NaOH CO2 Scrubber and pH

[rodasphoto]

I made a DIY CO2 scrubber and used NaOH. My pH min. was 7.06 avg. 7.71 and maxed out 7.83 prior to adding the scrubber.

I put my scrubber online at about 15:40 when my pH was 7.74 and peaked 8.24 at 23:30.
NaOH does not make a great media for scrubbing as it liquified and then harden into a single mass.


<p style="text-align:center;">Is a jump from 7.7 to ~8.3 normal? I thought a .2 shift was typical but not .5.


Here is a pic of the scrubber I used to see if NaOH could be used as scrubbing material. It is the case of a syringe. I drilled a hole and added some foam filter then added the NaOH. I then placed this on top of the silencer of my skimmer.

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[grouper therapy]

what are you testing with?

 

[rodasphoto]

The lab probe on my Apex (2016).

 

[chris s]

A .5 jump is possible but not likely. If you have a very high co2 level in you home it could happen. My main tank is downstairs and when everyone and the dogs hang out down there I can watch the pH drop. My typical swing over the entire day is .2 pH. Watch it for a couple of days, my guess is your numbers will stabilize higher than before. Keep track of them and you will know when to refill your scrubber.

 

[rodasphoto]

Chris S;1096472 wrote: A .5 jump is possible but not likely. If you have a very high co2 level in you home it could happen. My main tank is downstairs and when everyone and the dogs hang out down there I can watch the pH drop. My typical swing over the entire day is .2 pH. Watch it for a couple of days, my guess is your numbers will stabilize higher than before. Keep track of them and you will know when to refill your scrubber.

I had to take the scrubber offline as the NaOH soldified into a solid mass. I am looking for some soda lime and a proper reactor.