Update on electrolysis: better conductive chemicals

[Hylourgos]

From my research on this method, the best common chemical to use is sodium carbonate, the main ingredient of washing soda. No one around here carries it, so I went looking for other common products.

Here's a nice gov. site to check out the ingredients of common household products:

search for sodium carbonate turned up quite a number of hits. Arm & Hammer Fabricare is sufficient (75-85% solution), but there was an even better one: Prestone HD Cooling system Cleaner, at 90-98%. Should be more readily available than washing soda, and a better conductor.

If I get some and try it out I'll post something.

FYI, H.

[Bob S.]

H.

Great site... thanks for posting that.

Bob S.

> A search for sodium carbonate turned up quite a number of hits. Arm &

[J.B. Bobbitt]

Very cool. Thanks.

-JBB

[ATP]

You can get it in Pathmark, a supermarket in the northeast. Other supermarkets probably have it as well.

[Hylourgos]

Yea, everyone gets it but the stores where I live (Grrrr). Guess that's the turnaround for living in a secluded beautiful area (Sewanee TN)

H

[ATP]

I had to ask a few times, even the stores that had it didn't know what it was, so you might want to check the laundry products aisle carefully. Lye works as well, but I think the washing soda is a little more benign.

[dwilkins]

They don't have any swimming pools there?

Any swimming pool builder/supplier should have it in 50 pound bags. I pay ~$21 US for a 50# bag.

[Michael Daly]

I went to several supermarkets before I found some (even within the same chain). I figured that I'd be more likely to find it in a older neighbourhood than a new one, and that turned out to be true. I guess that younger folks don't know about washing soda, only the flashy ultra modern products. The old areas with older families still buy the stuff.

That's my hypothesis, at least. Give it a try.

Mike

[Hylourgos]

Just found out from Prestone that their "Prestone HD Cooling system Cleaner" has been discontinued. So the best deal really is to get the pool cleaning stuff, which is almost pure sodium carbonate. Since I need so little I can probably borrow some from anyone with a pool.

H.

[--Shiva--]

I just bought 4# from a pool supply house (smallest box they had) for $4.12 plus tx --Shiva--