Recently I got into DIY because of stores shutting down from Covid so I got some supplies.
One of those was a 15 liter mini fridge because the bottle of Nic says its recommended to keep refrigerated and I didn't want to store the Nic in the kitchen fridge.
Right now I have everything in the mini fridge: Nic, VG, PG and 8 flavors.
Is it worth it to keep the VG, PG and flavors refrigerated with the Nic? Or are they better when stored at room temperature?
Also, should I put the juice I make in the fridge to steep? Summer is coming up and my room gets slightly warm sometimes.
I saw heat messes with juice when steeping; are there any negative effects of steeping juice in a fridge?
First of all, don't store pure nic anywhere. It's very dangerous.
Since you seem to already have it, make 100mg base out of it and store that in the freezer.
Storing nic in your fridge is fine. Could also freeze it for even longer storage. Storing vg and pg in fridge is not necessary. Vg has a 1yr shelf life and pg has a 2yr shelf life. They have lasted even longer for many people. You know how expiration dates go. Certain flavors can be refrigerated but some will form crystals and separate in the colder temps.
E-liquid manufacturer here- storing your nicotine concentration in the fridge/freezer is ideal. PG/VG it is not necessary, nor detrimental, but I WOULD NOT suggest putting your flavorings in the fridge/freezer- unless specifically labeled to do so by the manufacturer, and I have not yet used any flavoring which requires you to do so.
I personally would not steep the juice in the fridge, if it is in the fridge it would be of my opinion that it would take longer to steep.
Freeze large portions of nic, keep a small amount at the ready for mixing. VG and PG are good at room temp, even for years and year. Flavors... I don't really know for temp wise. Of course keep them in a dark, cool place, but I dunno if there's benefits for keeping them cold. They will go bad in a few years, regardless (these are food materials so there won't be a ban on them, same with VG and PG). Around the world, only nic is the thing that's legislated on (Japan where I live, with it's stupid ass tobacco/nic laws, prohibits nic sales and imports are limited to 120ml at a time).
With steeping, cool dark place like a cabinet. Heat steeping is frowned upon here, and I don't bother with it. Dunno with cold, might discourage mixing of VG and PG so not as great dissipation.
Thanks. What amount of nic would you recommend to keep on hand for mixing? I bought 1 liter of Nic which is currently in the fridge. If I just kept it in the fridge would that 1 liter go bad before I used all of it?
Depends on the strength and how much you use. 100mg nic in a 15ml bottle lasts me months. But not too hard to just pour some out and warm it up in your hands before using it right away.
Dunno about the fridge. Freezer nic has been shown to last years and years. I think I've seen a post about 5 year nic still being as good as new when stored in freezer. Fridge, I'd say you'd expand the lifespan, but not as great as freezer.
Nicotine is the only ingredient that may benefit from refrigeration, and even that is fine at room temperature if it's going to be used within a year of manufacture. In addition, VG thickens to the point where it will be difficult to handle and mix when it gets cold.
That said, light--especially direct sunlight--is very detrimental to the shelf life of both nicotine and flavors. So be sure to keep everything but the juice you're actively vaping in a dark place.
Definitely whatever you do, keep the VG in your closet or drawer, anywhere but the fridge, because it's already thick and semi difficult to pour and mix and work with, but cold VG? Good luck. Stuffs like trying to pour playdough lol
I keep my PG, VG and flavors in a closet: it's dark and has no heat source, so it's actually a couple degrees below room temperature.
I keep my nicotine in my deep freeze (working bottle in the closet with the other mixing supplies). Your fridge is the next best thing for storing nic, if you don't have a freezer.
Only freeze it if you will not open and close the freezer often. When the temp. Fluctuates and it thaws and freezes over and over it will fill with water and go bad. Fridge is better for nic.
Ive never heard this before. How fluctuating do you mean? Like, if my family opens it up for food does that make the fridge a better option?
So as others are saying keep just your nic in the freezer, but also break it down to smaller bottles that you can keep for mixing purposes. Personally i have a 500 mL bottle of 100mg/mL nic salt in my freezer with three 30 mL bottles with it, another 30 mL in the fridge and one 30 mL bottle out at room temperature so i can rotate them at safe workable temps all the times. I guess it's just my rotation habits from working the different food and retail jobs I've had over the years... At any rate, the rest of my supplies are at room temperature as i know I'll go through those faster and they're safe like that for about year or two. Nic is the only thing that can really suffer from oxidation if kept out and exposed to heat sunlight and most especially air....
I too have recently made the DIY dive. I stored all 4 liters of nicotine in my diy only mini chest freezer. I broke 1 liter down into 120ml bottles for grab and go during mixing. Leaving the one that I’m working out of in mix cabinet(room temperature) out of direct light. Seems to be working good so far. I also took a extra safety precaution with my nic storage mini freezer and installed a small “no drill” locking system($15 on amazon) to make sure none of my curious or clumsy kids have any unforeseen preventable accidents. Not sure what nic strength your base is but at any levels a very small spill or leakage can be very dangerous to everyone. So if you have children or pets please make sure to be extremely careful. Stay Safe Good Luck