Storing nic juice for long term

[Garrett1234567]

I just placed my first order for diy juice. If all goes well and I can make my own juice I like I want to stock pile nic juice for years of mixing.
How do any of you store your nic juice for long periods of time, like years...
Also how do you store pg and vg for years? I don't see pg and vg being hard to buy but nic juice might become harder if legislation is passed against ecigs.

Thanks
Garrett

 

[dannyv45]

There are many many threads on this subject but in a nut shell store in glass filled to a 1/4 inch from the top in the freezer. NIC does not expand like water so the bottles will not break and it will be good for 5+ years.

 

[Garrett1234567]

Thank you, does the mg of nic matter, like if I got 60mg instead of 100?

 

[dannyv45]

Thank you, does the mg of nic matter, like if I got 60mg instead of 100?

Doesn't matter

 

[Bob Chill]

Nic strength won't matter. Lower nic takes more freezer space for the same amount. That's about it.

There are plenty of threads about this and it's going to become a hot topic over the next year or 2.

The 2 enemies of nic are light and air. Light is easy air notsomuch but I'm fairly certain that done carefully, nic is probably good for much more than 5 years. Oxidized nic isn't a big deal. It slowly weakens over time and turns yellowish but I haven't seen any posts about spoiled nic coming out of the freezer.

Couple pieces of advice

1. Store in sterilized glass bottles with polyseal caps at the proper size (proper size meaning enough to last 2-3 months out of the freezer tops before needing to break out more). My proper size is 120mls of 100mg\ml. I mix for 4 people so that's a 2-3 month supply. Just do the math for yourself.

2. Be very careful pouring the nic into the bottle. You want to keep as much air out as you can. Agitating the nic adds lots of little bubbles.

3. As Danny said, fill to just below the top. My bottles have an air bubble about the size of a skittle.

4. Screw the cap very tight. I even vacuum sealed each bottle. Have no idea if this did anything but I felt good about doing it.

5. Take all precautions to store so the bottles can't break for any reason. I put mine in a plastic box and in an area of my icebox that will only be touched for the sole purpose of getting a bottle of nic out.

I have both pg and vg base. I've heard conflicting stories of which stores better so I have 2 liters of each broken down in the freezer.

The oldest bottle I've pulled out so far is 10 months old. Absolutely no detectable difference from the day I bought it.

If you are thinking about how much for supply, do the math. Here's mine

4000mls of 100mg/ml
4 people averaging 360 mls/month combined @ 18 average strength (avg strength has dropped down to 12 since I started mixing. Instead of using 64mls/month of nic I'm down to 45 or so)

My original estimate @ 64mls/mo of nic would have been 4000/64 = 62 months or just over 5 years. At the current rate that will go up to 7.4 years. i have no worries that the nic I have will be fine in 7 years.

I'm going to add an extra liter or 2 at the last minute (whenever that is).

I've personally dropped my nic from 18 at the very beginning down to 6 in my kayfuns and drippers and 10 in my regular protanks. I may keep going down as I see fit. Everyone I mix for has been slowly dropping their preferred strength. Not because it's their plan or anything. They just find that they need less to be satisfied.

Hope this helps!

 

[Kurt]

I personally would have more headspace than 1/4" or a bubble the size of a Skittle. A few mL is what I do, not because of expansion in the freezer, but expansion if the bottle is put into a warm environment. If you fill the storage bottles in a cold kitchen in the winter, leave virtually no headspace, then bring the bottle out into a warm room in July, you could get some leaking upon expansion of the liquid. I have.

The amount of O2 in a few mL of headspace is negligible compared to the amount probably already dissolved in the VG or PG, especially with larger volumes. Can't do away with that, but it is also negligible, and will not react anyway to any significant extent in the freezer. And even if it all reacted, you would be hard pressed to be able to measure or detect a difference if the bottle was sealed.

I like these bottles for storage and syringe dispensing during use.

Specialty Bottle - Amber European Dropper Bottles

The Eurodropper inserts act as a gasket during storage, and syringe access through the center during use after I bring a bottle out of the freezer. Spill-proof too. I use 50 mL bottles, bring one out for some weeks of use. I don't usually put partially used bottles back in the freezer. Plastic is porous and will allow O2 to enter through the wall of the bottle over time. Not that that is a bad thing, oxides can actually add a nice flavor. But glass does very well even at room temperature for quite a while.

Almost at 5 years now for some of my stored nic in the freezer, and no changes that I can detect at all.

 

[Bob Chill]

Thanks for jumping in here, Kurt. I've read everything you've posted and you have been a great help understanding how to store this stuff.

Do you know if there is a measurable difference between nic in pg or vg? I prefer PG base because it's thinner and easier to work with. I'm not sure if it was you or someone else but there was a post somewhere about vg being better for long term storage.

 

[Rat2chat2]

You probably already know about it but this deal would make anyone want to have a freezer full. https://www.myfreedomsmokes.com/nicotine-base-flavorings/nicotine-solutions.html The least expensive price I have ever seen on nic. Good luck to you.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Interesting.
All nicotine on sale – in plastic containers. All nicotine in glass containers is not on sale. Testing results only for latest batch (glass containers?) Price difference – more than twice.

 

[Nana Gail]

Hi, just a thought, could you not pour the nic juice into Ball or Kerr canning jars(they are pretty cheap and can be steralized) and then vaccume seal them with a Food Saver, pack several in a box and freeze them? just asking. I have tons of jars.

 

[Hoosier]

I don't see why not.

 

[Kurt]

Thanks for jumping in here, Kurt. I've read everything you've posted and you have been a great help understanding how to store this stuff.

Do you know if there is a measurable difference between nic in pg or vg? I prefer PG base because it's thinner and easier to work with. I'm not sure if it was you or someone else but there was a post somewhere about vg being better for long term storage.

My experience with PG nic is limited, since I don't vape PG. But I did have some in the freezer for about a year. It was Totally Wicked Unflavored 36 mg Red Label and Decadent Vapor 54 mg Platinum Ice. The DV did not change in a year that I could tell. The TW went orange, but developed a really nice tobacco flavor (nic-oxides will do this and they are not harmful that we know of). So I think it depends on the nic, and maybe the PG itself. DV was reputed to be "pharma grade" nic in USP PG. TW was just nic in PG, and back then no one thought twice (2009). Today's nic is in general quite a bit purer and most here say their PG nic does not change in the freezer. Not sure about EVER changing, but it seems to have a good track record.

VG becomes like a thick glue in the freezer, much less mobile than PG, and the viscosity slows down nic molecules from finding dissolved O2. PG is still quite liquid at freezer temps. But cold slows all reactions, no matter the viscosity. I would guess PG-nic will last a long time, but maybe not as long as VG-nic. Maybe someone that has some PG-nic in the freezer for years will jump in.

 

[Garrett1234567]

Great info here guys, I like the idea of canning jars vacuum sealed. My first order of ingredients should be here Thursday, pretty excited about a new hobby.