Vinegar versus Peristaltic Pumps

[redfishbluefish]

I've been manually dosing a DIY version of NOPOX and just picked up a BRS 1.1 pump to automate the additions. As I'm looking at this pump, I'm now wondering what the vinegar would do to the rubber tubing portion. Anyone using a peristaltic pump to dose vinegar or NOPOX? And what's your experience with the rubber putting up with the vinegar?

 

[Mark_C]

I accidentally left a pump in a vinegar bath (about 20% vinegar) for 4-5 days. It was useless, all the rubber was destroyed.
Recently left a few odd pieces in a vinegar bath including a pump stand. Everything came out nice with the eception of the rubber suction cup feet, which were warped badly.
But, these were submerged for days.

 

[radiata]

Hmmmm... Neither vinegar nor NOPOX are mentioned on this list of chemical liquids the tubing is resistant to
www.salhydro.fi/files/PDF/SantopreneChemicalResistance.pdf

 

[saltkreep88]

Been dosing nopox on the same jebao dosing head and tubing for over a year and all is well... Knock on wood

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

 

[art13]

I dosed vinegar and vodka through a brs doser with no issue

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks Mark, Bob, saltkreep and Art.

Mark, certainly natural rubber formulations and some synthetic polymers of rubber are easily and readily attacked by acids, and disintegrate. And where are you buying 20%...at an ag store? The food variety is only 5%, and many ag stores regulate the purchase of ag vinegar. It's no surprise your rubber disintegrated.

And Bob, do you know for a fact that the rubber tubing in BRS pumps is Santoprene? I'd be happy if it was.....because the chemicals are in fact on their list. Vinegar......aka acetic acid, has little to no effect, while the vodka....aka alcohol or ethanol, has a minor effect.

I also went through the questions on the BRS site for this pump and found this one:

Can this doser be used safely with Red Sea NOPOX?
Question by: Randy on Jan 14, 2016 8:35:00 PM
Great question!

This can be used with a timer to dose a small amount of NoPox throughout the day. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
Answer by: Connor (Admin) on Jan 15, 2016 3:47:00 PM

Tomorrow the pump gets installed!

Thanks guys.

 

[radiata]

I trust BRS. On the doser's page (BRS 2 Part Doser - 1.1 mL per minute) it states "Tubing Type - Santoprene".

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks once again Bob, your information looks like it's really going to save me. I hooked up the pump and it didn't work. Let me restate....the peristaltic part turned, but no fluid passed through the pump. To put it yet a third way, the rubber tubing was shot. I'm looking for a fix other than spending $13 a piece at BRS for new tubing parts. I'll get back to you shortly with my fix.

 

[Sunny]

Did you prime it? It takes a while to take the liquid in and then out.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Sunny, I primed it, lubed it, stroked it, and rubbed it...........and then I looked at the pump, and realized the tubing was shot. . These are old pumps that were used for two part and taken down and never cleaned. I'm working on a fix right now....give me a little more time. You'll be surprised.

 

[Sunny]

Paul

I might have a spare tube laying around, will have to look. Give me a day in case the caveman technique does not work

 

[redfishbluefish]

Sunny, check out THIS post on replacement tubing.

 

[redfishbluefish]

The second pump I had, the tubing was just fine, so the pump is in!



I simply used the vodka bottle as the DIY NOPOX reservoir. And FYI, I believe this is Art's formula of 375 mls vodka, 125 RO/DI water and 500 mls of vinegar. I know others use a DIY formula of 1 part vodka to 2 parts vinegar.