I need QUICK help. Using muaritic acid as I type this.

Dj City

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
3,163
Reaction score
3,405
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am cleaning my return pumps.

I have them running on low power sitting in 8 gallons of water with 8 cups of muaritic acid in a 20 gallon long glass tank.
I was VERY careful with the acid and the pumps are almost done and ready to come out.

How do I dispose of the acid water? It's 8 gallons of water and a half gallon of acid. Can I just add 12 gallons of fresh water to dilute it enough to dispose of it?

I did not think that part through.

Really need QUICK help for this.
 

HuduVudu

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2020
Messages
3,241
Reaction score
3,660
Location
Houston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If i'm not mistaken, bleach and acid should NEVER be mixed. Fumes are TOXIC.
Am I missing something here?
The only way to nuetrilze an acid is with a base. Acid base reactions often produce gas. Usually the gas is CO2 but in this case it is Chlorine. Doing this in a well ventilated area (like outside) is fine. Your other option if you have it and want to waste it is CaOH (Kalkwasser). This shouldn't produce a gas and the result will be CaCl.

I use bleach all of the time on Muratic Acid because I have to use Muratic Acid to clear my dosing lines. I don't like to dump the acid down the drains so I neutrilze with the base and ensure that the solution is neutral or basic. Probably more basic because I don't really test. I figure base is way better than acid.
 

Torontotraders

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Messages
63
Reaction score
82
Location
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If i'm not mistaken, bleach and acid should NEVER be mixed. Fumes are TOXIC.
Am I missing something here?
Don’t use bleach. Use baking sofa. You don’t need much considering it’s already diluted with water. Just be careful when pouring (baking soda) it into the mixture; as it will bubble; but again, shouldn’t too much if it’s already been diluted with water.
 
Last edited:

Waboss

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
1,979
Reaction score
1,031
Location
MD, USA
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
I always use baking soda. Until it stops reacting. Then I'll dispose of it.
 
OP
OP
Dj City

Dj City

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
3,163
Reaction score
3,405
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not gonna use bleach.
I have some baking soda.

I think i'm also gonna go with that old reefing saying...

Dilution is the solution to pollution.
I added freshwater to the top of the 20 gal tank. I will throw off some, then add more water until i have FRESH water.
 
OP
OP
Dj City

Dj City

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
3,163
Reaction score
3,405
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I wanted to use muaritic acid because it's much faster. Did not want the system to be offline for too long.
 

HuduVudu

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 2, 2020
Messages
3,241
Reaction score
3,660
Location
Houston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not gonna use bleach.
I have some baking soda.

I think i'm also gonna go with that old reefing saying...

Dilution is the solution to pollution.
I added freshwater to the top of the 20 gal tank. I will throw off some, then add more water until i have FRESH water.
This won't work outside of aquariums. Duliting an acid especially a strong acid doesn't help, you need to neutralize it.
 
Last edited:

Waboss

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
1,979
Reaction score
1,031
Location
MD, USA
Rating - 100%
7   0   0
I use citric acid to clean pumps/powerheads. If you need it to clean faster, then just mix it stronger.

Granted, it won't work as fast as muriatic acid, but it also isn't anywhere near as dangerous and it's highly unlikely that it will damage your pumps.

I clean my return pump about every 3-6 months and I only have the system "offline" for about 30 minutes, and while that's going on, I keep a powerhead running in the display, and my ATS is running in my sump, so the impact is minimal.
 

MTBake

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 9, 2017
Messages
3,017
Reaction score
5,575
Location
Carpentersville, IL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've been using diluted muriatic acid to clean equipment for years. Never has caused any issues with pumps or heaters. Just don't leave the equipment in any longer than needed to clean it. I save the solution in a bucket and get at least 2 uses out of it before I rinse it down the drain to dispose of it.
 
OP
OP
Dj City

Dj City

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
3,163
Reaction score
3,405
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would not use muratic acid to clean pumps. I use vinegar; it's acid enough and will clean them well.

Vinegar is BAD for pumps.
The acid in vinegar gets through plastic and rubber eating away at the seals of the pumps.
That's why so many have had swollen and cracked magnets and blown seals.

Muriatic acid does not eat through plastics and rubber. It's perfectly safe to use as long as you use it properly.

I just had a hard time figuring out how to dispose of it safely.
 
Back
Top