RTV vs Silicone

[Gotlime?]

I've searched and it appears that the terms rtv and silicone are used synonymously here.

I'm not sure what the exact difference is between the two but I know I buy RTV at the auto parts store and use it on the car. I buy silicone at the hardware store and use it around the house.

Which one (and why?) do i want to use when waterproofing my SCX10?

[honcho1.9]

if you use rtv use the blue as its not as adhesive as the black or red, if you use silicone use clear window sealent, me personaly i like black rtv simply because its matches the reciever box on the scx10

the main difference between the two is that rtv is a heat/chemical/water resistant and silicone doesnt take heat/chemicals very well

[Gotlime?]

Thanks for your help Honcho1.9. makes perfect sense now.

I'm impatient. I went to Walmart at lunch. Found silicone in the hardware section and rtv silicone in the automotive section. I went with the clear RTV.

I guess they're the same, but different. Oh well, taken care of.........

[CrawlTh!s]

One thing to keep in mind is that "silicone" will produce hazardous fumes that are flamable when/if it comes in contact with a spark i.e. battery connection etc. Aside from that, silicone used in most metal applications is corrosive and can be very harmful to the surface it is applied to. Take into account guys who put it on jeep windshields to seal them from water. Works great at first, but after about a year there will be pitting and rust under the seal....this is due to the nature of the silicone. This is why distrubutors are not sealed with silicone. Fumes + spark it big boom . I use jeep applications because I know you know what I am talking about Gotlime .

[meatmonkey]

RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. Meaning that it will harden, or setup, at room temperature without any heating required. I do use a little RTV silicate on most sealing surfaces on fullsize cars.

However, most RTV silicates are mildly corrosive so they are not reccomended for use on or near circuit boards.

Dielectric grease, a clear non-conductive silicone, is what you want for waterproofing electronics. Just pull the case of the item apart, and fill it with dielectric grease. Reassemble and enjoy waterproof electronics that look stock.