B-Ionic Alk is hard as a rock

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Cheech

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Jan 13, 2000
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I was going to start setting up my dosers. I've had my gallon of B-Ionic for at least 6 months, and I haven't added the RO water into it yet. Tonight I finally got to it. When I started shaking it (recommended 3 minutes) I noticed a layer of alk. of at least 1" thick stuck at the bottom of the container. I've been shaking it for at least 15 minutes and it's still pretty hard. Now, I placed the container in a hot water bin hoping it'll desolve.

My question is, should I bother with it, or will I have to purchase yet another set of B-ionic? Is there anything negative that can come by the alkalinity hardening as it did?
 

felixpaws

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Jan 10, 2009
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+1

+1 on this question. I have that problem with my Kent CB. I bought a gallon, a month or two ago, and shook it, to fill my smaller container, and feel a big chunk in the middle. So, can I use it or should I try to return it? Sorry, if I'm hijacking your thread.
 

Amphiprion

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Feb 14, 2007
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Take some of the solution and heat it, add to the rest, and stir. Sometimes it helps by putting it in a wider, more open container during the process. Fairly common, especially if it gets somewhat cold.
 

felixpaws

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Can I wait, until I'm almost out, and do it, then? It's in a 1 gallon jug, and it would have to be cut open, then removed, and put into something else. Sorry to hijack, once again.
 

Cheech

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^^ no worries Felix, we're on the same boat.

Thanks Amphi... Felix, I filler the gallon halfway with RO water. Then I placed it in a bucket with very hot water, and waited. Then, I shook the gallon like crazy. Eventually some of it dissolved, and other chunks started breaking off. Eventually the pieces were small enough to flow out of the gallon (I had to stick my fingers inside and break off some larger pieces).

It's now sitting in a larger container in my basement right next to the heater. Hopefully by tonight it'll be dissolved.
 

Amphiprion

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Feb 14, 2007
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Can I wait, until I'm almost out, and do it, then? It's in a 1 gallon jug, and it would have to be cut open, then removed, and put into something else. Sorry to hijack, once again.
No, this needs to be done ASAP. The reason being is that until you do it, you'll just be dosing a dilute solution, so the supposedly equal parts will be skewed. You'll have the opposite problem if you do this later, with a highly concentrated solution. If you try adding RO/DI water back to it, it will simply be even more guesswork to balance the two solutions out.

^^ no worries Felix, we're on the same boat.

Thanks Amphi... Felix, I filler the gallon halfway with RO water. Then I placed it in a bucket with very hot water, and waited. Then, I shook the gallon like crazy. Eventually some of it dissolved, and other chunks started breaking off. Eventually the pieces were small enough to flow out of the gallon (I had to stick my fingers inside and break off some larger pieces).

It's now sitting in a larger container in my basement right next to the heater. Hopefully by tonight it'll be dissolved.
I should've mentioned the fact that you will have to manually crunch up some of the pieces. Make as many of them as small as possible, heat, and redissolve.
 

felixpaws

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Jan 10, 2009
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Oh, shoot! Your right. I didn't think about the skew issued. I guess if I don't do it, I'm skewed! Lol! I'll get right on that. Thanks, for the info. I'm just glad that I don't have to chuck the stuff. Ha!
 
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