Beware of Vinegar - The Pump Killer

[DukeLeto]

Thank you for sharing this information. I have a new tank being set up now and will definitely avoid vinegar!

 

[Chele17]

That is a lot of great information, thanks!

 

[Doctorgori]

This should be a sticky as a public service as it potentially saves a lot of us $$$$
thank you

 

[redfishbluefish]

This should be a sticky as a public service as it potentially saves a lot of us $$$$
thank you

Thanks for the compliment, but it is a sticky in forum, "General Equipment, Hardware and Filtration.".

 

[j.falk]

I would not dare put mine in overnight ,mine get around 10-15 mins ,have to say some of my RW8s and RW4s have given up the ghost strangly only the ones that have been in storage .

Same here. 10-15 minutes tops. I was warned about not soaking my pumps overnight in vinegar and now I just give them a quick soak once every couple of weeks to keep them looking/running like new.

 

[Acrophobia]

Great write up! Thank you

 

[Roberth101]

I used to own an automotive machine shop, we would use muratic acid to soak the old blocks and heads to remove rust snd scale. If you were to soak your old rusted impellers, think it might clean the rust off and be useable again?

 

[Thales]

I think the op makes a great case for an intentional experiment with a simple control

 

[SaracensRugby]

This exact thing happened with my MP40. Ecotech replaced the wet side, where the battery had expanded as it was under a year old, but I had no clue why. No more vinegar for me...thanks for the info!

 

[Thales]

This exact thing happened with my MP40. Ecotech replaced the wet side, where the battery had expanded as it was under a year old, but I had no clue why. No more vinegar for me...thanks for the info!

Does correlation equal causation? I have had MP40 wet sides swell having never seen vinegar.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Does correlation equal causation? I have had MP40 wet sides swell having never seen vinegar.

Maybe, maybe not. But the information presented in the initial post seemed convincing to me. I tend to trust Randy’s commentary on things in this hobby as well, which is where the OP drew from. But certainly my n of 1 won’t have any scientific papers written
using it as an example.

 

[offtropic]

I was going to create a thread to ask this but figured here might be better -

What would be the recommended cleaner for mur-lock tubing (polyethylene)? My salt mix (Redsea Pro) has high alk and scaling has completely jammed up my auto water change tubing (about 30' of it...I'd just replace it but it is routed through some really awkward to reach areas). I did a quick search for this combination of plastic and cleaner but haven't found anything. I have citric acid being delivered later this week but have vinegar on hand (and time to work on it now).

 

[redfishbluefish]

For polyethylene tubing, any acid would work....citric, acetic, or hydrochloric.

 

[offtropic]

For polyethylene tubing, any acid would work....citric, acetic, or hydrochloric.

Thanks!

 

[S.Pepper]

Just the thread I was looking for. I knew the time was coming to start cleaning some of my equipment for my relatively new SW tank. Just ordered 5lbs. of food grade citric acid from Amazon Prime. Thanks for info, OP, and all.

 

[dangros]

This brand claims 90% less fumes than standard muratic acid and better for the environment. Does anyone know if this is ok for reef hardware? It's from Klean-Strip in case the link ever stops working.

Klean-Strip Green 1 Gal. Green Muriatic Acid GKGM75006 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Muriatic Acid can be used to etch concrete, brighten concrete and masonry, or remove excess mortar from bricks. 90% lower fumes than...

www.homedepot.com

 

[airmotive]

FWIW, in the Navy we were required to periodically flush various potable water piping and heat exchanger systems with a “citric acid solution”. That solution? Unsweetened Cool Aid packets at ~4x the concentration of the instructions on the package. Pick a flavor; doesn’t matter...preferably one without an atrocious die color.

Edit to add: Unsweetened, NOT sugar free.You want the stuff you’re supposed to add two cups of sugar to.

 

[redfishbluefish]

This brand claims 90% less fumes than standard muratic acid and better for the environment. Does anyone know if this is ok for reef hardware? It's from Klean-Strip in case the link ever stops working.

Klean-Strip Green 1 Gal. Green Muriatic Acid GKGM75006 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Muriatic Acid can be used to etch concrete, brighten concrete and masonry, or remove excess mortar from bricks. 90% lower fumes than...

www.homedepot.com

Klean Strip sells both "regular" muriatic acid and a "green" muriatic acid. The Green product contains trade secret ingredients that are not included in the safety data sheet....HERE.

I could guess that it's OK, but that's a guess. My preference would be to use "regular", diluted 1 to 10. Note that using on our tank equipment really isn't going to produce any level of fuming that would be a concern.

 

[Victoria M]

I am so happy to see this as a sticky thread.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Switched to muratic acid for the last two cleanings of my Gyres and power heads and was delighted at how fast even a weak solution cleaned off the coraline. Thanks for taking the time to write this up @redfishbluefish . I would not have known.