Carboys previously used for acid

Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:42 pm

I just got home from a 16 hour road trip to pick up 10 6 1/2 gal carboys (free). They were previously used for sulfuric acid. Anyone know the best way to neutralize any residue and clean???

:jnj
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline- it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer" - Frank Zappa
User avatar
ddgbrewing
 
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:10 pm
Location: Mesa AZ

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:35 pm

I would say rinse thoroughly with water then run some baking soda and water in there.... BUT don't listen to me until someone who knows what the fuck they are talking about chimes in.
Adding water to Acid improperly can cause major OH SHIT!
BUB
Lunch Meet "Limpian" Gold Medalist (x2) 2006
Winner of <b>NO PANTS</b> award 2006 and 2007
Make your own beer website... starting at $10 per YEAR.
www.bubweb.com & www.momenttoponder.com
User avatar
bub
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 3396
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:06 pm
Location: Greater Nashvegas

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:19 am

I don't know, but if you figure it out please post the answer. I think I might be able to score some myself but cleaning them has been a worry of mine.
User avatar
BadRock
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 4893
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:28 am
Location: Thornton, Colorado

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:22 am

Either a solution of baking soda, or sodium hydroxide

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/c ... m00693.htm
User avatar
Nate Diggler
 
Posts: 817
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:53 pm
Location: Bangor, PA

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:45 am

You should be able to just rinse with a shit load of water, anyways, any lab tech worth their salt should have handed you the bottles already rinsed and sulfuric acid free... I regularly use the 2 liter HCL bottles for growlers and as with any acid, the key to cleaning is massive dilution. Rinse em out 6-7 times with 3 gallons of water and that should be enough to ease your worries. These bottles will take a beating, just be careful to avoid hot/cold temp differences like any other glass (have cracked one or two of em using em for starters) oh, and if the weird plastic type cover is there (it comes on the 2 liter bottles), it comes off of the bottle pretty easily if you make a couple slits down the side and peel it off. Just remember to cut away from yourself, cause this is one of those jobs where it's really easy to screw yourself up on if the bottle slips. good luck! and the previous post is great except that it deals with a shitload of sulfuric acid, this can be dangerous, hence neutralization first until the ph strip comes back close to neutral. Noone would send you across country with 60 gallons of Sulfuric, so the small quantity that you may have ended up with should be fine for sending it down the sink after dilution. Yay strong acids!
phrieken2
 
Posts: 94
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:22 pm

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:43 am

Thanks for all the input... I got the carboys from my father inlaw who got 50 of them from a military auction in the late 80's and they have just been sitting around.. there was a very small trace of acid in the bottoms... about a tablespoon at most... I used a baking soda solution and then rinsed the shit out of them... ph is at my normal tap water range.
Time to get brewing :D

:jnj
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline- it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer" - Frank Zappa
User avatar
ddgbrewing
 
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:10 pm
Location: Mesa AZ

Re: Carboys previously used for acid

Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:58 am

What about carboys used for mushrooms?
Pri: Community Nudity Ale, Magician Red Ale, Berliner Weisse
Bottled: Paxton's Tripel and Dubbel, 400 Rabbits Ale, Cap'n Crunch Amber Oat Ale

o-<-'<
User avatar
rhino777
 
Posts: 1840
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:13 pm
Location: madison, wi

Return to Brewing Equipment

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

A BIT ABOUT US

The Brewing Network is a multimedia resource for brewers and beer lovers. Since 2005, we have been the leader in craft beer entertainment and information with live beer radio, podcasts, video, events and more.