How do I know if my kalkwasser is mixed properly?

[vanguard]

I've read you need to stir for a few seconds and I've read 15 minutes. I've read stirring too much is bad and will ruin it, I've read not stirring enough is the problem.

Two questions:
Is it more complicated than, "Stir until it's really cloudy and the ph is 12.4. That takes about 30-60 seconds"?

Is a 12.4 ph all I need to know to prove it's full strength?

Thanks in advance

 

[Gill the 3rd]

I stir for 10 seconds or so until it is cloudy. It seems to dissolve pretty quickly. Then I let everything settle for a few hours before I start dosing.

I believe @Randy Holmes-Farley doesn't recommend using PH to test for kalk concentration since its not as accurate.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I stir for 10 seconds or so until it is cloudy. It seems to dissolve pretty quickly. Then I let everything settle for a few hours before I start dosing.

I believe @Randy Holmes-Farley doesn't recommend using PH to test for kalk concentration since its not as accurate.

But if it's cloudy, how do you know that it's fully dissolved? (I do understand that there's some that settles out, but had the same question as the OP - how do you know when it's as dissolved as it's going to get?)

 

[Gill the 3rd]

I mix 2 teaspoons per gallon, which should be on the edge of full saturation to begin with. You can add more but it will just settle at the bottom of your container. I make a large batch in a 30 gallon brute and use a large mixing paddle (that I use for homebrewing). This stirs it up really well and pretty quickly. The water gets cloudy and I don't see any individual particles from the calcium hydroxide. I'm assuming its fully dissolved since the water turns so cloudy with no visible particles, but I could be wrong.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I mix make a max saturation 1g solution in an old water jug / capped in the morning, and drip the clear solution overnite. The tube rests and inch or so above the bottom. This is where it can get murky.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The problem with pH for limewater potency is precision of the measurement.

The true pH of saturated kalkwasser at 25 deg C is about 12.45.

If the pH drops to 12.15, it is only about 50% saturated.

Thus, the errors in pH measurement add up to big errors in potency.

To best use it, make a saturated solution (say, 2 teaspoons calcium hydroxide in 1 cup Ro/DI) and measure it, then compare to the fluid of interest. A 0.3 pH unit difference is an ~ 50% drop in potency.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Conductivity is the best way to gauge potency. Saturation is about 10.3 mS/cm at 25 deg C. Higher at lower temps.

 

[vanguard]

@Randy Holmes-Farley
Can you estimate how long it takes to stir it with a powerhead? I know the answer is likely, "It depends" but I don't know if it's 15 seconds or 15 minutes.

Maybe you can give us a guideline?

Thanks in advance

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley
Can you estimate how long it takes to stir it with a powerhead? I know the answer is likely, "It depends" but I don't know if it's 15 seconds or 15 minutes.

Maybe you can give us a guideline?

Thanks in advance

No reason to not wait 15 min. It's not done in 15 sec, and overnight is likely overkill.