If you use Soda Ash for your 2 part…

[Miami Reef]

Do you prefer to make your own Soda Ash by heating Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate), or do you buy Soda Ash already prepared?


I'm interested in hearing about your approach.

 

[Mschmidt]

Home made. Not to live out any kind of breaking bad fantasy, but more for the cost savings.

 

[Jasonak]

Ditto, just easier. Always easy to get baking soda.

 

[Miami Reef]

Keep ‘em coming guys!

When I used Soda Ash, I just bought it premade from BRS.

If you baked the Sodium bicarbonate, did you bake it for an individual solution (you weighed a specific amount of baking soda prior to heating then used whatever remained in a 1 gallon solution)

Or did you just make a large batch of soda ash weighed the soda ash to make the solution as needed?

It’s similar process, but it’s kind of different. One requires you to weigh baking soda, while the other requires you to weigh soda ash. I hope I’m explaining myself well.

 

[Peanut]

but why?

at BRS, in bulk and on sale Soda Ash is less than $6 per gallon....how much could you possibly save doing it yourself? and how much time will it take?

 

[OctaviusBrine]

but why?

at BRS, in bulk and on sale Soda Ash is less than $6 per gallon....how much could you possibly save doing it yourself? and how much time will it take?

Shipping for me. brs is not free cost me a minimum $30 hence why I generally make mine unless the lfs has some. But I’m in Alaska so shipping is always ridiculous.

 

[DanyL]

Generally it’s better to always bake your own right before its use, unless you keep it under vacuum.

Sodium Carobonate in its powder form is unstable and will want to absorb moisture and carbon dioxide, making some of the powder return back into sodium bicarbonate.

Another way to combat this issue is to never store large amounts of it.

Keep ‘em coming guys!

When I used Soda Ash, I just bought it premade from BRS.

If you baked the Sodium bicarbonate, did you bake it for an individual solution (you weighed a specific amount of baking soda prior to heating then used whatever remained in a 1 gallon solution)

Or did you just make a large batch of soda ash weighed the soda ash to make the solution as needed?

It’s similar process, but it’s kind of different. One requires you to weigh baking soda, while the other requires you to weigh soda ash. I hope I’m explaining myself well.

The process is actually the same - you always make more than you need, and than measure it as sodium carbonate.

And you keep the left overs for next time - mix it with sodium bicarbonate, and bake it all together once again.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I make my own. 2kg boxes in the cooking section of the supermarket are a couple of bucks.

Way cheaper than paying reef tax at an LFS.

 

[Miami Reef]

The process is actually the same - you always make more than you need, and than measure it as sodium carbonate.

This is from one of Randy’s articles:

Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300°F for one hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Overheating is not a problem, either with higher temperatures or longer times. Dissolve the residual solid in enough water to make 1 gallon total.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#5

 

[DanyL]

This is from one of Randy’s articles:

Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300°F for one hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Overheating is not a problem, either with higher temperatures or longer times. Dissolve the residual solid in enough water to make 1 gallon total.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#5

You may have misunderstood what I was trying to explain.

Sure, you could measure the weight of the sodium bicarbonate beforehand, bake it and than use as is - however, I find this process to be less accurate because you’re not always getting all of the powder off the tray, you may trip and loose some of it, etc, etc. Since you measured it by proxy, it’s cumbersome to account for this kind of situations.

Baking more than needed and measuring the sodium carbonate afterwards gives you far more accurate results and flexibility, as for the leftovers - you can either store the leftovers in a vacuum if desired, or otherwise simply rebake the leftovers in future batch.

You can streamline this process and it doesn’t really matter wether you’re purchasing or making your own in that regard, the main difference between them is that freshly baked Soda Ash is guaranteed to be carbonate in very high percentages, whilst stored soda ash isn’t and its potency would very and change overtime as it exposed to moisture and CO2.

 

[Miami Reef]

I didn’t misunderstand. I understood exactly what you said. I just wanted to know if people are doing it the way you mentioned or the one I mentioned.

 

[petcellar]

I'm just curious..... Never tried this. But wouldn't this work? And usually can just get this at a grocery store / Wal-Mart so shouldn't have to pay shipping.

 

[Miami Reef]

I'm just curious..... Never tried this. But wouldn't this work? And usually can just get this at a grocery store / Wal-Mart so shouldn't have to pay shipping.

It’s not food grade, so we don’t know if there are any impurities that can cause issues.

Food grade Baking Soda is very pure and inexpensive. I’d use that.

 

[DanyL]

I didn’t misunderstand. I understood exactly what you said. I just wanted to know if people are doing it the way you mentioned or the one I mentioned.

Oh, sure, I guess it was me who misunderstood the intent in your response

Both ways will work just fine, and I’ve done both. My way is simply less prone to mistakes and takes no more time than the other, so I find it to be basically net-profit.

 

[rishma]

Is it true that baked baking soda meaningfully loses potency over time? I would have guessed that a sealed container is enough to keep it as carbonate for practical purposes.

I understand the theory, but does it really happen? Anybody observe this?

 

[threebuoys]

I didn’t misunderstand. I understood exactly what you said. I just wanted to know if people are doing it the way you mentioned or the one I mentioned.

I use Randy's formula as written, and I buy Milliard food grade baking soda 20 lb bag off amazon.

 

[Miami Reef]

Is it true that baked baking soda meaningfully loses potency over time? I would have guessed that a sealed container is enough to keep it as carbonate for practical purposes.

I understand the theory, but does it really happen? Anybody observe this?

I doubt it. That’s like saying stored sodium hydroxide turns into sodium carbonate.

Just keep it sealed and don’t allow moisture in the bag.

 

[rishma]

I doubt it. That’s like saying stored sodium hydroxide turns into sodium carbonate.

Just keep it sealed and don’t allow moisture in the bag.

That’s what I was thinking.

to answer the original question, it’s been years since I used this method and I baked my own.

 

[redfishbluefish]

but why?

at BRS, in bulk and on sale Soda Ash is less than $6 per gallon....how much could you possibly save doing it yourself? and how much time will it take?

I purchase my Arm & Hammer Baking soda at Sam's for $8.88 for 13.5 pounds. (When I started dosing, it was somewhere in the area of $5-$6 dollars....inflation!). Using Randy's recipe, that calculates to producing 10.3 gallons of Alk solution....or dollar wise, 86 cents per gallon. No shipping required! So there is a savings.

 

[spsick]

Oh wow I didn’t realize the cost savings were THAT big. Even factoring the natural gas and electricity used that’s still fathoms less than buying Soda Ash in 5g bucket on 20% off sale from BRS.