2 part saturation

[loismustdie]

I hate to ask a stupid question, but I need you smart guys on this one.
If I mix a powder into water over an extended period of time and after I stop mixing, I have a slight residue of solids settling on the bottom... doesn't that mean that my water is now saturated with this product and it can't possibly be concentrated any further.
The reason I ask is, today I'm mixing my 2 Part much slower. Adding small amounts of calcium to the calcium bucket and baking soda to the alkalinity bucket until the water clears (both buckets have pumps in them). Then I add more. Wait again and so on. I added a certain amount, which was less than the recipe advises, but now after shutting the pumps after 6 hours, I have solids settling on the bottom. Do I still add the remaining calcium and baking soda and mix? Does it matter? Are you guys going to drop a bunny with a pancake on his head on me?
My dosing pump for the alkalinity keeps clogging. I'm wondering if it was the way I was mixing before that caused it. Big crystallizing issue.
chris

 

[meschaefer]

Strange, I add the total amount that the recepe calls for to 1/2 of the total volume of water and am able to dissolve all but a small amount of the baking soda. I then add the rest of the water and let it sit for an hour, and the rest of the baking soda readily dissolves into the water.

For the simple reason that I can dissolve almost all of the recipe in 1/2 of the water, I highly doubt that your are saturating your water.

 

[loismustdie]

For the simple reason that I can dissolve almost all of the recipe in 1/2 of the water, I highly doubt that your are saturating your water. __________________

WTF am I doing wrong? I've never dissolved all of the baking soda. 2 and 1/4 cups per gallon... right?

 

[scumonkey]

You must hate me by now but...... what was the temp of your water?

 

[loismustdie]

You must hate me by now but...... what was the temp of your water?

no hate... just frustration. I'll post a pic on your thread showing you what happened when my alk was over 12. You'll be suprised.
on topic... 70 degrees. Last time, i heated my water up to around 100 degrees and even though I dissolved just about all of the baking soda, I had a really bad crystallization issue. Clogged everything and stuck to the sides of the bucket.

 

[TimberTDI]

I still add the remaining calcium and baking soda and mix?

Chris,

Are you adding both parts together in one container?

Steven

 

[loismustdie]

no. separate buckets.

 

[jhale]

I think 70 is too low, and 100 is too high.

how about heating the water to 85, I was going to use that temp the next time I mix a batch.

 

[loismustdie]

alright Jon... I'm gonna try 85. You say you have no issues with your doser and we use the same one. What temp did you previously mix at?
Matt what temp do you mix at?

 

[jhale]

the last time I made a batch was with Dave, we mixed it in my place in the fall I think. It would have been room temp, so I'll say maybe it was 75.
I used a powerhead and let it sit in the bucket, that could have heated the water and mixed it also, I used 5 gallon buckets.

so far my dosers been working fine. I just reset it to come on twice a day, I know I take things slow

 

[regal]

The recipe#1 called for baked baking soda and the concentration is twice as much as the recipe#2. Are you using the amount stated in recipe#1 but you didn't bake it? If so, yours is too saturated. I use baked baking soda and I heat the solution with the heater and mix with a pump to help dissolves the powder. I find that without raising the temp or if I don't bake long enough, it is harder for it to dissolve. Generally speaking, the higher the water temp, the easier it is for the particules to dissolve. So heating it to 100 should not be the issue here.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

ive never really understood y it never completely dissolved either :irked:

 

[jackson6745]

I mix 12 cups of baking soda to 5 gals of water, mix and pour into 2 big pots. Bring to a boil and stir. ALL of the Baking soda will dissolve. You will get a nice clear solution that turns milky white when dosed into the tank.

Chris it's not only you. Until I started boiling the water I would have 2" of caked up baking soda on the bottom of the 5gal bucket.

 

[meschaefer]

I store my ro/di water in my basement and it i probably less than "room temp". I am still able to dissolve all my baking soda in the water. It does take some time. The only difference is that I am making mine in 1 gallon batches, and I am able to pick up the container and vigrourously shake it. With 1/2 the water I get some clumping at the bottom. When i have dissolved as much of it as possible, I add the other 1/2 water. I then let it sit for a while (last time I let it sit overnight, but thats just how it worked out), come back and give it a shake and it easily dissolves into the water.

I don't think it is a dissolving problem, per se, but rather that once it clumps up it takes some time for it to loosen up.

 

[bad coffee]

what's the pH of the water you're using? you could be particulating the soda out, rather than just oversaturating the solution. (kinda like that ONE time when you dosed both parts together.)

Also, I know it's a dumb question, but are you cleaning out the buckets and using the same one for the same part?

 

[loismustdie]

Regal: I'm using recipe 1. 2 1/4 cups per gallon. I bake it at 300 degrees for an hour and 5 minutes. It's always hot when I take it out of the oven.
Rich: when I heated the water too much, I had the bad crystallization problem.
Brett: I don't ever remember dosing both parts together. I don't know the pH of the mixing water since I use probes on my tank. I can tell you it is fresh RO/DI water.
Matt: are you doing 2 and 1/4 cups per gallon?
Jon: I did the 85 degrees. I'm mixing it with a Tunze 6060 in a 5 gallon bucket. I only added 5 large spoons (think the size of a salad serving spoon) at a time, giving myself an hour in between. Do you believe how fast you sold me on the 85 degrees? Just call me your "Ho". Either way, I haven't shut my pump down yet, but I did go to work today and when I got home, the water was still milky white. I have a feeling if I shut the pump down, plenty of solids will settle on the bottom. Again, I'm doing 2 and 1/4 cups per gallon and I do bake it.
My little disclaimer here: I'm not bashing Randy 2 Part or my doser. I have had fantastic results and dosing has been much better than manual doses. I would just like it if I cleaned my pump less and am looking to get options from guys who seem to mix better batches than I do. I currently need to clean my pump after every gallon of alkalinity run through it. No problem with the salt side. Since I know some one will ask, yes I switched pumps to make sure it's not defective and the other pump clogged with alkalinity part.

 

[meschaefer]

I am using receip number one. 2 1/4 cups of Bakingsoda, baked at 300 for over an hour. I do get clumps on the bottom when I mix it in 1/2 gallon, but as stated they soften up an disolve when I add the other 1/2 gallon.

 

[spykes]

i dont get it. how come im the only one that can mix this stuff under cold water? i never get white stuff. Plus heating up water using stove will contaminate the water no? the pots are pretty dirty compared to RO water

 

[MO~IDOL]

I use recipe #2 using cold ro/di no milky white stuff too

 

[Tonyscoots84]

dave werent u doing half and half.. half recipe 1 and half recipe 2 to get a level ph ...