Storage lifetimes of foodstuffs and other goods.

[adam2]

I thought that this deserved its own thread.
How long do common goods (that one one might wish to stockpile)keep ?
I list here my own suggestions as to storage lives of common goods, and state where relevant if this is my own opinion, or an established fact.

Canned food, has an expiry date on the can, this is for worst case conditions, and presuming moderate temperatures, should* be OK for at least a year past the expiry date.

Dried pasta,beans etc. have an expiry date on the pack, but in my view should* keep for many years past this date.
EDIT others have suggested that beans do not keep that well, see post 3

Salt, sugar, pepper, forever if correctly stored in airtight containers.

Cooking oil, 5 years* if intended as food, forever* if for fuel.

PV modules, if in use, exposed to the weather, about 50 years (twice the warrenty). If not in use,and protected from weather perhaps centuries*

Alkaline batteries, expiry date is typicaly 6/7 years from production, they in practice keep much longer, though with declining reliablity.

Lithium batteries, expiry date typically 10/12 years from production, should keep longer.

Petrol and diesel engines, in only occaisional use, should last at least a hundred years, provided that replacement rubber hoses, seals and drive belts can be obtained as these components only have a reliable life of about 10 years.

Electric motors, can last for fifty years in use, if very well made and not misused.
In storage should keep almost forever in good conditions, but would require repacking bearings with fresh grease after long storage.

Wax candles, appear to keep almost forever, I recently found some I stored 25 years ago and they seem fine.

Parafin/kerosene, appears to keep indefinatly, if in airtight containers.

Petrol, I have heard that it only keeps for about a year, what do others think? presuming it is in a vapour-tight can and not a vented vehicle tank.

Diesel fuel, again I have heard that it only keeps a year or so, though I have used fuel at least 20 years old without problems, what do others think?

Incandescent light bulbs, if properly manufactured should keep forever.

Compact flourescent light bulbs, may only keep for 10/20 years*

Electronic goods in general, about 10/20 years*

Audio and video disks, only a few years in some cases, depending on qaulity.

PVC insulated electric cable, has now been in use for about 50 years, and cables that old appear as good as new, if not maltreated, threfore at least 50 years storage appears reasonable.

Leather footwear, if stored as delivered about 5/10 years. If regularly waxed to prevent the leather drying out, should keep for decades.

Clothing and bedding, should keep for decades,maybe a hundred years, but not perhaps forever since both natural and synthetic fibres appear to very slowly break down.

Firearms and ammunition, believed to keep for decades if packed in oil or grease.

Hand tools, should keep forever if preserved from rust/damp.

Books and other printed materials, from 10 years for the cheapest type of paper to centuries for the very best.

*=my own personal view rather than established fact.

[Vortex]

Kerosene can be hit by "kerosene fungus". Petrol can jellify. There are gadziillions of pages on the US survival sites about fuel storage.

Some later DVD & CDs last about 100 years.

[emordnilap]

Don't know about pasta, adam2, but dried beans don't last very long. I find they become virtually uncookable even using a pressure cooker. Some stay like stones while others in the same batch go to mush.

Maybe airtight containers might help with all your suggestions, plus a dry, insulated storage space shaded by the north side of the house

[MacG]

Instead of diesel, store low aromatic kerosene. Sometimes called "lamp oil". Does everything diesel does and then some more. Will store indefinitely. Maybe a bit expensive by today's measure, but a bargain 50 years from now. Your grandchildren will be grateful to find a barrel or three. Will last their lifetimes if they are careful.

Instead of gasoline, store "white gas". Sometimes called "alkylate". Does everything gasoline does and then some more. Will store indefinitely. Your grandchildren will be grateful to find a barrel or five. Will last their lifetimes if they are a bit careful.

These things are absolutely dirt cheap today, and it's possible to put away hundreds of liters of them even on an ordinary salary.

Don't forget lubricants. Lubricants used to be in really tight supply, even in the coal-and-steam age before petroleum. Friction is a killer just about everywhere. From windmills to Roman carriages.

[Adam1]

Petrol, I have heard that it only keeps for about a year, what do others think? presuming it is in a vapour-tight can and not a vented vehicle tank.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, may only keep for 10/20 years*

Electronic goods in general, about 10/20 years*

Audio and video disks, only a few years in some cases, depending on quality.

I had a plastic petrol container which I recall filling then returning to a few years later and finding it empty. I assumed that the fuel must have evaporated through a not entirely hermetically sealed lid.

I've had a few compact fluorescent bulbs in use for at least ten years without any noticeable deterioration (although I've noticed recently that one seems to be a bit dimmer than before).

I also have a few CDs from 1985 that show no signs of deterioration.

We are going to regret the built-in obsolescence of so much that is available to us today.

[MisterE]

Too late to read this now, off to bed, but about time and I cant wait to get up and read this - great post!

[Erik]

Perhaps of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expiry_date - Wikipedia details on the differences between shelf life / best before date, and expiry / use by date, etc.

Shelf life is different from expiration date; the former relates to food quality, the latter to food safety. A food that has passed its shelf life might still be safe, but quality is no longer guaranteed.

So you should be more cautious about consuming food which has gone beyond its expiry/use by date. Unless you are starving of course, in which case, follow your nose and touch wood?! Or maybe you could invite a local civil servant (or similarly useful member of the community) round for lunch, feed a bit to them first and wait to see what happens?

[Norm]

Oxygen is the big problem with any food storage and you can buy sachets of oxygen absorbers. One good tip I heard of was for storing a binfull of rice. Fill the bin with rice, sit a cup on the top of the rice. Light a tea light candle and sit it in the cup. Put the bin lid on and seal it. The candle will use up all the oxygen then go out.

[Vortex]

Storage temperature is the big killer.

link

[MacG]

Oxygen is the big problem with any food storage and you can buy sachets of oxygen absorbers. One good tip I heard of was for storing a binfull of rice. Fill the bin with rice, sit a cup on the top of the rice. Light a tea light candle and sit it in the cup. Put the bin lid on and seal it. The candle will use up all the oxygen then go out.

I'm just an amateur on this, but I suspect that the suggested trick with the candle should be avoided for gasoline storage.

[SILVERHARP2]

A couple of questions

can you buy colman fuel in large quantities? isnt it normally bought in camping shops in small cans. and any advantages over the standard calor gas cylinders?

are there any cookers or heaters that could be run on veg oil, given that you can pick up veg oil cheaper then diesel

[Bandidoz]

Has anyone here used Silica Gel?


http://divesales.co.uk/index.html

There are two methods used for re-drying silica gel. One method uses the oven, and the other uses the microwave. Before you use either method please read the all the safety precautions described below.

1. Oven Drying Method :
This method gives the best results even though it takes longer. Set the oven for 275oF. Place the silica gel in an appropriate container and dry the gel until it turns medium blue. The oven drying method takes approximately 1-1/2 hours per quart of gel. One quart of gel equals weighs approximately 1.9 lbs (30 ounces).

2. Microwave drying method :
Place the silica gel in an appropriate container and set the microwave power to the medium to medium high setting. Dry for approximately 3 to 5 minutes and inspect the gel for color change. If the gel has not dried, stir it with a spoon and heat it for another 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the gel each time it is inspected. Approximate drying time is 8 to 12 minutes per pound of gel. The actual heating times will vary according to the type of microwave. You may set the power setting on high but please be careful not to overheat the gel.

[adam2]

[quote="Adam1
I've had a few compact fluorescent bulbs in use for at least ten years without any noticeable deterioration (although I've noticed recently that one seems to be a bit dimmer than before).


We are going to regret the built-in obsolescence of so much that is available to us today. [/quote]

I suspect that compact flouresecent lamps in regular use (but not for too many hours per year) might last longer than unused ones.
My reasoning being that all modern CFLs contain an electronic ballast which incorporates electtrolytic capacitors, these components degrade if unused.
O/T but this age related degradation is a major problem for those who restore old electronic equipment.

I suspect that the older type of CFL that used a copper/iron ballast would keep almost forever, but AFAIK they are no longer produced.

[adam2]

A couple of questions

can you buy colman fuel in large quantities? isnt it normally bought in camping shops in small cans. and any advantages over the standard calor gas cylinders?

are there any cookers or heaters that could be run on veg oil, given that you can pick up veg oil cheaper then diesel

Coleman fuel and calor gas or not interchangeable.

Coleman fuel is a highly flammable liquid, somewhat similar to petrol.It must only be used in appliances designed for it, which are generally camping equipment rather than household appliances.
Coleman fuel is generally supplied in disposable cans, though rather wastful, this has the advantage that no money is tied up in deposits.
Some appliances intended for coleman fuel can also use unleaded petrol.
NEVER use coleman fuel or petrol in an appliance intended for parrafin.

Calor gas (which is a trade name, other brands exist) is butane or propane stored under pressure in cylinders, although the product is liquid in the cylinder, it vapourises as used and emerges from the outlet as a gas. It is burnt in similar appliances to those that burn natural gas, though the appliance has to be modified if designed for natural gas.
Stockpiling calor gas is expensive due to the deposits on the cylinders, also sometimes different brands of bottled gas have differing connectors.

[MacG]

Here is a useful site:

http://fuel.papo-art.com

We have Coleman fuel in pumps here for roughly ?1 per liter, called "Environmental unleaded gasoline". Works just nice in the car also.