Kalkwasser container material

[Niels V]

I'm looking for a new transparent kalkwasser container so I know when I'm out and to be sure I don't dose the slurry. I have seen these brew vessels that look really nice. I think they are made of Polyethylene terephthalate PET I was wondering if they can resist a solution of fully saturated kalk. Does anyone know? And how many day's wil kalk stay fully saturated in a closed of container like this? Thanks for all the help!

https://www.kegland.com.au/fermzilla-60l-all-rounder-pressure-rated-keg-fermenter.html

 

[theMeat]

Any plastic container, bottle, whatever, should have a recycle symbol on it. Look up/Google the symbol and it tells you what it’s safe for

How to Read Plastic Recycling Symbols

Learn how to read each of the seven plastic recycling symbols and how to properly dispose of each one.

www.roadrunnerwm.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I wouldn't use it. PET has poor resistance to high pH. The bonds in it chemically hydrolyze and it will eventually fail.

 

[theMeat]

I wouldn't use it. PET has poor resistance to high pH. The bonds in it chemically hydrolyze and it will eventually fail.

I’ve been using the same cheap PET container I bought from Walmart for over a decade now. I rinse it out once or twice a year, and have given it an overnight vinegar bath a few times which leaves it pretty new looking again. When you say “fail” what should I be worried about?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’ve been using the same cheap PET container I bought from Walmart for over a decade now. I rinse it out once or twice a year, and have given it an overnight vinegar bath a few times which leaves it pretty new looking again. When you say “fail” what should I be worried about?

Well, two possible things, and I’m not sure how fast they happen.

what happens to polycarbonate is it crazes and cracks and will eventually leak. Folks have seen that happen.

second possibility with PET is that some of the monomers in the polymer may come loose and dissolve into the water. Not sure what issue that may cause.

 

[SeeFu]

i just use a 5 gallon bucket that my salt comes with. every 6 months i replace it with a new bucket.

 

[michaelrappuhn]

Can I use a standard (Petco/Aqueon) aquarium as a container for saturated Kalkwasser or will the high pH degrade the silicone?

 

[Niels V]

Can I use a standard (Petco/Aqueon) aquarium as a container for saturated Kalkwasser or will the high pH degrade the silicone?

It's ok to use glass to store limewater. In the long term it is possible the high pH of limewater will effect the glass. A very small amount of silicate will dissolve in te limewater. Silicate in small amounts isn't necessarily a bad thing, your corals need some but to much could result in a diatom bloom. Therefor it might be preferable to use a material like Hdpe. I went with a Mdpe container that is semi translucent, so I can see how much limewater I have left before I need to refill the container. Hope this helps. Cheers

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can I use a standard (Petco/Aqueon) aquarium as a container for saturated Kalkwasser or will the high pH degrade the silicone?

I will not impact the silicone sealant at all. As noted, a tiny bit of silicate may be released from the glass, though that's mostly a problem for pH solutions considerably higher than kalkwasser.

 

[topjimmy]

It's ok to use glass to store limewater. In the long term it is possible the high pH of limewater will effect the glass. A very small amount of silicate will dissolve in te limewater. Silicate in small amounts isn't necessarily a bad thing, your corals need some but to much could result in a diatom bloom. Therefor it might be preferable to use a material like Hdpe. I went with a Mdpe container that is semi translucent, so I can see how much limewater I have left before I need to refill the container. Hope this helps. Cheers

I love that container. Probably pretty pricey.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I stored mine in Brute trash cans.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I have had mine going for at least 3-4 years at this point. Always had kalkwasser in it.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

It's ok to use glass to store limewater. In the long term it is possible the high pH of limewater will effect the glass. A very small amount of silicate will dissolve in te limewater. Silicate in small amounts isn't necessarily a bad thing, your corals need some but to much could result in a diatom bloom. Therefor it might be preferable to use a material like Hdpe. I went with a Mdpe container that is semi translucent, so I can see how much limewater I have left before I need to refill the container. Hope this helps. Cheers

This is neat. How tall is it and where did you get it?

 

[Niels V]

This is neat. How tall is it and where did you get it?

The MDPE watercontainer is 30 inches tall and about 20 gallons in total. Got mine from a local dealer in Rotterdam Europe. Wasn't cheap but fits just perfect. It has a screw-on lid with silicone ring that I only open when I add the calciumhydroxide powder (and a small pomp to stir for a while) before closing it back up. I run RO tubing bound to a fiberglass rod through a red laboratory rubber stopper.