# Sika Flex out of date but unopned and not used OK!!!



## sammyb (Jun 12, 2007)

Just about to fix a rail to my motorhome and just taken the adhesive Sikaflex that came with the rail - and find the product is 5 months out of date - The tube is sealed and un opened 
Do you think it is OK to use 
Any advice would be appreciated 

Many thanks


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

If it is still runny enough to be usable it will be fine.

You won't know until you open it - the shelf life of that stuff is not very long, even when unopened.

It may well be solid - but if it appears to be, it's worth poking a big screw down the hole just in case it's still soft in the middle. If you only need a small amount you may get away with it.

If it is solid and you only just received it, send it back. The suppliers should (almost certainly do) know about the limited shelf life.

Dave


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Personally I wouldn't use it,you are intending to fix something to the roof and we all know the expense of repairing water ingress.It is a labour intensive job to repair.

For the cost of a new tube of sealant and the peace of mind it would give you I would buy a new tube of sikaflex.Simply by asking the question you are having doubts about it.

I suggest you bite the bullet and buy some new then you can sleep easier especially when it is chucking it down outside. :wink:


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

This is war Steve!! 8O

Glue guns at dawn I think. :lol: :lol:

*Seriously for Sammy*. If it is liquid enough, squirt a "worm" out on a bit of card or something, and leave it overnight (_preferably somewhere fairly warm_).

By the morning you will know if it's OK or not. If it has gone so tough and rubbery that you can hardly pull strongly enough to break it, then it will be OK. It should go to the consistency of a super-tough pencil eraser. Quite flexible and you can indent it quite easily with a fingernail, but try pulling the worm in half!! 8O

Steve has a point though - if you are seriously concerned it's only about 7 quid a tube.

Dave


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## SaddleTramp (Feb 15, 2007)

I have used it with no problems at over 12 months after date, If it is still useable (Soft) it should be ok. IMO


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

I am not sure we are all talking about the same Sikaflex products.

The OP said he is fixing a 'rail'.

If that is a roof rail which one may be holding onto, I think I would be bolting it through to something sturdy, not an adhesive, and using a Sikaflex 'sealant' to protect against water ingress.

The properties of adhesives and sealants are somewhat different, so the test after 12 hours proves different things.

I want my sealant to remain flexible to cope with movement of the two members it is creating a seal between [for the pedants "between which it is creating a seal"]

Have I got this wrong?

Geoff


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## jud (Aug 15, 2009)

hi sammyb if any sealant like sikaflex is out of date be it on your head if it leaks for the price of it throw it away . it take the same time to do a bad job as a good one.jud


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## JohnWebb (May 1, 2005)

And put it in the freezer after use to keep what is left usable. I find it lasts for a very long time if you do that.


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

I'm firmly in the "if it's still fluid enough to squeeze out " definitely use, I have used Sikaflex that was 2 years past it's sell by date!! it performed as it should and is still OK today (a few years on).
Sikaflex when cured does remain flexible, not so much so as normal silicone sealants though, it does show signs of ageing via surface cracking and dis-colouration but this will not detract from it's structural integrity.
Any manufacturer of a product will give that item a sell / use by date, as they can never know how well it will be stored before used, so to cover themselves that date will be the shortest time they can be sure it will remain useable.


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