Doh! Old Salt Turned into a Brick

[redfishbluefish]

Yet another Doh! moment for me.

So I thought I'd save money when a local LFS was having a salt sale, and purchase an approximate two year supply. I opened the last of the seven cases and found they had turned into bricks....solid as a rock. Here are three bags sitting on a coffee cup planking, with the top bag snapped with a crack as I checked to see if it would miraculously turn back into powder.....no such luck!

So now I'm wondering if I could sledge hammer these and at least use them to melt snow/ice on my driveway?

And, I've learned my lesson.....now off to the LFS to buy a one year supply of salt.

 

[Billdogg]

I've used salt like that without any major complications. I'd mix it up and see what the parameters are. It will have probably precipitated out some Ca and/or alk so you may need to add some to bring it up to where you want it. You may notice some "salt" that just won't dissolve in your mixing container. Just clean it out after your water change.

 

[Timfish]

What Billdogg said.

 

[Juano908]

Paul, how are you ????
It's been a long since last time we got in touch buddy, hope you and family are doing well.

I ordered some salt from Amazon and that was exactly what I've received salt blocks.

 

[SPR1968]

Paul, is it worth asking Randy the question of what he thinks, if you can get it to mix up in the water??

Just a thought..

 

[harley32907]

Ordered some from BRS, came as a brick.

 

[Tired]

It's going to be a heck of a pain to get it to mix with water, but it may still be usable, as said above.

I see no reason it wouldn't work to salt a driveway, if you could bash it into pieces. That said, I live in Texas. We don't salt things because they almost never ice over. For all I know, chunky salt doesn't dissolve effectively enough on a sidewalk to mix into the water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, if alk is OK (after any solids settle), the salt mix is OK.

Years ago, Coralife send me some small bags of salt in "compensation" for a mh bulb that literally exploded and got glass in my tank.

I never used it in my tank as I did not like it's parameters at the time, but did use it for sidewalk salt in the winter, and eventually it became rock like and wasn't useful even for that. lol

 

[Paul B]

Wow, when you said "Old Salt turning into a brick" I thought you meant Me!

 

[don_chuwish]

Wow, when you said "Old Salt turning into a brick" I thought you meant Me!

I'd be 'old salt turning lumpy'

 

[Juano908]

Wow, when you said "Old Salt turning into a brick" I thought you meant Me!

Lol, always you Paul!!!!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks all for the replies. It's going to be snow melt salt.....can't be bothered trying to mix and use. Years ago I did try to "save" salt that had turned into a brick....when I use to buy in a bucket.....by the time I got to the bottom of the bucket, it was a rock. I ended up getting a cloudy mess that never cleared. Probably would have been OK to use, but again, not worth it.

@Juano908 great hearing from you....I'll reply through PM.

And @Paul B , and with reverence to Jethro Tull, you are certainly an Old Salt who is Thick as a Brick.