advice please: cleaning second hand equipment

[shamrock]

thanks for taking the time to look through this post.

after preliminary search, is it ok to use citric acid to clean 2nd hand equipment? i'm purchasing an overflow box which i'd like to clean completely before using. any advice? can i use boiling/warm water without any detergent? leave it air dry in the sun?

thank you

 

[JGT]

Yep, standard cleaning product for getting rid of coralline algae or any type of scaling. . Soak it in citric acid and it pretty much comes off by itself. Use a scrub pad for any tough areas. Rinse well in fresh water and let dry.

 

[shamrock]

Thank you

 

[roman94]

Hi lads,

I use 10% vinegar and RO water to clean my wave makers ( 1:50 proportion) but after 2 years of doing that I found out that causes huge damages on wires ….

I was getting electric shock every time I touched the water surface with a tip of my finger while standing with no shoes on wooden floor.. I used a multimeter to check the voltage between the water and earth and couldn’t believe what I saw … 175V AC .. I’ve checked all my equipment one by one and found two wave makers case the problem ( exposed inner wires / broken insulation) .. after removing these the voltage between the water and the earth is 38V.
I bought new wave maker and replaced Maxspect Gyre motor.

the question is - how to get rid of algae with citric acid Instead of vinegar ..? What’s the safe proportion of citric acid mixed with water and how long it needs to do the job.
Thanks in advance for your help !

 

[shamrock]

i saw a video on youtube... seemed like the guy just dumped it in there... and let the equipment (in this case the power head) just power up for a few hours... good question though

 

[Carwin]

Yes, citric acid works like a charm. Gentler than vinager too.