Cold Weather report on Electro and Lye Bath(s)

[Cheryl Watson]

Brrrr.... decided I best tromp to the Garage and check on the status of things, since the Polar Vortex has hit us hard!!!

Pic 1
Happy to report, that the Electro is maintaining, although will need minor top off... 20% ambient humidity is increasing the evaporation rate a bit.

Pic 2
Heated Lye Bath is just peachy, although the condensate is forming ice blobs around the top edge...

Pic 3
Temperature check of solution is 60°.  (outdoor temp is 8.8°).

The tank deicer and heated tub continue to perform beautifully.

And I just may need to finally try the tank 'heater' to see how quickly I can raise the temp of the electro solution to above operating temp... maybe this weekend!

Sadly, the outdoor lye baths are frozen rock solid... will be watching them carefully as the thaw sets in....

The camera batteries were even wheezing as I took these pics.......... :P

[Chuck Fredrickson]

I was hoping for a pic of you all bundled up braving the cold.

~chuck

[Gary Salsman]

How do you keep your lye tank so clean? Mine turns black almost instantly after putting in the pans.

[Ken Davis]

How do you keep your lye tank so clean? Mine turns black almost instantly after putting in the pans.

Wondering the same thing ...

[Cheryl Watson]

I set up the heated lye bath the week before Christmas, in a mad scramble to get the pieces out of the outdoor lye baths... so they had already been in the lye for quite a while.

I rinsed them and knocked off the gunk prior to putting them into the newly mixed heated LB.

Voila... that is why it looks so clear....
As soon as I add the waiting pieces, trust me, it will turn black as can be... instantly! ;D

Now the electro always looks nice and clean, because
a) I use the lye bath first, then electro
b) I maintain the electro with regular electrolyte replacement, and scrub down and reversal of the plates. (one of the +'s of using a 'plate' system)
Ease of maintenance....... :)

[Gary Salsman]

The reversal of the plates you mentioned. If I put an old pan hanging from the center, and reverse the connections, will all the rust come off the plates, and onto the pan. I had read that somewhere, but wasn't sure if it works or not

[Cheryl Watson]

Gary, when I mentioned reversing the plates, I meant that I lift them out, and turn the plate around so that each SIDE of the plate has more even 'wear'/deterioration.... which has been very little over 2 years, so far.

When I clean my electro and plates, I literally place the stainless plates over sawhorses, wet them down, and reach for the BKF.  Sprinkle liberally, and use a Scotchbrite green and yellow scrubby sponge and scrub them. Flip over and scrub other side.

Takes less than 5 minutes to scrub and rinse well.... much easier than reverse electrolysis IMO.

BarKeepers Friend is the best for cleaning anything SS!!!

[Robert Bearfield]

i live near buffalo, ny, and my lye bath and electrolysis are both in 18 gallon totes in the garage, and i expect that they are both frozen solid. when they thaw, they will thaw. i only look at them in passing when i park the suv in the garage. i didn't ice fish when i was younger, and i'll be darned if i'm gonna mess with ice now. i use old credit cards for scraping off some of the gunk, works good.
I DON'T LIKE COLD, WITH A PASSION.

[Mark Zizzi]

Hi Cheryl
I don't see the tank heater...did you remove it for the pic? Is it one of those submersible types like farmers use? And the lye doesn't hurt it? So many questions... :-? 8-)

[Janis Berzins]

Same thing, what do you use to keep the lye bath warm?

[Cheryl Watson]

Electro Heater , Top view with Deicer...
(the cord coming over the edge of electro in the lower right of 1st pic, plugs into the electric outlet)

The heated lye bath (blue tub) has a heating unit built into the molded bottom and also plugs in...

[Cheryl Watson]

Heated Lye Bath
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/allied-precision-heated-bucket-16-gal

[Will Houston]

I have a question for the experts .I just started a Lye bath in a tub in my shower with a lid .Wore goggles and rubber gloves . Are the fumes safe I do not find any aroma .I have done the oven cleaner this way open the window to remove the fumes .It is too cold to do it outside because it will freeze .

[Cheryl Watson]

Will, if you have already mixed it, then the worst is over.
The Fumes occur when the Lye is initially mixed with water, the chemical reaction causes some nasty fumes, which dissipate once the reaction ceases.   If you add more lye in the future, fumes will occur again.

I mix my lye baths outdoors for that reason.  My small kitchen lye bath comes inside after mixing is completed.  I do not have any noticeable  fumes after that... less smell than the indoor vinegar bath.  :)

I keep lids on at all times, whether indoor or outdoor.

Now are you certain that you have used 100% Sodium Hydroxide? (lye)
Just have to confirm...  :)

[Mike Turcotte]

Last week I mixed my new lye bath in rubbermaid tote in the basement with no issues. I recently moved and had to discard my old bath. When I mixed the crystals into the water, the water heated up quite a bit, and noticed during this time I could smell the lye a bit (similar to, but less intense than oven cleaner). I just opened the windows in the basement until the water cooled down to room temp and there was no noticeable aroma or fumes after that.