Citric Acid Cleaning question

[joe-ejs]

Hello. I am using Citric Acid to clean my equipment, which does a great job. I was wondering if I can re-use the same water/citric acid for another batch of equipment.

For example, I soak a numbers of items in a 5gl bucket of citric acid mixed with water for 24hrs. Can I re-use that same bucket of water/citric acid for another batch of equipment, or has it lost its effective life after the first 24hrs of use? I can't seem to find any info that tells me the answer.

I am now trying this to see if it will effectively work on more equipment but thought I would ask as the price for Citric Acid is on the rise like everything else.
Thanks

 

[Uncle99]

I see no reason whatsoever that you can’t do that.

 

[Troylee]

It should work just fine! I’ve done this numerous times but it does tend to grow mold after a few days.. but no issues in using the batch over and over till then.

 

[jdpierce21]

Do you all think citric acid is better/safer than vinegar?

 

[DangerDave]

I don't think it's any better or safer, but I do think it is easier to store as it comes in a power form. This also allows you to make it as strong as you want/need.

 

[Peace River]

Do you all think citric acid is better/safer than vinegar?

I continue to get good results with citric acid. IMHO I think citric acid is better/safer than vinegar. There have been several posts about vinegar being a "pump killer", whereas I haven't seen anything similar with citric acid.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Vinegar may penetrate and swell certain plastics to a small extent that may hurt some. Citric acid and diluted muriatic acid won’t.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Make sure you cover it. I find that when I leave my stuff in citric acid and rodi that the water gets super funky with mold on top after a couple days.

 

[mfinn]

I continue to get good results with citric acid. IMHO I think citric acid is better/safer than vinegar. There have been several posts about vinegar being a "pump killer", whereas I haven't seen anything similar with citric acid.

You know, that whole thread about vinegar killing pumps was specifically aimed at the Vortech designed pumps. MP10 through MP60's.