An alternative to beach for cleaning filter socks
- Thread starter grassi
- Start date
degibson84
New member
I usually do every Sunday but last week my wife gave birth to our first child so I wasn't home for that switch. That is what caused hair algae to grow inside the sock. I have heard of people changing up to everyday.
Kona26
Member
Well congratz..! And good luck....we had are first son last year and havnt slept yet. Yeah i think i might go to every week
Twistofer
New member
You may want to investigate Pure Eco Wash Laundry Systems. It is a soap free system that attaches to your washing machine, and washes your clothes with water enriched with ozone. It cleans without using bleach, soap or other chemicals. I use it to wash my filter socks. The basic unit costs around $400.
rsuplido
Member
I use this: http://www.stainsolver.com/ - "Stain Solver is simply a dried form of hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. " (from FAQ)
I've tried it on both nylon and felt filter sock and they come out clean and really white every time.
I've tried it on both nylon and felt filter sock and they come out clean and really white every time.
hogfanreefer
Active member
I put 10 socks in a 5 gal bucket with two 32 ounce bottles of peroxide (88 cents each at Wally World) then added enough water to cover them. Left them over night and washed them without any thing in the washing machine. They look better than they ever did using bleach.
degibson84
New member
I had to use a 32oz bottle for one of my socks. I have the Eshopps giant rectangle sock. i soaked it over night ran it through a rinse cycle on the washer and it was still as green as could be. Tried soaking it again for a few hours and it came a little cleaner but jsut didn't come clean
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
Only after it is dry. Mixing bleach with acid makes chlorine gas. If the sock is dry it won't be enough to notice. If the sock is wet with bleach it might be a real bad idea.
I don't know why the aversion to bleach. You guys know that between bleach and peroxide, the peroxide is the more potent oxidizer. That's like saying diesel fuel is too flammable so we are going to use gasoline instead.
Seriously though, once it dries out the bleach will be gone. Sodium hypochlorite is only stable in solution. When it dries it disproportionates to chlorate and chlorine. Since the chlorine is a gas and goes away, the whole thing eventually end up going that way.
SEA-SALTED
New member
I also use bleach. I have a 5 gallon bucket in the garage with about a 1/4cup of bleach and some water. I put my dirty filter socks in the bucket (usually end up with 4 pair over time)sitting in the bucket for a few weeks. When I use my last pair, I take the bucket outside and rinse with a hose (so as not to bring the waste into the washer) then put in washer with a 1/4 cup of bleach,on gentle,extra rinse. then re rinse. air dry for a couple of days, and start over. Been doing it this way since 2005. Just my 2cents.
reefgeezer
Active member
I use a lot of (probably too much) bleach when washing 4" X 8" 200 micron filter socks. I turn them inside out for washing. A couple of extra rinse cycles generally yields filter socks with only a slight smell of bleach after they dry.
While I know it's unnecessary, I rinse them by hand before they go in the system just to be safe. I agree that the little extra chlorine is not harmful, but I just can't get past my phobia about putting anything that smells of bleach in the tank. :hmm3:
I used to soak them in water treated with a bunch of cheap dechlorinater but found that to be enough of a PIA to overcome my phobia.
While I know it's unnecessary, I rinse them by hand before they go in the system just to be safe. I agree that the little extra chlorine is not harmful, but I just can't get past my phobia about putting anything that smells of bleach in the tank. :hmm3:
I used to soak them in water treated with a bunch of cheap dechlorinater but found that to be enough of a PIA to overcome my phobia.
Personally, I prefer not to use them. I like plankton in the water to move through the system. I have 7 tank drains running into the sump. The seahorse tank is the only drain with a sock; the others are open drains. The seahorsetank is heavily fed and has realtiely low flow .It got dirty quickly;detritus would settle there and some snotty bacteria would show up . This was solved with the sock on that drain only.
brandon429
Active member
I think bleach is much harsher than 3% by orders over but not 35%
I'm surprised 3% breaks up filter sock organics better than bleach on the first post its not what I would have expected. Lots of people say it won't clean their filter socks as well comparatively so I guess results vary
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TampaSnooker
Active member
What's in your sock? Algae filaments, spores and poop are quite different than the solids that I siphon into a sock when I want to clean the tank without a water change. The silt that collects in a sock after running through a tank with a turkey baster is also different matter. Every tank is a bit different.
Psionicdragon
New member
so how long after using oxiclean can you use the socks? do you have to let it air dry like when you use bleach?
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