To get the most out of an opened cartridge:
- Keep it somewhere cool. A fridge works well.
- Cap the nozzle after use with the supplied cap. If there isn’t one, wrap the tip with tape.
- Leave the nozzle on after use.
- Every two weeks, replace the nozzle with a new one and pump fresh sealant into it.
Step 4 works because sealant cures from the nozzle tip downwards. While only the sealant in the nozzle is curing, you can swap in a new nozzle and carry on. Once curing reaches the cartridge, it can’t be used.
The diagram shows how this works:
- Before opening, all the material is in the cartridge.
- Once opened, fresh material fills the nozzle as you apply.
- In storage, the material at the nozzle tip starts to cure from contact with air, even with a cap on. The one-week interval in the diagram is for illustration only.
- Curing continues down the nozzle. At this point the nozzle is blocked, but the cartridge contents are still usable with a new nozzle.
- If the nozzle isn’t replaced, curing continues into the cartridge and it can no longer be used (a). If you replace the nozzle in time (b), the cycle starts again.
This extends the working life of an open cartridge, not the product’s shelf life. An open cartridge can still degrade over time and may eventually cure from the plunger end.