Buying pH Down

Jewelry Discussion
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Has anyone bought pH down lately? What cost $8.00 a year ago is now $18.00 for the same amount. I guess that I better stock up or find a cheaper alternative…Rob

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I’ve got a pool and yes, pretty much all pool chemical prices have gone up…significantly.

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Hello Orchidland,
Decades ago, due to another Orchidian’s testimony, I switched to citric acid for my pickle. It’s non-toxic, and doesn’t put holes in your cloth apron…or your skin. At that time I gifted the pH Down I still had, to my daughter’s hot tub. Haven’t missed it.

At that time, I bought 10 pounds of citric acid online from a supplier for those who make bath fizzies. Still have quite a lot left. Disposal is simple, even with the dissolved copper. My wastewater treatment plant operator has no problem with the used pickle going into the system. As a retired septic system designer, the copper is no problem for septic systems either. In fact, ‘blue stone’ (copper sulfate) is purposely added to septic systems when the drainfield is near tree roots, to discourage (NOT kill) the roots from invading the field. In any event the pickle solution is so diluted it has no impact.

'Nuff said. Try citric acid pickle. It works best when hot/warm, and does take a little longer than sodium bisulfate (pH Down). Since I am usually working on more than one item, there is really no time lost.

Judy in Kansas, where the last two days have been perfect. It’s still summer and the hot temps will return - sigh.

2 Likes
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Thanks, I have been looking for citric acid locally, but can’t find it in quantity. I guess the next step is Amazon…Rob

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I found some citric acid and am now ready to mix up a small batch to see how it works. I can just eyeball it like I do with pH down unless there is a specific ratio of granules to water that works best. Looking forward to hearing back. Thanks…Rob

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Hi Rob,

I use Rio Pickle-It, which i believe is citic acid based.

the directions say 1 Tablespoon per 8 oz of water (which i convert to be 1 cup). i usually put a heaping Tbsp.

Julie

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Thanks Julie, I have a separate bowl of citrus acid that I will be using next to my pH down crock pot to compare them. Now I know how much citric acid to put into the bowl. Thanks again…Rob