Beware of plastic containers made out of HDPE

[b1k3rdude]

So back on the 13th september 2021 I bought 5ltr of Coma Antifreeze and Coolant, used some of itand then put the container to one side to use later. Then on the 5th of June I bought a 5ltr container of Ecover Pine & Mint Toilet Cleaner, intended use was to use to fill up my hand spray despencer when cleaning the bathroom etc. The Comma container was in the spare room and the Eco conainer in the bathroom, so stored inside and not in direct sunlight or subject to extreme differences in temps.

What do these two seemling different products have in common, they both cracked and leaked from the bottom of the container and both containers were made out of HDPE (high-density polyethylene). The Coma container was several months old and the Eco container not even 2.5 months old and both cracked/failed in the same place and then buckled leaking thier contents all over the floor. Luckly I was at home both times and managed to clean up the small amount each time.

Doing some digging I found its a known issue -

- https://www.ptonline.com/articles/get-a-handle-on-stress-cracking-in-hdpe-bottles

Just be aware, if you intend to store the container for a while consider sending it back to where you bought it from.

[agricola]

Good call. Be aware also that much of todays modern domestic paints are water based and as I recently found out, will rot the base of the tin if stored too long.