help. which silicone ge 1200 or dow 732

I believe you must have old stock of the Momentive, the current run is 09G073.

As for the fight between silicones, I'm sure both would work just fine for your purpose. The MSDS for the SCS1200 does say it has been used successfully in aquariums while the RTV100 series does not mention any such thing. Both the RTV100 and SCS1200 are acetoxy cure silicones.
 
The above information is not contained in the MSDS. It is in the product data sheet. MSDS only contains chemical properties, hazmat, fire information etc.

From the product data sheet for SCS1200:

"Construction SCS1200 silicone sealant is not recommended for use
on submerged joints, especially where porous substrates permit
water infiltration to the bond interface. However, effective aquarium
applications are being accomplished. Consult GE Technical Centers
for details.

....

WHEN SILICONE SEALANTS ARE USED IN REMEDIAL WORK,
ALL OLD SEALANT MUST BE REMOVED" (caps original format)

From conversation with GE Silicones in 2004, the most common silicone used by aquarium builders were RTV100 series, and IS800 series.

From conversation with Momentive in 2009, the most common silicone used by aquarium builders were RTV100 series, and IS800 series.

SCS1200 series, RTV100 series, IS800 series, DC732 and DC999A are all FDA approved for food contact. DC795 is not FDA approved.

Tensile strength for SCS1200 is 470 psi, peel strength (adhesion -- how well it sticks) is 40lbs/in. RTV100 series is 400 psi, peel is 40 lbs/in. The peel strength is the more important property, and they are identical, so it really comes down to which one is easier to get, in the quantity that you require.

There really is not a fight when discussing the "good stuff", only when consumer grade silicones, such as GE Silicone I and II, come into play with tank building, and aquarium use. They are not suitable for the task.

Jim
 
thanks for the info jim.. right on point.. well the eight tubes, if i have not been put through enough, are out of date.. manufactured in 2006. Grainger did a great job with me when i advised them.. they have fresh ones at the Niles warehouse.. off to get more silicone..... still lolking for some pipe clamps..

i love this hobby.. after this i might be able to build an aquarium.. hahah..
 
ok./. long day.. took off two braces after i piped clamp the tank.. no explosion.. pipe clamps still on. i removed all the black trim.. and removed two cross braces. the center one was not holding at all on the front and most likely was the cause of the issue.. anyways.. nice and clean now.. then installed a long brace across the cross braces and perimiter braces.. did this for the front and the back.. looks good.. lets see if it holds..

a question on side.. is 1/16 silicone the right size to try for.. also.. do we use clamps to hold in place or does this put to much pressure on the silicone so when you remove the clamps the silicone pulls apart..

will post pics when i get a chance...
 
I believe you must have old stock of the Momentive, the current run is 09G073.

As for the fight between silicones, I'm sure both would work just fine for your purpose. The MSDS for the SCS1200 does say it has been used successfully in aquariums while the RTV100 series does not mention any such thing. Both the RTV100 and SCS1200 are acetoxy cure silicones.

No fight here either, just want to use the best silicone possible as we would all hate to wake up to a flood especially with large tanks.
Regards,
Doug
 
Yep. Grainger told me throw away. Had the good stuff for at warehouse on niles. Smell was not as a bad as I thought would be. How long should I keep the clamps on for b by the way 1/16 a good thickness. For silicone. I understand we do not want to thick?
 
When the smell is gone the silicone is cured (usually a few days), full strength will not be reached for a week or so. If you did not clean all the old silicone off the tank, thoroughly, before applying the new, the answer is never, as I would not trust it to hold. 1/16" should be olk, you don't start having trouble till the cross sectional thickness reaches 1/4" or above: the silicone may not cure fully through.

Jim
 
scrapped and scrapped.. then sanded a little also.. thanks..

Acetone and steel wool and elbow grease, after you thought all the silicone was gone? Even when you think it is done it is not.... the glass needs to "squeak". :D

Jim
 
was thinking about this a little more.... since these are not side we care about viewing.. hows about sanding it off.. in otherwords does silicone work better if it is roughed up glass... could use a dremel with attachment to grind the glass a little at the joint before resiliconing...
 
From what I have read and been told the silicone will adhere better to a smooth surface. There is something about the rough edge that is not condusive to tank building. Many large tanks are cut with a waterjet machine and they have to go back and polish the edges to get a proper bond.

I could be wrong but that is my understanding.
 
The SCS1200 series seem to be better than RTV100 series for building aquariums.

From updated data sheets at momentive.com: SCS1200s vs RTV100s.
Better tensile strength (480psi vs 400psi), better peel strength (61ppi vs 40ppi).

To clear the doubt about using SCS1200 series for aquariums, there is a recommendation
found in SCS1000 data sheet:
http://www.dcproducts.com.au/RTV_Silicone_Solutions/Tech_Data_Sheets/SCS1000-tds.pdf

LIMITATIONS
GE - Contractors is not recommended for use:
• With concrete, marble, galvanised steel, lead
surfaces, or the fixing or mirrors without the
manufacturers approval.
• On submerged joints where porous substrates
permit water to the bond interface.
• In aquarium construction and structural
glazing. GE recommends SCS1200 sealant
.
• For use on some laminated glass or certain
rubber products where bleeding of plasticise
may occur

The comment about micro bubbles forming in old SCS1201 data sheets
many people have been worried about seems to be non-issue too.
As I asked Momentive's customer support about this and got a reply
from their applications engineer that it was just a kind of disclaimer,
any other clear silicone was also prone to the issue.

Oh, SCS1201, 1202, and 1203 are FDA approved for food contact, too.
 
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silicone

silicone

I believe you must have old stock of the Momentive, the current run is 09G073.

Newbie here, after reading the article, went to Grainger to pick up RTV100 clear. Although it was the Momentive label, Date was 08xxxx. I was hesitant to go ahead and pick it up as we are in 2010 now. I'm using this to install Beananimal coast to coast overflow inside 75 gallon tank. Should I be concerned with this date, since shelf life is only 6 months to 1 year, even though I'm not actually using it for structural support to the tank?

Thanks
 
Newbie here, after reading the article, went to Grainger to pick up RTV100 clear. Although it was the Momentive label, Date was 08xxxx. I was hesitant to go ahead and pick it up as we are in 2010 now. I'm using this to install Beananimal coast to coast overflow inside 75 gallon tank. Should I be concerned with this date, since shelf life is only 6 months to 1 year, even though I'm not actually using it for structural support to the tank?

Thanks

Check the batch number with Momentive, if it is done, take it back. Momentive can give you batch numbers for product that is not expired also. Grainger has a lot of expired silicone on hand, it seems. Using expired silicone is a big mess.

Jim
 
rtv 108 vs scs1200 best silicone for aquarium

rtv 108 vs scs1200 best silicone for aquarium

I'ld like to add to this slightly. Even if it is 2014! I had some questions as to the viability of my Oceanic tank (purchased in late 2004) which was drained and kept under an awning, outdoors, in NY, for 2 years. So after uncle suggested I have a builder inspect it, I did some research. I found out that some of Oceanic's people eventually ended up at Planet Aquariums in Dallas. So I eventually spoke to one of the ex Oceanic peeps.
1) he was super nice. Said my tank would be ok as long as I didnt have water in it during the freezing days. (expanding and shrinking would compromise the seals).
2) they used "GE 1000 on my tank, and GE 1200 on bigger tanks"
3) u must clean the the old silicone off. He said that if the bottom bead was ok, I could keep it but to take the corners off by
a) cutting it off w/a razor blade, making sure not to get cut into the seam.
b) use windex to clean
c) use 90% or greater alcohol to clean off any residual silicone.​
SO, assuming "ge 1200" is scs1200, I would go w/that over RTV108 - simply b/c it's properties are better and it's what the builder of a high quality tank uses. And yes, the peel strength of SCS1200 at 61 is significantly higher than RTV108 (100 series) at 40 lbs/sq inch
 
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