing or that leaks formed. I don't think you will find any statements I've made that say that GE1 will kill your fish. I believe my goal and intent has stayed true to a few ideas:

Aquarium use is not the intended use for the product.
There are better alternatives available for a relatively low cost difference.

I presented factual proof of both of these statements (pictures and data sheets). I also said several times that many people have used GE1 with great results. I said that they were going to continue to use GE1, and that they will recommend GE1 over and over. Great! You found a product that works for you! I went a different route, here's why, and here's my experience.

I'm not sure why your'e clinging to this dude... You entitled a thread "Why you shouldn't use GE1..." and then put up a picture of the tube. Did you think you were somehow the first person here to ever read the label?

Every tank I've made, I've used silicone that clearly stated it was not intended for aquarium use - some of these silicones are far stronger and more elastic than GE1 and most "aquarium safe" competitors, at a comparable cost.

It's not a marketing ploy either - it's a liability thing. The company has to be prepared to absorb the cost of lawsuits over product failures. If they want to make a profit selling the product they endorse for aquariums, they need to charge a higher markup. Thank the boneheads who sue other people for their own stupid mistakes for that.

And no, not all silicones are alike - many use totally different methods of curing, and have different formulations, lending different strengths, different bonding characteristics, and different levels of inertness when cured. It's probably fairly safe to say that MOST silicones will work for making a tank - I've not heard of anyone blaming the glue for killing thier fish yet.