life span of kalkwasser

[jdfenn]

I was wondering what the life span of kalkwasser was once you mixed it in the fresh water.

thanks

jeff

[kevinpo]

A very long time Not much can grow in the high PH and alkalinity. That's why they use it to pickle with

Regards,
Kevin

[Wind]

so u mean u can mix it and store it theN?..

[Ninong]

Kalkwasser is a very unstable strongly basic solution. If left standing for a while, the amount of dissolved calcium ions decreases because of the high affinity to CO2 in the air, resulting in a reaction to CaCO3. Some people delay this deterioration by means of a Kalkwasser stirrer. The stirred solution is more stable but it, too, deteriorates over time.

I prefer to use up my Kalkwasser batches within 48 hours.

[kevinpo]

Kept it in an air tight container that is full and you can limit the exposure. I'm trying to find a link to an article written by Randy Holmes-Farley (chemist) about it.

Regards,
Kevin

[kevinpo]

Here is a great article about kalkwasser.

HTH,
Kevin
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-0...ture/index.htm

[Ninong]

Kept it in an air tight container that is full and you can limit the exposure. I'm trying to find a link to an article written by Randy Holmes-Farley (chemist) about it.

Regards,
Kevin

Kevin,

You can purchase special containers with "floating lids" from U.S. Plastic for storage of solutions that would otherwise react with CO2 from the air. One of those would certainly keep it "fresh" until you were finished using it. That's if you are interested in storing a really large batch of the stuff, say 50 gallons or so. If you are only talking about making up 5 gallons that you will use up within two or three days, then I don't think you need to worry too much about it, film or no film on the surface. My only point is that I don't believe it should be stored for a "long period of time" unless you have an air-tight container, such as one with a floating lid.

If you leave limewater undisturbed for several days in a container with sufficient air supply you will get a calcium carbonate film on the surface.