Raising ph in OWB water

[mtfallsmikey]

My ph in the boiler water is a little low (7.0), CB recommends between 8-9. Was talking to the man who does my water treatment at my buildings about this..his only answer was to add sodium hydroxide. I can get this commercially, but mucho $$$...was wondering if there is an easier way?

 

[projectsho89]

Sodium hydroxide is nothing more than common lye.

As far as using it in your boiler.....

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Answer is simple then...Liquid Plumber!

 

[adamc]

mtfallsmikey,

Sodium Hydroxide is indeed common lye. It is also the main ingredient in many drain cleaners.

That said, be very careful to get PURE lye. Many drain cleaner products contain other ingredients besides lye that you probably don't want in your boiler. Pure lye is getting harder to get because it is used in the production of methamphetamine.

Lye is super caustic. Keep it off your skin and wear eye protection when handling it. It also produces a lot of heat when dissolved in water... enough to crack glass containers and melt plastic ones. Always add it slowly to cold water.

Last, but not least, a little goes a long way! If you don't have guidelines on how much to add, start with a very small amount, allow it to circulate through the system for a day or so and re-check the pH.

Hope this helps!

Adam

 

[johncinco]

I know nothing about the water inside a OWB, but I do know about my hot tub.... They sell PH up and PH down for just about any hardware or pool supply store. A couple cap fulls does the job on 450 gallons of water easily. They also sell alkalinity up and down, but I dont know if that is an issue with an OWB.

Enjoy your hot water, I'll enjoy mine!

 

[tanker]

I haul a lot of sodium hydroxide 50% solution and I personaly don't think you want to put it in your c.b..It is highly corrosivecould start eating your stove up.Talk to your c.b. dealer,he ought to have something that will work.

 

[LTREES]

I'm more on the do it right the first time fix. Do you have a water system in the house? get the water right with your water guy, drain and refill the CB w/ the rust inhibitor. IMO

LT...

ps. too much of a investment to just dump draino in it.

 

[Ozzie]

Also try liquid ammonia. Our 3000 psi boilers here at work use ammonia for pH control. about a pint into 450 gallons should get you close to 9.0 pH. I don't think sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda, is the way to go. Also, be cautious using drain cleaners, as some are caustic and some are diluted hydrochloric acid. You can by liquid ammonia at drug stores and grocery stores.

 

[ngzcaz]

Having acidic water in our area ( 4.9 to 5.2 ) I'm familiar with the problems it can cause. If its below 7 you should really put in at least an acid neutralizer. They can run less than a thousand installed if you have a friendly plumber. Once its in and filled either with calcite or corosex ( both relatively inexpensive at any plumbing supply store especially the calcite ) you are golden. Once a year filling is all I do with mine. Takes about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Mine backwashes automatically and I even installed a 10 micron whole house filter before the neutralizer to prevent problems. For now, wood solutions has a test kit and supplies that will treat your existing water. Go easy on the calcite.. a little goes a loooong way. Too sweet is likewise not good. BTW, 8 to 9 sounds a little high.. I believe 7.5 was the right number but check to make sure.