Expired or Damaged Heater Question

[Treesuit]

Okay, so if anybody out there has any old FRH's and would like some new ones I have a lot of the new ones that I would like to get rid of. That and a lot of the hot beverage bags. Thanks

[fieldtest]

The content of the MRE-heater is based mainly on sodium hydroxide. This substance reacts exotherm with water and produces some hydrogen and the solution.
This substance was used in toilet cleaners but it is banned from that purpose due to environment problems since the 1980ies (as I remember it from my own childhood experiments and the teachers experiments with the pure NaOH-pellets and water).
These old toilet cleaners were bubbling and heating in the tube, sometimes my mother was afraid of exploding it

But until you do not feed from the heater pellets there is no harm at all. The risk to die from worse food quality is a thousand times bigger

[Big Galloot]

The content of the MRE-heater is based mainly on sodium hydroxide. This substance reacts exotherm with water and produces some hydrogen and the solution.
This substance was used in toilet cleaners but it is banned from that purpose due to environment problems since the 1980ies

Sodium Hydroxide?!? Have we been abusing our medications again?

http://chem200.tripod.com/

[fieldtest]

OK, it´s about 15 years since my last MRE heater. In the 80ies there were definitely some heaters with NaOH and as kids we have built such things ourselves.
Time is running *hmpf* Have to be careful that I don´t start to sound like my own grandpa.

The Mg-reaction ist basically the same priciple, maybe more environment-friendly.

So, unfortunately no soft and dizzy medication - have to face pure reality

[Big Galloot]

Reality is like whiskey; you can drink the really good stuff straight up but most of us will need a mixer.

[sag45]

Thanks for the info MCI era. I just sandwiched a 1992 FRH, & ENTRY next to each other inside the entry box. It bloated up pretty fat, but it heated up the meal. Good idea. It was a clean entry no leaks or grain from the heating powder came outside of the FRH. Next time I will not wrap up the open end of the FRH so much and see if some of the bloating goes down and if it still provides a warm meal. I fell a little better now that I can use the 4 doz 1992 FRH's I bought from MreStar.

[kman]

I think the bloating is what you want - that's steam bulding up inside the FRH. The longer that (hot) steam is in the FRH, the faster your entree will heat up. But I suppose it's still worth testing out.