can carbon be rinsed with tap water?

[IronChef]

Is it unwise to rinse the dust off of activated carbon with tap water? If it is how does everybody else rinse it?

 

[Marcosreef]

Iron Chef:
Probably not the best idea, you want the carbon to soak up your reefs impurities first, not your taps. I rinse mine in my RO/DI's waste water.

Regards, Marco

 

[Anonymous]

I rinse mine in my RO/DI's waste water.

Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?? It seems that RO waste water would be dirtier than tap water. i.e. more concentrated.

 

[royy]

I don't think that is true. I think the carbon block purifies the water before the RO membrane makes the waste water. My carbon block is .5 micron which is pretty good. I think that someone said the carbon block alone purifies the water of 60% or so of its initial state.

Roy

 

[Anonymous]

This has to be a joke or a typo. Why would the waste water from the RO/DI unit be better than tap water?? It is just the waste from the tap water when the filtered water is made.

That said, I just rinse my carbon when I rarely use it in tap water briefly. I doubt the short rinse will use up the activity of the carbon.

mitch

 

[Marcosreef]

This has to be a joke or a typo. Why would the waste water from the RO/DI unit be better than tap water??

Actually, Royy is correct.

The water passes first through the sediment filter (1 micron, in my case), then through the carbon block (.5 micron). This removes most if not all chlorine/chloramines.

True, there will still be many impurities to be removed by the RO membrane and DI cartridge.

My reasoning is the waste (which sounds worse than it is) from the RO is cleaner than the tap, and usually gets discarded anyway. (I have mine go into the clothes washer.)

Regards, Marco

 

[SPC]

I rinse mine under the tap, carbon too :wink: .
Steve

 

[danmhippo]

I quick rinse mine under tap too. If rinsing under tap is taboo, I don't think we should trust placing them in our reef.

 

[Marcosreef]

 

[MattM]

I don't rinse at all. A little puff of carbon dust goes into the tank, but 1) it probably does more good than harm, and 2) most of it is removed as the water loops back through the carbon.

 

[Sandyreef]

Rinse with RO/DI product water, then you are positive of no contaminates.

Sandy

 

[IronChef]

Is it possible that the carbon would transport chlorine from the tap water and release it into my salt water? And what, if any, would be the effects if any of carbon dust being released into the main tank? :roll:

 

[danmhippo]

Unless you are rinsing a whole drum of charcoal and dumping it all into your tank, otherwise you shouldn't worry about the minute amount of chlorine that may transport to your tank. The volume and concentration of the chlorine leftover on the charcoal will quickly dissipate in your tank in no time, if there are any.

 

[Marcosreef]

WHAT HAVE I DONE!

I will never rinse my carbon in RO/DI waste water again! (I promise) :wink:

Regards, Marco

 

[SPC]

Posted by Marcosreef:
I will never rinse my carbon in RO/DI waste water again! (I promise)

-Thats the spirit Marco! :lol:
Steve