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Stan's Sealant too thin? (Homemade Sealant works better)

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Asahi

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Has anyone found Stans fluid to be too thin/runny? I put a very small hole in the tread section of a brand new Hutchi Python UST with 2 scoops of Stans in it. It sprayed out all but about 1/2 a scoop and took 3 stops to pump up the tire plus riuding about 1.5 miles before it quit losing air.

I emptied the tire out today and cleaned it up. I went to patch it and tried to get the stans to seal it after I got a good look at how small the hole was. Same issue where the stans woud not seal it.

I puled out a bottle of my homemade sealant and poured one scoop in and it sealed instantly. The Homemade Sealant is 1 part Latex, 1 part tubeless slime, 1 part windshield washer fluid and 1 part water. It is considerably thicker than the Stans sealant and does dry up quicker but after this incident I am convinced it is much more effective than the over priced Stans.

As a comparison I can make a quart of Homemade sealant for $9/quart vs paying for the stans that just pours out the hole for $15/qt. I think mixing Stans with the homemade sealant might thin it out a little bit but still make it much more effective. Has anyone else had any similar comparisons or have any input as to what Stans is actually made of? I'd pay more for Stans if it worked better to seal small punctures but at this point paying less and making a mess in the kithen seems to be the most effective route.
 
#2 ·
Asahi said:
Has anyone found Stans fluid to be too thin/runny? I put a very small hole in the tread section of a brand new Hutchi Python UST with 2 scoops of Stans in it. It sprayed out all but about 1/2 a scoop and took 3 stops to pump up the tire plus riuding about 1.5 miles before it quit losing air.

I emptied the tire out today and cleaned it up. I went to patch it and tried to get the stans to seal it after I got a good look at how small the hole was. Same issue where the stans woud not seal it.

I puled out a bottle of my homemade sealant and poured one scoop in and it sealed instantly. The Homemade Sealant is 1 part Latex, 1 part tubeless slime, 1 part windshield washer fluid and 1 part water. It is considerably thicker than the Stans sealant and does dry up quicker but after this incident I am convinced it is much more effective than the over priced Stans.

As a comparison I can make a quart of Homemade sealant for $9/quart vs paying for the stans that just pours out the hole for $15/qt. I think mixing Stans with the homemade sealant might thin it out a little bit but still make it much more effective. Has anyone else had any similar comparisons or have any input as to what Stans is actually made of? I'd pay more for Stans if it worked better to seal small punctures but at this point paying less and making a mess in the kithen seems to be the most effective route.
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I had the same problem a coupoe of weeks ago with a very small hole in the sidewall of a Hutch Spider - but I could not get it to seal at all - just kept on spraying out. Anyway, my main purpose in replying was just to find out what the reason is for the windshield washer fluid?
 
#3 ·
Antifreeze.

spotlust said:
I had the same problem a coupoe of weeks ago with a very small hole in the sidewall of a Hutch Spider - but I could not get it to seal at all - just kept on spraying out. Anyway, my main purpose in replying was just to find out what the reason is for the windshield washer fluid?
Click to expand...
When we used to make our own latex cocktail, you'd use windshield washer fluid instead of water to keep the cocktail from freezing during certain times of the year. On that tubeless Slime product, I've noticed this a couple of times. I've had a couple of problematic holes that sealed right up with a shot of tubeless Slime when the Stan's didn't quite do the job. The Slime seems a little too thick, and the Stan's seems a little to thin, but a mix of the two seems like a viable cocktail.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
YOu have to get the 0 degree washer fluid to prevent freezing. I think an additional property is supposed to be anti evaopartion in the ammonia but I'm no chemist I just play one on TV :)
 
#5 ·
I could be wrong here but it sounds as though you aren't getting the crystals mixed up well enough when you add your Stan's sealant. You have to follow the directions carefully to shake the bottle well, invert the bottle with your finger over the spout, and pour it in to the scoop, tire, etc. From personal experience, I have seen Stan's sealant easily seal what I would guess to be a 1/4" hole in both a Python and a Karma - thin casing tires.
 
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
I am very familiar with the "crystal" myster ingredient and follow the directions to a T. I shake well and keep the fluid upside down. I used an excessive amount in a UST tire (2-2.5 scoops) and still got very little sealing properties. On the flip side with just a shake and a scoop I had the same hole seal up with no leakage with a thicker mixture made for a lot less than a quart of Stans. And don't get me wrong, I'd pay even more for Stans if it worked better than what I can make but at this point it seems it works worse for more $$.
 
#7 ·
Stan's Racing Formula

Asahi said:
I am very familiar with the "crystal" myster ingredient and follow the directions to a T. I shake well and keep the fluid upside down. I used an excessive amount in a UST tire (2-2.5 scoops) and still got very little sealing properties. On the flip side with just a shake and a scoop I had the same hole seal up with no leakage with a thicker mixture made for a lot less than a quart of Stans. And don't get me wrong, I'd pay even more for Stans if it worked better than what I can make but at this point it seems it works worse for more $$.
Click to expand...
Try the much thicker Racing Formula from NoTubes. It doesn't last as long in the tire as the standard sealant, but it seals bigger holes in thinner tires. Works really well if it's cold and wet, where the standard sealant tend to have some trouble sealing even quite small holes.

Ole.
 
#8 ·
Asahi said:
Has anyone found Stans fluid to be too thin/runny? I put a very small hole in the tread section of a brand new Hutchi Python UST with 2 scoops of Stans in it. It sprayed out all but about 1/2 a scoop and took 3 stops to pump up the tire plus riuding about 1.5 miles before it quit losing air.
Click to expand...
I've had the same exact problem. A hole less that a sixteenth with Stan's sraying everywhere. My LBS is using Specialized sealant which they mix with water (half/half). They just gave me a bottle but I haven't tried it yet.

I've done everything I can to deal with the whole Stan's "crystal" thing. Maybe Stan could come up with a way to get the crystals suspended in the solution and not stuck to the bottom!?

Good luck!
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
jabpn said:
Just wondered where you get your latex from when making your homemade formula. Thanks
Click to expand...
I go to Hobby Lobby and it is in the area for modling and near the decopaque (sp?) stuff.

I have heard you can get it at Michael's too. There are sources online as well.
 
#11 ·
home-made worked well for a while...

Asahi said:
I go to Hobby Lobby and it is in the area for modling and near the decopaque (sp?) stuff.

I have heard you can get it at Michael's too. There are sources online as well.
Click to expand...
I, too, have been dabbing in home-made brews and found what I thought was a good mixture. However I got a small sidewall puncture this weekend and nothing came out (used the same recipe as you) to seal it up. When I cracked the tire open I found that all the latex had congealed into a strange-looking glob and there was just a thin green-colored foamy water everywhere else. I do live in AZ and store my bike in the garage. So I'm wondering if temperatures had something to do w/ making the latex glob together?

On the other hand, my bottle of home-brew is also stored in the garage and I've noticed no separation of the liquids in the bottle...

How often to you folks find you need to add sealant to your tires? Weekly? Monthly?

Please help. I'm too cheap to fork out $15 plus shipping for Stans but I'm considering switching back if I can remedy my home brew problem.
 
#12 ·
Fletch F. Fletch said:
I, too, have been dabbing in home-made brews and found what I thought was a good mixture. However I got a small sidewall puncture this weekend and nothing came out (used the same recipe as you) to seal it up. When I cracked the tire open I found that all the latex had congealed into a strange-looking glob and there was just a thin green-colored foamy water everywhere else. I do live in AZ and store my bike in the garage. So I'm wondering if temperatures had something to do w/ making the latex glob together?

On the other hand, my bottle of home-brew is also stored in the garage and I've noticed no separation of the liquids in the bottle...

How often to you folks find you need to add sealant to your tires? Weekly? Monthly?

Please help. I'm too cheap to fork out $15 plus shipping for Stans but I'm considering switching back if I can remedy my home brew problem.
Click to expand...
Im in the same boat as you with the latex coming out of solution. it sticks to the tire and makes a ball of latex that rolls around. whats left is that greenish watery looking stuff. How do I keep that from happening?
PS; I left out the wiper solution as it is summer.
 
#13 ·
Are yall kidding me, I am from the South and I know why they put Windshield washer fluid in the cocktail. Alcohol, that is what I am drinking now so please excuse the inproper English.

Ask me about science.
 
#14 ·
Volsfan said:
Are yall kidding me, I am from the South and I know why they put Windshield washer fluid in the cocktail. Alcohol, that is what I am drinking now so please excuse the inproper English.

Ask me about science.
Click to expand...
Pardon me. seems like alcohol might cause your mix to dry too quickly. as in, while its still contained in the tire, before you need it. what you need is something that will plug/dry once there is an escape route through the tire. as best i can remember, water doesnt have a problem doing that when its hot. now, somebody in a cooler climate might have more of a problem with that.
and for Gods sake, its "yaw'll"
 
#16 ·
Ipa... All The Way

Isopropyl alcohol (IPA; from the the Walgreen's for $1/btl), when added to normal windsheild fluid will prevent freezing of the washer fluid at cold temps.

Evaporation?!?!? if your tubeless setup is airtight, where does the solvent go?!?!? There should be some evaporation of the solvent in any mixture (homebrewed or Stan's, or what ever), but that should slow down once equilibrium is reached.

But what is this equilibrium you speak of? Well, good question.

In a sealed system, the solvent WILL evaporate (faster when sitting idle in a hot garage in Phoenix!). BUT, and here's the but, the effective pressure in the tire will increase until a point when the solvent evaporation slows or stops. It will not continue indefinitely.

If your gunk dried out, your system is NOT SEALED!

Some Glycols are know to corrode aluminum. However, I believe that propylene glycol is "safe" for aluminum.... And yes, this is one of the key ingredients in anitfreeze. NOTE: some german automakeres require you to use "Special" anitfreeze to specifically avoid galvanic corrosion aluminum engine block components. This might be what is at work with liquid sealant/tire failures reported in teh forum.... I dunno...

It's all very technical.
 
#17 ·
Stans should have some larger particules that settle on the bottom,
The bottle says to hold it upsidown for a while before Putting it in the tire.
I pulled 7 goatheads out of my wifes front tire last night. I gave it a spin and had a
latex fountain going for about 45 seconds. All sealed up maybe lost 5 psi.
I guess she was just clearing the goatheads from the path for the rest of us.
 
#18 ·
The "crystals" are actually mica flakes and you can find them at Michaels in the paper making isle. They come in a test tube sized container. That is what actually plugs the hole and the latex is the glue.
 
#20 ·
Sealants are a pain

Since I change tires a lot, I'm sick of messing with sealants. I've been mixing my own for a couple of years and they work but the mess and toxic goo is making me consider sucking up the weight increase and just going back to UST tires/UST rims.
 
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