Platinum cured vs peroxide cured silicone hose

[BeanAnimal]

Hi Randy -
What are your thoughts on the two general types of silicone hose with regard to reef safety.

MY understanding is that NSF/Pharma certified hose is platinum cured and has very little off-gassing. It has no discernible "odor" and is often white or natural (semi translucent) but does not have great UV resistance. It is expensive due to the platinum curing process and certification standard.

On the other hand peroxide cured products do off-gas peroxide compounds (for a long time) and are often made in various colors with a higher level of UV resistance as well as being less expensive. I also understand that they can have a pretty bad odor in many cases (assuming from the off-gassing).

I imagine "peroxide" cured can mean a lot of things, and there is not one "peroxide" curing process or silicone, cure or plasticizer formula and not being NSF opens the door to just about anything. That said, do you feel that such hoses used in any quantity (say return pump plumbing) are reef safe in general?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hi Randy -
What are your thoughts on the two general types of silicone hose with regard to reef safety.

MY understanding is that NSF/Pharma certified hose is platinum cured and has very little off-gassing. It has no discernible "odor" and is often white or natural (semi translucent) but does not have great UV resistance. It is expensive due to the platinum curing process and certification standard.

On the other hand peroxide cured products do off-gas peroxide compounds (for a long time) and are often made in various colors with a higher level of UV resistance as well as being less expensive. I also understand that they can have a pretty bad odor in many cases (assuming from the off-gassing).

I imagine "peroxide" cured can mean a lot of things, and there is not one "peroxide" curing process or silicone, cure or plasticizer formula and not being NSF opens the door to just about anything. That said, do you feel that such hoses used in any quantity (say return pump plumbing) are reef safe in general?

I don’t know if the leaching of impurities is an actual concern, but I think the platinum cured is a more conservative choice for the sorts of reasons you mentioned.

Heres a real short blurb that summarizes much of what you wrote;

Platinum cured silicone vs peroxide cured silicone

Unlike platinum silicone compound, peroxide silicone can go yellow over time, this is due to the peroxide catalyst. Platinum is a lot clearer and does not taint, unlike the peroxide grade, this is why it has become first choice for food and beverages manufacturers.

tym.co.uk

 

[BeanAnimal]

I don’t know if the leaching of impurities is an actual concern, but I think the platinum cured is a more conservative choice for the sorts of reasons you mentioned.

Heres a real short blurb that summarizes much of what you wrote;

Platinum cured silicone vs peroxide cured silicone

Unlike platinum silicone compound, peroxide silicone can go yellow over time, this is due to the peroxide catalyst. Platinum is a lot clearer and does not taint, unlike the peroxide grade, this is why it has become first choice for food and beverages manufacturers.

tym.co.uk

Would you be hesitant to use peroxide cured on your reef system if you still had one?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Would you be hesitant to use peroxide cured on your reef system if you still had one?

Probably not.