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Rectorseal 8 way and PH?

Dsisson
Dsisson Member Posts: 92
edited May 2022 in Strictly Steam
I added rectorseal 8 way to the boiler. It did clean a lot of crud out. Repeated. PH at 11-12 and the water is light pink. Shouldn't PH be about 9? I thought the color would be bright pink/purple at PH 9. I assume I should drain the water and get fresh water so I'm back at PH 8-10, right? Obviously, boil the new water. Other than the PH being too high and the color being too light, everything seems to be working great. PS: my water is naturally ph 7.

Comments

  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 5,695
    You can keep it at 11-12, or if you want it lower, you can drain a gallon at a time and add fresh water until you get to your desired level. I wouldn't drain the whole thing, that's a waste of 8-way and you want to minimize intrusion of fresh water.

    Don't put too much faith in the color. I trust the PH strips more.
    NJ Steam Homeowner. See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
  • The Steam Whisperer
    The Steam Whisperer Member Posts: 1,215
    I shoot for a PH around 9 to 9.5. I believe higher PH levels begin to corrode brass and copper. I find with Chicago water ( slightly base to prevent lead leaching) that around 1/2 the amount in the instructions seems to get me there with little to no Fe corrosion.
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  • Dsisson
    Dsisson Member Posts: 92
    Thanks guys, that answers my questions.
  • Robert_25
    Robert_25 Member Posts: 527
    Run it for a few months and check again - you may find that the pH is right where you want it.