Silicone not setting

[PoorOwner]

I grabbed a tube of opened bath 100% silicone and used it around a shower door for touch up because I know there was a pin hole somewhere.

I guess it was sitting around for over a year but it is not setting in the few hours like it says.

I remember this happened to me when I used an old tube of copper RTV, it was tacky for a long time but eventually did set.

So my question for you guys do you think it will also eventually set? It's for the guest bath shower so most of the time it just sits there and I can wait and see what happens.

If not whats the best stuff to remove what I already applied and start over?

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd probably wipe it off with a wet paper towel, not Bounty but a blue shop paper towel.

If it's the guest bathroom that isn't used regularly, leave it alone fore a day or two . . . a watched pot doesn't boil.

 

[Dirtydan69]

Give it more time. I let it sit overnight.

 

[Backwodsurvivor]

I had a similar issue on my trailer in Oregon. Brand new tube, sat for 24 hours after application then got rained on and all washed away. I'd read that relative humidity can cause issues, I think it was 80-ish percent that day. Cleaning wet RTV always ***** but water helps.

 

[Simtech]

Years ago I bought several tubes of GE 100% silicone to do a glass block window and it never dried. After 2 weeks I contacted GE and they said they had a bad batch that some chemical got left out of and that it would not dry. They sent me a check to replace the tubes but that didn't help with the pain in the **** mess it was to clean it all up. Needless to say I finished it with a different brand. Good luck, Hopefully yours dries.

 

[The Cobbler]

usually if it's not started to cured in 12 hrs . and full cure by 24 it's not going to .
silicone has an expiry date . I have tubes that simply wont cure & they are well beyondexpirey. not sure why keep them, I always figure there's something I can use them on.
as far as clean up. clean up what you can with a corner of something like wood shim or stiff plastic or whatever. use mineral spirits on a rag to get the residue off .
a final clean of laquer thinner or acetone .

 

[readhead]

Do you have soft water? I learned years ago to ask the home owner if they had soft water. The salt in the water will affect some sealants. If they had soft water I would clean out the damaged caulk, clean everything with acetone and apply the new caulk. I used distilled water to tool the caulk. Never had a problem after that.

 

[PoorOwner]

I just removed everything best I can (what a sticky mess)
And used some latex bath caulk I have around. I know that stuff will dry.
It’s not as mildew resistant but for a guest bath that doesn’t get used much it should be fine.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I learned several years ago the 100% silicone will NOT stick to cured 100% silicone. So going over dried silicone trying to seal pinholes will not work.

 

[Angelfire]

I learned several years ago the 100% silicone will NOT stick to cured 100% silicone. So going over dried silicone trying to seal pinholes will not work.

This is correct. Silicone will not adhere to cured silicone. It's a one shot deal the first time around. To truly address the pinhole, you'll need to remove all the existing and then re-caulk.
Cheers.

 

[Radix2]

Old silicone at some point will stop being able to cure. Looks fine, won't set.

 

[sberry]

If its too dry it wont set. It hydrates like cement. Once it skins humidity helps, wet rags, close the door, let shower run.

 

[PoorOwner]

The latex stuff will go over silicone ok though?
Was told to use latex exterior caulk to smear over the exterior silicone I used, that way it would take paint

 

[rlitman]

The latex stuff will go over silicone ok though?
Was told to use latex exterior caulk to smear over the exterior silicone I used, that way it would take paint

That depends. If we're talking about the type of silicone caulk that is not paintable, then nothing will stick well to it.
If we're talking about paintable silicone, then silicone sticks as well to it as latex caulk.

 

[Angelfire]

If you used the proper stuff at the beginning, 100% silicone, nothing is going to stick to it. It will need to come out and be replaced.

 

[ItsNemo]

What shocks me is that you have an open tube for a year that hasn't hardened in the first place...I for the life of me no matter how I plug the hole cannot keep a tube of caulking of any type from going bad in a few months.

 

[PoorOwner]

What shocks me is that you have an open tube for a year that hasn't hardened in the first place...I for the life of me no matter how I plug the hole cannot keep a tube of caulking of any type from going bad in a few months.

I checked the expiration it was 2015 so that means I first used it before 2015. I had mistaken it for another tube that I used a year ago.

When I started squeezing there was a bit of clear oil so I knew I was taking a chance. I get the hardening issue more on latex caulks. But I have had RTV cured solid in the tube as well.

 

[johnnyradiant]

If it is still gooey and you have some time before you need the shower I would let it sit and maybe get a little less gooey. Only to avoid the mess of working with the gooey that likes to get everywhere. Even if it did seem to set in another day or two I would still take it out. I just prefer not playing patty cake with that goo so the closer to resembling set the better. The heat silicone seems to harden up in the tube about the fastest of the different tube products I encounter, of course that is the stuff I need the least amount of at any one time.