Question about powerhead in HT.

chrisely24

chrisely24

Member
I put a powerhead in my HT that I dosed with copper. Is it cleanable to put back in DT with inverts, or is it now a HT only powerhead.

I wasn't really thinking when I put it in there and it is a fairly pricy one I would like to keep using in the DT.

Thanks!
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
beth said:
A good water cleaning should be fine.
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+1. Rocks are not transferable. Copper absorbs into the pores and will leach out into the DT. Plastic, not so much. Be sure to take it apart so none of the HT water gets trapped inside.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
beth said:
Nope...vinegar and alcohol are chemicals too. Just wash scrub.
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A fresh water rinse should be sufficient to clean the excess copper from the powerhead.

Not to stir the pot, but vinegar can be used to clean powerheads. As part of my biannual pump maintenance, I've always used a white distilled vinegar and water solution to clean all of my pumps. I have six pumps, which includes the skimmer pump. If my powerheads get gunked up enough, I'll clean them the same way. As long as the vinegar is diluted (I use 50/50), and there's a good clean water rinse, there's no problem.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
pegasus said:
A fresh water rinse should be sufficient to clean the excess copper from the powerhead.

Not to stir the pot, but vinegar can be used to clean powerheads. As part of my biannual pump maintenance, I've always used a white distilled vinegar and water solution to clean all of my pumps. I have six pumps, which includes the skimmer pump. If my powerheads get gunked up enough, I'll clean them the same way. As long as the vinegar is diluted (I use 50/50), and there's a good clean water rinse, there's no problem.
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Yes, but not needed to clean off copper. If copper remains on the pump, it won't be on the surface for vinegar to effect. You could use baking soda as it is abrasive and may work out additional surface copper. If you really wanted to be super cautious, you could run the pump for 30 mins in fresh water, changing out the water once. However, a thorough cleaning in running water should do the trick.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
beth said:
Yes, but not needed to clean off copper. If copper remains on the pump, it won't be on the surface for vinegar to effect. You could use baking soda as it is abrasive and may work out additional surface copper. If you really wanted to be super cautious, you could run the pump for 30 mins in fresh water, changing out the water once. However, a thorough cleaning in running water should do the trick.
Click to expand...
+1.
 
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