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electrolysis & washing soda
- Thread starter gilbo
- Start date
spongerich
Well-known member
You never need to add washing soda. (Assuming you started with enough)
What you do need to add is more water since it evaporates. (Some of it is also split into hydrogen and oxygen, but probably not enough to notice)
I replace my electrolyte fairly often since it gets pretty nasty, especially if the tools are still greasy. It'll work OK with the gunk and crud, but the tools come out cleaner and washing soda is pretty cheap.
I switched from steel to graphite electrodes.. picked some up at an auction but I believe they're available from a welding supply (and of course, eBay). The rust doesn't stick to them so it just falls to the bottom of the tank. I put a drain on the bottom so I can draw off the nastiest stuff once in a while. They also last about 10x longer than steel.
And of course, NEVER EVER EVER use stainless. It lasts a long time, but creates hexavalent chromium which is extremely toxic.
What you do need to add is more water since it evaporates. (Some of it is also split into hydrogen and oxygen, but probably not enough to notice)
I replace my electrolyte fairly often since it gets pretty nasty, especially if the tools are still greasy. It'll work OK with the gunk and crud, but the tools come out cleaner and washing soda is pretty cheap.
I switched from steel to graphite electrodes.. picked some up at an auction but I believe they're available from a welding supply (and of course, eBay). The rust doesn't stick to them so it just falls to the bottom of the tank. I put a drain on the bottom so I can draw off the nastiest stuff once in a while. They also last about 10x longer than steel.
And of course, NEVER EVER EVER use stainless. It lasts a long time, but creates hexavalent chromium which is extremely toxic.
ZRX61
Well-known member
I use Lye in my tank...
spongerich
Well-known member
spongerich, and that 1 tablespoon per gallon, right ?
but wouldn't u need to add washing soda when u add water ????
since its my first time trying electrolysis, i am using re-bar, hum might need to look into the graphite electrodes.
The water evaporates but the washing soda doesn't. Think about boiling salt water... it gets more concentrated as the water leaves, so if you add water you bring it back to its original concentration.
My tank is about 20 gallons and I use about a cup or so of soda. You want it to be saturated. If you add too much, it'll just settle to the bottom and get wasted. Start a little light and you can add some as you get started... watch the bubbles. If adding a few tablespoons seems to increase the reaction, go ahead and add a few more until it seems to balance out.
Keep in mind that the electrolyte is just there to conduct the charge, so it's not all that critical to have the exact mixture.
v7guy
Well-known member
I only trend to add soda when I change the water. In my limited experience what spongerich said is right on the mark
mister honey
Well-known member
I'll second the graphite electrodes over rebar!
I bought two pieces of graphite plate from McMaster-Carr.
They work great without all the mess.
Mike
I bought two pieces of graphite plate from McMaster-Carr.
They work great without all the mess.
Mike
spongerich
Well-known member
Seal it tight. You don't want all of the water evaporating. It'll leave a crusty mess.
If I'm not going to use mine for more than a few weeks, I usually just dump it. It's $.50 worth of washing soda and $.00001 worth of water.
You can just dump it out. It's non toxic.
If I'm not going to use mine for more than a few weeks, I usually just dump it. It's $.50 worth of washing soda and $.00001 worth of water.
You can just dump it out. It's non toxic.