Hydrochloric Acid - Where can I get some?

Apr 29, 2006 60 Replies

I need a small amount of HCl to dissolve calcium carbonate which has built up in a marine toilet.



I'm guessing that it is no longer freely available.... Any ideas where I can get some? A couple of litres will probably do the trick.



(Once it's gone, I'll use white vinegar to prevent it returning).


brick acid, screwfix or any BM. Also many patio cleaners, again any BM. Goggles very much advisable.

NT

Anywhere, B&Q it's brick acid.

A photographers ie darkroom chemicals?

Try the yellow pages locally for chemical suppliers ie lab supplies.

I doubt whether you would obtain this off the shelf anywhere, chemist would want a letter from god before they even consider selling you it.

Available at some hardware stores as "spirit of salts". Bought some within the last 2 months.

For plain old toilet descaling though, Harpic limescale remover works well.

Brick acid or patio cleaner - any builders merchant.

Waitrose and Tesco versions definitely claim to contain HCl on the warning label. It's strong enough to strip chrome plating off plastic waste fittings.

Yes doesn't it just. Little 'un here recently decided to swallow a small

10 mm diameter chrome plated ball bearing just for the fun of it apparently. Three odd days later nature had taken its course and almost all the chrome plate had gone:)

Strong stuff that old stomach acid, perhaps you could have a dodgy curry and pump the results back up and use that;-))....

Given the application you don't need to use HCl, sulphamic acid will do. You can buy large tubs of sulphamic acid crystals in DIY sheds sold as "Fernox" descaler. Dissolve in hot water before pouring into the bog, if you're concerned about the heat damaging plastic components in the heads then wait until the solution cools first.

This nonsense about supplying chemicals to the public is really getting on my wick. I tried to buy some food grade citric acid recently. It's used in preparing elderflower cordial. Response from the local pharmacist "we can't sell you that because heroin addicts use it to prepare their fix".

FFS, don't sell me icing sugar either since dope dealers cut their white powder with it.

And if you tell the chemist you're god's personal representative on earth and don't need no steenking letter, they'll probably be even less willing to sell it and start dialling 09941479991129118008999 or whatever easy to remember number we're supposed to start using for the police instead of 999.

Owain

Health 'n saftee alert!!!

Make sure you put a large sign outside with FLUSH BEFORE USE writ large thereon in case any poor unsuspecting drops a large Richard in there and has that splash up on his/her botty

Yes get this silly buggers from our chemist when we stock up on Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, about "can't sell you more than a few in case you want to top yourself" etc...###

Local chemist got all superior and refused to sell me more than one packet. Other chemists don't seem to mind.

Local veggie food shop ("Veggie Perrins"!) sold me a much bigger bag at a lower price, no problem.

More fun uses for icing sugar than that anyway ;-)

How's life with you? Rich beyond your wildest dreams now? How many millions did you make? ;-)

I buy mine in the States. 1000 x 250mg Ibuprofen; $17.

(Sadly, suicides by paracetamol have gone down markedly since Tony's ban.)

I was once told that Harpic was the waste product generated by the Hcl manufacturing process.

In message , " snipped-for-privacy@gglz.com" writes

This is quarter inch of solid scale.

It can't be Tony's ban as the 32 tabs they will sell you is well above what is needed to kill anyone.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "dennis@home" saying something like:

A most unpleasant way to go, anyway. I fail to see the appeal of Paracetamol self-poisoning, when there are so many other reliable ways of doing it. The main problem with Para poisoning is that it gives the moaning whingers the opportunity to bend your ear about how they've changed their mind about it... too late then, of course. No, if they're going to do it, they should pick a quick clean method.

And just about every shop and garage sells it so you just visit a few...

The poor little mite might be suffering from chromium poisoning now. I hope it was a thin coat of plating.

john2

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