Lye Bath Solution Disposal

S

SteveL

Member
I would like to make a lye bath tank but have a concern about how to dispose of the lye solution. It would be about 6-7 gallon tank. I'm in Florida and would be keeping it outside. If a tropical storm or hurricane is approaching I would have to dispose of it quickly as I wouldn't want it tossed around or possibly ending up on my neighbor's or my car. I also live on a lake and our water table is not very deep so environmental concerns are there too. I know it could be neutralized with vinegar but it would take a LOT of it for that much solution from what info I've been able to gather. How do y'all dispose of yours safely? Any ideas with my situation or should I just stick to using oven cleaner/bag method when I need to use? Electrolysis tank takes a lot of the gunk off but not all on the really bad ones.

Thanks in advance,
Steve
 
I wasn't thinking of a street drain, as sub-surface drainage doesn't necessarily go to the sewer system. Where I live, it goes to outfall canals. I was thinking more like a laundry sink and flushing the solution a gallon at a time with a few minutes of cold running water each time. Should dilute it adequately, and should not hurt plumbing. A couple heaping tablespoons of lye to two cups of water as recommended for drain cleaner use would be far stronger. Of course, this assumes you have no drain clogging issues to start with.
 
Unfortunately I have a small townhouse type place and no laundry sink or basin. Would it be safe to dump if diluted at double the water? Say like using at 1 lb. to 5 gal. then add additional 5 gal. or more before dumping?
 
I wonder if anyone reading has experience in inorganic chemistry and could chime in. My calculations of 1 lb. lye crystals (sodium hydroxide) per 5 gallons of water convert to solution of ~ 24 g./l. A little research has come up with a figure of right around 1 kg. of nitric acid to neutralize that. Not sure how cost effective that might be, or if there is an equivalent but cheaper alternative. Maybe some kind of pool chemical acid. I'm sure there's also some safety protocols necessary when combining acid and alkaline solutions.

I have had a situation before where a storm blew the top off my small lye bath bucket and then rain filled and overflowed it. It didn't kill any grass. I suppose if the situation calls for removing a potential imminent threat, 2x-3x dilution and disposing in a spot not accessible to animals or near edible vegetation would be acceptable. And as far as feasible from the lake.

Failing all that, perhaps carefully transfer the solution to 5 gal. gas cans and tie them down to something solid.
 
Thanks Doug. I greatly appreciate your weighing in on this. I have read about neutralizing with Muriatic/ Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) but thinking that would make this not a cost effective method for me. Not really worried about killing grass as sprinkler system failure has taken care of that for me already and I haven't re-sodded yet. No pets in a privacy fenced yard either (except for visiting squirrels).

Maybe if I can find a container that a #10 skillet and Dutch Ovens will fit into with a very tight fitting lid I might be able to transport to hazardous waste disposal site a couple miles away from me in the trunk of my Civic. Barring that, it looks like I may be sticking with bagging them with oven cleaner. At least I can dump the iron enriched electrolysis water without fear. :shock:

Thank you again,
Steve
 
Thanks John. I may just pick up one at either Home Depot or Firehouse Subs (pickle buckets) to do the #8's and below in. Not sure if they have lids for them at either place but doesn't hurt to ask. Pieces that don't fit can get bagged with OC. Just pulled a #6 (1056) Wagner from electro tank and it's beyond help. It was 1 of 7 pieces I got at a yard sale severely rusted. Looks like the rust went deeper than I thought it did. Heavy rust damage/pits inside. Paid only $25 for all 7. May try to do 1 or 2 more after I get caught up on my better finds. Thanks again, John.

Steve
 
Another thought would be if you have a gravel driveway you're tired of weeds growing in, it might just be the spot to dump.

Re: containers. Sandwich shops get mayo and pickle slices in 5-gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids they may sell cheap or give away. Home Depot sells a 20 gallon Rubbermaid Brute with locking lid for $20, Store SKU #338608. I have two of those.
 
LOL...Good idea for the weeds in gravel driveway. Mine's paved though. Firehouse Sub Shops has the 5 gal. pickle buckets for a $2.00 donation which goes to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. Thanks for the Rubbermaid container at HD idea. As long as the locking lid fits tightly so it doesn't leak if sloshed around. I'll look into it tomorrow. HD is right down the street as is Ace for the Rooto lye. Firehouse is just a few miles further. I really appreciate all of your's and John's suggestions. I just opened a Photobucket account and will be posting some pics in the near future. Some of before/after pieces and some of in the works or need to identify items.

Steve
 
The handle tabs of the Brute can lid lock it on, but it's in no way a seal if tipped over. Of course, 10 gallons of solution weighs around 85 lbs and only fills it half way, so it's pretty stable. It's also UV resistant plastic, which pickle buckets are not.
 
Thanks Doug. The Brute 20 gal. can with lid is just the ticket. Picked one up on Sat., set it up with 10 gal. of water & 2 lbs. of Rooto lye. Stirred it up with a long piece of PVC pipe and have 5 pieces still soaking in it. Nice to be able to have several de-gunking (is that even a word? LOL) at the same time. Seems like it's working pretty quickly too. Gave me time to clean the electrolysis tank. Was really nasty and need to replace the 4 pieces of rebar used for anodes. Thanks again.

Steve
 
The upside of having a 10 gallon or larger lye bath is being able to clean multiple pieces. The downside is you have to go "fishing" from time to time. The warmer weather we're coming into will speed things up, too.
 
The warmer weather is already here in S. Florida. "Fishing" for pans isn't really a problem. Hung them inside by wire clothes hangers over the edge.
 
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