Will Bleach gas off?

burningmime · Mar 28, 2021

Quick question -- If I use bleach to clean a water tank (for RO/DI), will it eventually disappear/dry up if I leave the tub alone for a while? I rinsed it a lot, but I can't reach the bottom of the tub (it's one of those tall ones with a tiny opening), and there's still some bleach smell. I can keep rinsing it, but it's probably still going to have some residue.

Thanks!

GaryE · Mar 28, 2021

Bleach burns off in sunlight

burningmime · Mar 28, 2021

GaryE said:
Bleach burns off in sunlight

Awesome! I'll keep that in mind if the sun ever comes out again.

zalick · Mar 28, 2021

It's safe now IME. Let it dry and then it's safe too. Assuming it's regular bleach and not splashless

burningmime · Mar 28, 2021

zalick said:
It's safe now IME. Let it dry and then it's safe too. Assuming it's regular bleach and not splashless

****! It's not splashless but...

Clorox® bleach with CLOROMAX™ Technology has patent-protected polyelectrolyte complexes (also known as PECs)

CLOROMAX® technology keeps clothes whiter longer†, and cleans and protects surfaces‡ so stains won’t stick and cleanup is easier

wcroft987 · Mar 28, 2021

If you are worried, vinegar or ammonia can be other options for cleaning.

JAC- · Mar 28, 2021

Perhaps adding some dechlorinater like prime or something of the sort for added comfort?

Also yes, it will gas off. It happens quicker at higher temperatures and UV (sun light) will further speed up the disassociation. If you allow it to dry up it can leave behind contaminated salts, but if you've rinsed it that shouldn't be an issue.

Hope that helps,

zalick · Mar 28, 2021

burningmime said:
****! It's not splashless but...

Hmmmm no idea what those are...

But as long as you've rinsed a bunch, I would think it's safe now.

vetteguy53081 · Mar 28, 2021

Cold water neurtailzes bleach along with 3 days of sun drying.
DO NOT USE ammonia (cant believe that was suggested)
Glass cleaners contain ammonia and are toxic and lime cleaners even worse. Now picture using ammonia.

wcroft987 · Mar 28, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
Cold water neurtailzes bleach along with 3 days of sun drying.
DO NOT USE ammonia (cant believe that was suggested)
Glass cleaners contain ammonia and are toxic and lime cleaners even worse. Now picture using ammonia.

Ammonia can be rinsed and will also off gas. Dumping/ using glass cleaner in a tank is no better than bleach. At least if ammonia is used to clean 99% of hobbiest have an ammonia test kit and can test the RO/DI water before adding water to an aquarium, bleach much harder to determine if it’s all gone.

JAC- · Mar 28, 2021

wcroft987 said:
Ammonia can be rinsed and will also off gas. Dumping/ using glass cleaner in a tank is no better than bleach. At least if ammonia is used to clean 99% of hobbiest have an ammonia test kit and can test the RO/DI water before adding water to an aquarium, bleach much harder to determine if it’s all gone.

I believe the worry was that it could have been misunderstood that you meant to add ammonia to the bleach.

I would agree that ammonia on it's own can be used for cleaning, but it dose carry some specific hazards.
It also should never be mixed with bleach, that's not fun for anyone.

Thanks for the input friend,

vetteguy53081 · Mar 28, 2021

wcroft987 said:
Ammonia can be rinsed and will also off gas. Dumping/ using glass cleaner in a tank is no better than bleach. At least if ammonia is used to clean 99% of hobbiest have an ammonia test kit and can test the RO/DI water before adding water to an aquarium, bleach much harder to determine if it’s all gone.

We're talking ammonia from waste- NOT household ammonia.
Im chiming in our water expert @Randy Holmes-Farley

wcroft987 · Mar 28, 2021

JAC- said:
I believe the worry was that it could have been misunderstood that you meant to add ammonia to the bleach.

I would agree that ammonia on it's own can be used for cleaning, but it dose carry some specific hazards.
It also should never be mixed with bleach, that's not fun for anyone.

Thanks for the input friend,

Sorry if there was a misunderstanding.

Definitely do not mix any cleaning products and always use per the labeled instructions.

I was merely suggesting an alternative to bleach.

wcroft987 · Mar 28, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
We're talking ammonia from waste- NOT household ammonia.
Im chiming in our water expert @Randy Holmes-Farley

Ammonia is ammonia. Any ammonia test kit will show household ammonia the same as fish waste ammonia. There are many posts about cycling tanks with ammonia and using test kits to test when the ammonia level is lowered by beneficial bacteria and safe for fish.

At the end of the day @burningmime you should clean your container as you see fit. Just make sure to fully eliminate the cleaning product from your container so it does not get introduced into your DT system. I believe there are also chlorine test kits available for piece of mind.

burningmime · Mar 28, 2021

OK; so bleach is safe but that cloromax stuff is my current worry. Looks like it has been discussed before:

Search results for query: cloromax

www.reef2reef.com

Randy chimed in here (albeit a while ago), looks like it might not be a huge problem:

Search results for query: cloromax

www.reef2reef.com

Because the container is so tall and the opening so small, I'm worried there might be residues I can't get to. I'll just leave it in the shower a couple hours (can't wait for my water bill)

burningmime · Mar 28, 2021

Thanks for all your help everyone!!!

JakeAndAmanda · Apr 18, 2021

I use bleach on boats for a pre detail wash and if it is not rinsed off completely leaves a dry crust behind. About a week ago I prewashed a boat with bleach and the following day I was waxing in the nooks and cranny's `to find bleach stains on my back and shoulder.