Brute has strong ammonia smell

[TracyLynn]

Hey guys - Dumb question number 11 from me
Have any of you noticed your Brute trash cans having a strong ammonia smell??
I pulled mine out this evening to make some salt water & when I took the top off, it was sooo strong!! Reminded me of when I had a male cat that liked to pee on stuff in our house. Ugh
I rinsed it out with hot water & scrubbed with a brush, no cleaners involved. Checked the water level a few minutes ago & it still smells of ammonia.
Is that normal???
Thanks a bunch

 

[Brew12]

Hey guys - Dumb question number 11 from me
Have any of you noticed your Brute trash cans having a strong ammonia smell??
I pulled mine out this evening to make some salt water & when I took the top off, it was sooo strong!! Reminded me of when I had a male cat that liked to pee on stuff in our house. Ugh
I rinsed it out with hot water & scrubbed with a brush, no cleaners involved. Checked the water level a few minutes ago & it still smells of ammonia.
Is that normal???
Thanks a bunch

There is no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb people asking questions.. Umm wait... nevermind.
It's actually a great question and one that puzzled me when I first heard about it. Some salt mixes have probiotics and other organic substances added to them. If you are using one, it will break down in your tote into urea. And that is what it sounds like you are smelling.
It won't hurt anything and the only way to prevent it is to use the freshly mixed salt within a day or two and cleaning the tote carefully.

 

[TracyLynn]

Wow! Thanks @Brew12 that makes me feel better, since the Brute is only like 2-3 months old. I’d hate to not use it, but I was also worried I’d introduce something bad into my tank. I’ll make sure going forward I rinse it out when I finish a water change.
Thanks again..

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Urea is a colorless and odorless substance. If it smells like ammonia, it must have broken down into ammonia with a help of bacteria or something.

 

[Brew12]

Urea is a colorless and odorless substance. If it smells like ammonia, it must have broken down into ammonia with a help of bacteria or something.

Sorry, you are absolutely correct. Urea is just one of the first byproducts that it breaks down into to develop the odor. It's not uncommon in probiotic salts, or salts that have vitamins added.
It is the stuff that uses the urea as an organic food source that actually causes the smell.

 

[beaslbob]

the only dumb question is the one not asked.

But sorry I can't help with an answer.

 

[TracyLynn]

I washed the canister with hot water & a brush. Have since made 20 gal of saltwater to do a water change. Do I need to test or treat for ammonia before I use the water?? I usually only check the salinity before a water change, since all other parameters should be normal.
Thanks I learn something new everyday.

 

[motortrendz]

I'd think your fine. I'd also leave the top off the can after you rinse it to air dry. You dont want it become a mold factory either. I usually leave my lid off for a day or so just to be sure its dry.

 

[TracyLynn]

Thanks @motortrendz I’ll do that, I was more concerned with keeping dust & dog hair out of it. OMG!
Not really thinking about...dark + wet = mold. ;Blackeye

 

[Brew12]

I washed the canister with hot water & a brush. Have since made 20 gal of saltwater to do a water change. Do I need to test or treat for ammonia before I use the water?? I usually only check the salinity before a water change, since all other parameters should be normal.
Thanks I learn something new everyday.

I doubt the ammonia smell is ammonia, but the scent of proteins breaking down. You can test it for ammonia if you want, but I personally would just use it.

 

[TracyLynn]

Thanks @Brew12 I can try out my new Salifert Ammonia test kit I got today. I’ve been using API (you know the basic 6 kit we get as newbies) but based on reviews it’s not as accurate as Salifert, so thought I’d give this a try.

 

[Drewbacca]

Thanks @Brew12 I can try out my new Salifert Ammonia test kit I got today. I’ve been using API (you know the basic 6 kit we get as newbies) but based on reviews it’s not as accurate as Salifert, so thought I’d give this a try.

So what were your test results?
I cleaned mine with 70% isopropyl then rodi twice..still smelled.. then vinegar/ water.. air dry again w lid off.. seemed good... mixed 20 gal saltwater lid 85% on to keep out dust... next day... Feline Domesticus Urine-esque!
So the general consensus on using this water is?
Because it sounds like the above is stating that a urea by product was there or created & then used food sources in salt mix to break down into ammonia... which we definitely wouldnt want in our tanks.
So just wondering if anyone used or tested their mixed saltwater when this smell is there and what the results were.
Thanks!

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I don't have the smell issue with my plastic container for saltwater mixing. I believe mine is Sterilite container, but it looks just like a Brute container. I often just rinse my container with water after making saltwater.

If the smell of the urea or other organic substance residue in the container bothers you, try washing your container with a weak bleach solution. I have sprayed a container with a weak bleach solution (bleach and water) when I inadvertently let my aquatic plants rot in there. The container stunk to high heaven, but the spraying removed the smell.

Bleach/chlorine will break down organics and kill odor producing bacteria. You can also use baking soda to remove the smell although bleach may do it better. Bleach certainly did a much better job for eliminating the big garbage can/cart stink for me.

You can either use a dechlorinator to neutralize bleach afterward or let the chlorine evaporate naturally by air drying.