Thinset expiration/testing

Hello I have polymer modified thinset that has been sitting in my garage for 1 year and 3 months and I was wondering if it would still be good. The garage is heated during the winter and I don't live in a place that is humid. Perhaps there might be a way to test it I. E. No clumps, mix up some and test it out etc. A thank you beforehand for the replies.

I am a DIY'er, and I read on a previous post, that thinset has a 1 year shelf life max, and this is if stored in a dry area, unopened of course.

Mike, your mortar product has expired, it is beyond its shelf like. To be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure why the 1 year shelf life other then the possability of moisture. All I can give you for advice is that a bag of any mortar is rather inexpensive, So I think that its in your best intrest to just grab a new bag.
But I'll open a new discussion for you, does anyone knoe what exactly happens to the imbalance of chemicals within a mortar mixture to emmply a 1 year shelf life?

Nothing it just sounds good and sells more material.

I can't really tell you. I will say that I've held onto thinset before, and when I went to use it it failed, end there was no lumps or anything to suggest that moisture had gotten to it. Since then, I won't recommend holding thinset more than a month or two. The actual guidelines are 6 months from the time of manufacture, and especially at the big box stores, God only knows how long it's been sitting in a warehouse or on the shelf.

Randy L, if you want to know more about WHY the thinset or mortar goes bad, there are some intelligent, knowledgeable replies at the link below:
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-41718.html

(it was the second hit when Google searching using the words, "thinset expiration.")

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I'm sure Randy will get right on it, or maybe in five and a half years from now

I haven't visited this forum recently but did today and find I know the answer to the very first thread. I am a chemist and can tell you polymer modified anything (thinset, adhesives, etc.) actually contain prepolymers (not the final polymer) and polymerization initiators that are ionic or free radicals. The initiators by their very chemical nature are unstable and therefore have a short shelf life. They are activated my the addition of water when mixing and start the polymerization process to produce the actual polymer.

That's probably more chemistry (I could add more) than you care about. But, clear bottom line is "pay attention to the expiration date regardless of how it has been stored". Actually, dry and frozen might extend the date a bit.

Charles

Charles to the rescue again. Boy it's handy having you around Charles. You just earned another YEARS FREE MEMBERSHIP at Floorstransformed, THANK YOU.