[Winterhalter]

Not knowing much about plumbing and just assuming if you can buy it at home depot it must be safe I have found myself recently starting to worry about some of the applications I have used various silicone caulking for.

There is so much conflicting information on the internet, and what I am looking for are just facts. I read these health forums and a lot of those people think everything in your home is toxic. But my real concern is to what degree? I live in California, a state that has a lot of extra rules when it comes to what can be sold over the counter.

Let me get to the point
I live in a very old building, and I have a very old very large bathtub. At some point the bathtub was refinished with a liner, however the person that installed the liner did not do it correctly, as there was always pockets of air between the liner and the tub. About 2 years ago I was giving my Dog a bath and he punctured the liner. I dried the tub and headed to home depot where I purchased a cream colored Silicone, It said on the tube for Above the Water line, but I figured that it would be okay for a quick patch job. I filled about 10 1/8 inch size holes with the stuff and I let The silicone cure overnight before water was put into the tub. However my wife loves to take baths, and she uses the tub daily and recently I started to wonder if the Silicone is okay.

I have seen people talk about fixing coffee machines, and even fish tanks with silicone, there are even people saying its safe for potable water when it drys. Neither of us have experienced any unusual health problems, which makes me believe that its nothing to worry about. I guess I am just looking for some advice from someone who actually knows something about silicone and plumbing. I do not know if the silicone I used has the anti fungal / anti mold agent in it. I have read that , that is actually Arsenic? Is that true? and is it a significant amount that could effect human health?

Keep in mind this is just bathing water, we are not drinking it.

Thank You

 

[chandler48]

that is actually Arsenic?

Again, California - 1....Common sense - 0.

Applying the silicone to holes where water had infiltrated did little good and it will not hold. Any surface that silicone is to be applied to must be completely dry, including, behind the liner. Most likely what will happen with bathing in the tub, the liner will completely give way and come away from the tub, as the water will fill the void behind liner.

Rest easy with using silicone, but do it correctly. Sad to say, you may be looking at a new liner before long. And don't bathe the dogs in it :vs_no_no_no:

 

[Winterhalter]

And don't bathe the dogs in it :vs_no_no_no:

Lol... Yeah the dog has been going to the do it yourself pet wash ever since.
Thanks for the information, like I said there is some really strange information and paranoid ideas about toxicity in just about everything.

Common sense tells me that bathing in a small amount of cured silicone is not going to cause problems, It is just nice to have someone confirm that.

But you are correct, the patch did not hold, even though I dried as much of it as I could, the water underneath is still building up.

At this point is there any recommendation you have for correcting this , or should I just replace the liner?

 

[de-nagorg]

Replace, or reline the tub, and be finished with it.

Make sure that whomever relines it, is well experienced and can do it right this time.


ED

 

[Koa]

There’s silicone made for aquariums and food service which has no other additives to prevent mold etc., and there’s silicone for all other applications that uses different additives. I doubt that you will experience any side effects but in the future if your near food, use food grade or aquarium grade. They use to use arsenic but not sure what is used now.

Article from 1977...

http://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/21/a...archives/commissioner-finds-sealant-with-arsenic-no-hazard-but-he-plans-to.html

 

[BIG Johnson]

Women inject the stuff all over their bodies. How dangerous can it be?