Is there any safe use for a silicone TC gasket in this hobby?

[Steve Broady]

First and foremost, I am NOT asking about using silicone tri-clamp gaskets in any part of a still or otherwise in contact with alcohol. Period. I use PTFE gaskets, and maybe some day I’ll play with making or buying copper gaskets.

Much of the TC stuff I’ve bought has come with silicone gaskets included in the package. Plus, I messed up and ordered a ten pack of silicone gaskets by mistake. I figure I can’t be the only one here who has had a decent supply of these things. Has anyone found a good safe use for them? I really hate throwing away something that seems like it ought to be useful, but so far I can’t think of a good use.

If this question is out of line, I apologize. I’m not in any way advocating bending or breaking or even questioning our rules. This is just about finding a good use for something that is otherwise surplus.

[NZChris]

Sealing the heating elements in your mash tun.

[SDEngr1]

Maybe I am missing something here...I use silicone gaskets in all my tri-clover connections except the heater one where I use a better material to withstand heat. Are people seriously worried about silicone in a still connection? Given the hobby, I sincerely doubt silicone poisoning is your greatest risk.

[Dougmatt]

Silicon has very poor alcohol resistance and should not be used in contact with Alcohol. This has been posted before, but I will include it here again.

[SDEngr1]

Ethyl alcohol is listed as having minor effect on silicone. I will agree heads containing acetone can be damaging to silicone but have seen zero degradation to silicone from normal hearts. To each his own. Alcohol is probably a greater threat than silicone.

[Yummyrum]

If Silicone is OK for Ethyl Alcohol , it stands to reason that the hearts Cut from a Neutral made in a tall packed column reflux still would pass the test .

So if you were to say use that neutral in a Gin still that contained Silicone Gaskets in theory it should not pose much risk .

Not really hobby related , but I found a use for 2” silicone gaskets . They fitted perfectly under the chrome taps on the Shower to seal around the hole in the tiles where the tap handle comes though .

[tiramisu]

This comes up every couple of years. We know silicone gaskets will degrade over time when used in the vapor path.
There are arguments that silicone is inert and you will not suffer any negative outcomes.

PTFE on the other hand is completely inert in an alcohol still so we know that it isn't possible to cause any negative outcomes.

Always erring on the side of caution PTFE is always the preferable choice where practical.

[squigglefunk]

there are different types of silicone, tin and platinum cured. Does that chart specify which type is used for the testing?

[bunny]

Did I miss a rule change?

[ThomasBrewer]

They're commonly used if given an overwrap of PTFE plumbers tape. They seal better than hard PTFE triclamp gaskets. You do need to be diligent with wrapping again if mechanical abrasion compromises the wrap.

[rgreen2002]

I have TC connections to all the condensers in my system. Silicone gaskets work great there...

[bluedog]

This comes up every couple of years. We know silicone gaskets will degrade over time when used in the vapor path.
There are arguments that silicone is inert and you will not suffer any negative outcomes.

PTFE on the other hand is completely inert in an alcohol still so we know that it isn't possible to cause any negative outcomes.

Always erring on the side of caution PTFE is always the preferable choice where practical.

Copper also degrades in the vapor path, I think it's best practice to keep everything on the "downpath" of the vapor stainless but I think most people don't care. They are just glad it scrubs the sulfides. Honestly I'm a bit more worried about ingesting copper. We're all consuming plastics every day anyways. Silicone sure seals better though, which helps you not explode, which is most important to me.

[cob]

Did I miss a rule change?

+1

[jonnys_spirit]

I have some sightglass silicone gaskets wrapped in PTFE and I still question how much hot ethanol vapor seeps through the seams... Cork or PTFE wrapped everlasting gaskets might be a better solution?

Cheers,
jonny

[Saltbush Bill]

These forums take a very strong negative view on the use of plastics and synthetics in distilling. It simply is not safe to use these during any part of the distillation process with the exception of HPDE buckets which are acceptable for fermentation. There simply are too many types of plastics and a lack of reliable information for us to reliably advocate their use anywhere in the distillation apparatus. Also, from past posting history, this topic seems to quickly boil down into an almost religious flame war. Thus we simply will not put up with it, and posts about any form of plastic use will be edited, deleted or locked. #