How To Clean Salt Build Up In Hydroponics

#1

Posted 11 April 2007 - 08:42 PM

Shithappens

Cannabis Use: Recreational
Fav. Heads: "Hydroponic"

OK I stripped my system down and found once dry my top tray has salt all over the place !!!

I have started to use a paint scraper to clean it off as water doesnt seem to disolve it wtf is the go as far as I know water should disolve salts ive even tried hot water to little effect!!

What do every one use to clean this crap off as im tempted to replace the trays etc just to get rid of it (Cant sleep well leaving it there hehehe)

:toke: Help Im out of elbow grease!!

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
--President George Washington, 1794

Download my EBOOK with all the Old Overgrow Stuff plus more HERE
PM me for any additions you would like to make!!

#2
tony2wheelsgood

Posted 11 April 2007 - 10:23 PM

tony2wheelsgood

Location: berkshire uk
Cannabis Use: Rec. & Medicinal
Fav. Heads: "Hydroponic"

run your system with a strong solution of phosphoric acid (pH down), it'll clean your drip nozzles too. don't splash your jeans(or your eyes).

rinse well!

Edited by tony2wheelsgood, 11 April 2007 - 10:24 PM.

#3
moKing

Posted 12 April 2007 - 02:15 PM

moKing

Gender: Male
Interests: 4WD'ing, camping, fishing. Playing gutair and smoking MJ:-)
Location: Tas.
Cannabis Use: Recreational
Fav. Heads: "Hydroponic"
Fav. Lighting: 1 x 400W HPS, over 2 pots in a cupboard.

I use a strong mix of oxyplus (H2O2) and water, then use a pot scrubbing brush to apply and clean. I mix this up in the tank and scrub my pots while i soak all my plumbing in the mixture. Rinse every thing well when you finish!

Best of Luck

moKing

#4
thc24

Posted 12 April 2007 - 02:32 PM

thc24

Gender: Male
Cannabis Use: Recreational
Fav. Heads: "Hydroponic"

peroxide and a green scourer not the cheep kind that drop fibers everywhere i use 90cent valida dishwashing brick.

plain water should do the trick but youd be there all day, soak with peroxide for a few minutes or when it stops bubbling then scrub clean then rinse well. Let dry any spots you missed will show and do again if need.

#5
Indycar

Posted 15 April 2007 - 02:07 PM

Indycar

Gender: Male
Interests: Got some
Location: Thereabouts
Cannabis Use: Spiritual
Fav. Heads: None

I've been using a bit of old nylon flyscreen mesh. Prolly about 100mm square piece. Everytime i do a rez change i give everything the once over then rinse.

Also if the build up get too much inside, you can scrunch it up and push it thru with a bit of heavy gauge wire.

:wacko:

The war against Cannabis is a war against Earth's existence.

#6
southerncross

Posted 16 May 2007 - 10:35 PM

southerncross

Planted

New Members
5 Posts:

Cannabis Use: Recreational
Fav. Heads: Bio-Organic

Hydrochloric acid, which you can buy from any pool shop will do the job, fill your system with water, turn it on , dump in a couple of litres of (HCl) and let the pump and water do the rest for a couple of hr's. Make sure that your system is a little above normal level to get everything and then flush well with clean water after dumping the cleaning mix. Preferable not down the drain. Also dump the cleaning water and then flush again as any residue could afect your PH levels.

#7
Pam

Posted 28 August 2007 - 05:41 PM

Pam

Gender: Female
Cannabis Use: Medicinal
Fav. Heads: 100% Organic

Gee, and I've always just used vinegar on the stuff. Works on the coffee pot.
I've heard that lemon juice and salt creates hydrochloric acid, so lemon juice may melt the stuff as well.
Vinegar is acetic acid. Plain old white vinegar.

#8
Al B. Fuct

Posted 07 September 2007 - 07:05 AM

Al B. Fuct

Interests: growing dope
Location: Strayamate
Cannabis Use: Medicinal
Fav. Heads: "Hydroponic"
Fav. Lighting: 1000W HPS x2 in flowering, 400W HPS for mothers

I've in the past tried the stuff for removing mineral deposits from taps & sinks (CLR, some other bathroom cleaners). Worked OK with a bit of scrubbing with a green scrubber pad (Scotch-Brite), but these bath cleaners have some evil and foul stuff in them that couldn't possibly be plant safe, surely some flavour of moderately strong acid as suggested by a cpl ppl above. No worries I guess if it's all rinsed off.

Will have to try vinegar per Granny's suggestion and perhaps also straight pHDown solution, which is a phosphoric acid soln, but not particularly strong.

Granny, not sure about lemon juice & salt (presuming you mean mineral salts as in nutes, not just NaCl table salt) forming HCl. Lemon juice is mainly water and citric acid. If you react the citric acid with a base or alkaline substance, I don't think you'll get another acid. Can research if you like.

#9
Pam

Posted 09 September 2007 - 04:57 PM

Pam

Gender: Female
Cannabis Use: Medicinal
Fav. Heads: 100% Organic

Gee... You know I'm not sure. I probably read that in some silly womens mag a long time ago! I know that salt and lemon cleans copper REALLY well. But I usually stick with the vinegar it does a nice job on the hard water crud we have here. :thumbsup: