Refrigerating E-liquid OK?

[T41CK]

I was curious to this same question, only difference is I am using a Bobas bounty from AVE juice. I basically ask AVE what would be the best way to store Bobas while slowing down the steeping process to the wax without losing any flavor... This is what she wrote back




You are in luck! The only real issue you need to worry about with unflavored nicotine is the nicotine life (which is long) and temp. You want to keep the liquid at a temp that won't promote growth of any kind. Below 40 degrees F will do the trick, most refrigerators can easily accommodate that. PG and VG as bases are antibacterial and antiviral (antibiotic but not in the sense we use) and hospitals have been infusing ICU wards with 20 to 30% saturation in the atmosphere for ages to eliminate post-surgical infections and spread of nearby diseases. For unflavored e-liquid I put storage up to 2 years, kept in a fridge, in the dark.

Storage of flavored liquids though I would not keep for more than a year. Each flavoring is different but some use natural and organic certified bases and mixes. These mixtures are prone to spoiling after a year and a half, though 1 year is a good "safe zone" for storage. As always keep in a cool and dark environment (treat it like wine or eggs never more or less severe)




Don't know much about DIY myself, this is why I sent AVE an email... Hope this helps someone

 

[Plumes.91]

Most people say the shelf life (UNrefrigerated) of juice is around 1 year.
I have vaped juice HAPPILY that was 1 year old. In fact, believe it or not...
I've vaped juice that was FIVE years old just recently. A whole bottle of it actually...
And I've had no problems since doing so... I generally don't care about "bacteria" though. lol.
The general consensus around here is usually 1 year past mix/buy date.

 

[Chrispixx]

If your vaping 15ml a week like me, and you have 60ml of juice it will be gone in a month or a little longer give or take so why worry. i dont stock pile juice, i buy it steep it then vape it. This way i always have fresh juice.

 

[Racehorse]

Temperature of refrigerator optimally is 37-41 degrees.

If your refrigerator is less than that, I imagine your lettuce and delicate greens would be getting some burn on them. I keep a thermometer in my fridge for this purpose.

37-41 degrees is what the USDA, as well as the appliance manufacturers suggest. Freezer should be at 0 degrees F.

 

[Vaptor]

I fridge all my juices. My longest fridged juices are 6 months old now. I put them in room temp for an hour to liquidize properly before vaping. They always taste exactly the same as the day I received them. I'd say very little steeping is going on in the fridge. If I want to steep them, I just take them out of fridge and let them steep in cupboard.
I also tried freezing flavored juices for couple of weeks with no ill effects but with so many flavors one can never know if freezing can perhaps crystalize some flavorings or not so I wouldn't freeze unless it's flavorless.

 

[Hairlip777]

Way to much trouble refridgerating. I try not to stockpile.

 

[Oouder]

It sounds like a small wine fridge kept at around 65 would be perfect for this. some models even have UV protection glass on the doors.

 

[tnt56]

Its a shame,because I like my juices well-steeped...so steep that I buy them and leave them alone at room temp for 2 months+ (unopened)

I'm with K,fridge can have a bad effect as well.

You can store brand new unopened PG or VG or even nic juice cans if you buy a lot at a fire sale price for DIY but otherwise...

Same here. I've got some that are really fantastic at 5 months old. 48 hrs with droppers and caps off. then minium 4 to 6 weeks in a dark cool closet. Works everytime.

 

[aikanae1]

Isn't condensation easy to control - just use glass and don't take the cap off until it's reached room temp. The only exposure to anything introduced by condensation would be what's already in the airspace to begin with.

Most areas of my home are 85F. Anything over 75F-78F is perfect for bacterial growth (it's naturally all around us). For me to keep flavors in a safe range would require a wine referg or the referg. Rebottling in glass (loosing the original label) might help with flavorings kept for a year or more. That's my understanding from this thread.

I think it might be interesting to contact some other flavor manufacturers to hear what they say. It might even be on their website already.

P.S. a wine lover friend of mine has mentioned that it's possible to buy argon gas, which is heavier than oxygen and will displace the O2 when resealing the bottle. Argon gas prevents bacterial growth which wine can be subject to. I haven't looked into this, how available it is, etc.

​

 

[aikanae1]

Now I'm confused. Is my 100% VG nic base not going to last very long because there's no PG in it?
I've only been vaping less than a year and several months ago started buying bulk nic base and flavors. (I haven't tried storing my flavored nic liquids in the frig or freezer, just the nicotine unflavored bases.)

In the DIY section, there were tests on freezing nic in either PG or VG. PG started showing signs of oxidation (which doesn't mean it's any less nic mg) at about 2 years. The VG showed no signs (I think) for 5 years and still counting. A lot of this does depend on how it's stored; glass, dark, not opened frequently, etc. You might want to check the DIY forum for more about that if your concerned.

Otherwise, no worries.

 

[RT88]

i can't think of any chemical or food that goes bad faster in a frig. it prolongs everything. i used to keep surfboard resin catalyst and car polish catalyst in double zip lock in a 2nd frig we have. bottom drawer crisper. only way to keep it good for couple years or longer without losing its catalyst action. but no kids in the house

just bring it to room temp before using

 

[Vaptor]

I don't think we need to worry too much about bacteria. It doesn't too well in Nicotine and PG/VG. It's more about the break down of the chemicals over time and Nic oxidization. Low temperatures slow that down. I only had one old juice so far that I got from Fasttech. That smelled like a dead fish but nothing was growing in it.

 

[vjc0628]

If your vaping 15ml a week like me, and you have 60ml of juice it will be gone in a month or a little longer give or take so why worry. i dont stock pile juice, i buy it steep it then vape it. This way i always have fresh juice.

why concerned ?

because of the possible regs coming I've been thinking of ordering 6 - 12 month supply

 

[Lombaowski]

I only had one old juice so far that I got from Fasttech. That smelled like a dead fish but nothing was growing in it.

Dead fish is my favorite morning vape!

 

[RT88]

fish smell could be amines. wonder what kind of amines tho, no sense finding out. and bacteria can be thriving without visible sign like a fungus or mold. but PG is supposed to be anti-bacterial

 

[Criticalmass]

I have been trying to wade through this controversy for two months now reading every thread on the subject... so far nothing totally conclusive and its important to me because of having made the usual noob mistake and ordering way too many flavors (ejuice) that I dislike but don't want to throw out as they may change or someone I know may like them.

From my own experience pre-vaping: As a diabetic I have to do a lot of cooking and baking from scratch and have The Spice Shoppe (a flavoring concentrate vendor similar to Capellas) and other flavors in large amber bottles going back as long as 7 years. They are non-alcoholic, containing "natural flavor, water and glycerin." They contain the statement "refrigerate after opening" which is just what I've done with them. The fact that they contain no alcohol for preservation, I suspect, makes them susceptible to contamination thus the statement. The volume hasn't changed nor have the tastes though I don't open them that often some only being for holiday baking.

I've even noticed that with both Torani and DaVinci drink flavorings (the large premixed bottles that contain water and flavor) some flavors say to refrigerate after opening and some do not. None say to keep in a cool, dark, place and they're in clear glass bottles like a wine bottle. I missed the "refrigerate after opening" on one flavor and it spoiled in the year it was in the cupboard.. it had only been opened once in that year.... no mold floating but tasted like fermentation had set in.

One thing I've pretty much decided is that if the bottle or cartomizer contains straight VG and flavor (even PG and alcohol ones) along with possible DW, I'm going to refrigerate it just as the Spice Shoppe would say to. I would, however, like to find out... if someone can direct me to the science... what percentage of PG must be added to make mixed juice safe for non-refrigerated storage as I have no doubt PG is acting as a preservative in terms of micro organisms. If the percentage is more than the flavoring itself might contain but low enough not to mess with the flavor or nic strength too much, I may just add the effective percentage of it it to the mixes.

I've seen folks say "stay away from preservatives" and have wondered why. I bet some of the same peeps are vaping PG. But it has made me wonder about adding other preservatives to my juices like citric acid which is in 99% of what we buy to drink as well as in any citric fruit flavored ejuice but I wonder how much of that it takes to do its preservative job in a mixed juice and the consequences to its flavor.

This is the most logical post I have seen in the thread. I agree with this, especially considering that some vendors I use utilize all organic ingredients which are going to require refrigeration at some point.

I say age it until it's where you want it, then refrigerate to keep it there.

i can't think of any chemical or food that goes bad faster in a frig. it prolongs everything. i used to keep surfboard resin catalyst and car polish catalyst in double zip lock in a 2nd frig we have. bottom drawer crisper. only way to keep it good for couple years or longer without losing its catalyst action. but no kids in the house

just bring it to room temp before using

I might also recommend keeping them in a Tupperware container if you use the plastic bottles. It will act as a second barrier to keep other food smells from penetrating the plastic bottles, which can happen over the course of several months. Alternative is that you can pick up a mini-fridge at some point and use it to store your e-liquids and alcohol.

Or you can get one even smaller than that:

http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-KWC...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

 

[six6gate]

Has anyone tried refrigerating them? I'm thinking of that as well.

 

[Vaptor]

I keep juice in fridge at normal food temperature about +5C. 12 months old juice tastes just as fresh as when received. Some are concerned about mold growing above the juice in air space. I'm not sure but from what I understand, PG kills mold so I imagine that once the bottle gets used and PG runs over the mold, it kills is anyway. Not that I've ever seen any mold in my juice tho. Thousands of post but no one actually knows the best way of long term storage. I also have 18 months old juice just sitting in a dark cupboard and that's still fine too only steeped.
No one knows really.

 

[RogerWilco357]

I too buy from johnsons creek and like the Glass dark brown bottles keeps the light out . They come with the hard cap and dropper separately you can store them with the cap on and use the dropper when out of the fridge since each bottle comes with a dropper wrapped i use one and save the rest till needed nice to have on tap ..