Sodium Bicarbonate-- shelf life after mixing?

[Cavalina]

Hi All,

I mixed some sodium bicarbonate with RODI in a one gallon jug a few weeks back and used only a small percentage of it. What is the shelf life of this mix going forward? Do I need to dispose of it and remix a new batch after a certain amount of time? I can't seem to find anything on the web and welcome any guidance. Thanks!

 

[lapin]

I have used year old baked baking soda / rodi water mix and it worked just fine. You might find some has fallen out of solution. Just shake the jug for a min.

 

[elysics]

As long as you don't have a bunch of spiders falling in and rotting or something, there shouldn't really be any shelf life apart from maybe the concentration changing if water evaporates or diffuses out of the bottle

 

[Cavalina]

As long as you don't have a bunch of spiders falling in and rotting or something, there shouldn't really be any shelf life apart from maybe the concentration changing if water evaporates or diffuses out of the bottle

Terrific, thanks for the feedback. Nope, no spiders or anything -- tightly capped. Tx!

 

[blasterman]

It will turn into a hard chunk at the bottom over a long period of time, so it does need to be shaken up occasionally.

And a quick salute for actually making your own and not buying those ripoff two parts.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I have used year old baked baking soda / rodi water mix and it worked just fine. You might find some has fallen out of solution. Just shake the jug for a min.

I wasn't aware that you could use baking soda instead of BRS sodium bicarbonate solution. How do you make the solution?

 

[Gtinnel]

I wasn't aware that you could use baking soda instead of BRS sodium bicarbonate solution. How do you make the solution?

If you are using BRS sodium bicarbonate you can use baking soda (which is just sodium bicarbonate) the exact same way. It should be 297 grams to make 1 gallon of solution. This is Randy’s recipe 2 in the article I’ll link.

If you use BRS soda ash you can make that by baking 594g of baking soda in the oven then mix it to make 1 gallon (Randy’s recipe 1).

I’ve been using Arm & Hammer baking soda that I buy at Walmart in a 12lb bag for years with no issues.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

[Sebastiancrab]

If you are using BRS sodium bicarbonate you can use baking soda (which is just sodium bicarbonate) the exact same way. It should be 297 grams to make 1 gallon of solution. This is Randy’s recipe 2 in the article I’ll link.

If you use BRS soda ash you can make that by baking 594g of baking soda in the oven then mix it to make 1 gallon (Randy’s recipe 1).

I’ve been using Arm & Hammer baking soda that I buy at Walmart in a 12lb bag for years with no issues.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

My next question is does the sodium bicarbonate solution have a shelf life? My current mixture from BRS is not raising alk like it should and I have shaken it up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My next question is does the sodium bicarbonate solution have a shelf life? My current mixture from BRS is not raising alk like it should and I have shaken it up.

No, it is good forever. If it gets cold, some may precipitate, but warming it will allow it to redissolve.

 

[Gtinnel]

My next question is does the sodium bicarbonate solution have a shelf life? My current mixture from BRS is not raising alk like it should and I have shaken it up.

Assuming it’s in a sealed container it will last forever. I have used some 2 part that was sitting in a garage for over a decade and it worked just fine.
If you made the solution yourself from powder are you sure you mixed in the right amount of powder?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Assuming it’s in a sealed container it will last forever. I have used some 2 part that was sitting in a garage for over a decade and it worked just fine.
If you made the solution yourself from powder are you sure you mixed in the right amount of powder?

I mixed up the solution from BRS.