Potential new bacteria/algea preventer?
 

I mentioned it in a previous thread a bit ago, but I figured I'd start a new one to get everyones attention :)

Anyways, this stuff is packaged with most home-brewing kits to sterilize the equipment. It's potent stuff and will kill pretty much everything it comes in contact with, yet its not harmful to humans if kept in very small quantities (eg. if you use moms measuring cup to fill your system, just a good rinse with water is enough to make it safe to drink out of - at least when we make wine we only give a quick rinse to the bottles after we sterilize them and we haven't gotten sick/died yet). But I want to get the opinions of all you guys on the stuff before I put any in my system - learn all kinds of interesting things when you guys start discussing them eg. that Chlorine will cause the copper to oxidate faster (and yes, Chlorine was my first idea to keep growth down). So if anyone knows if it will affect copper/aluminum pipe/WB/rad/rez's, pumps, interact with water-wetter, etc. I'd like to hear it. We use vinyl tubing to syphon the wine (and so we sterilize the tubing) and it doesn't have any effect on that, so I doubt it will effect chem-grade Tygon either, dunno about silicon.

Anyways, the part you are all waiting for, the name of the stuff. Sodium Metabisulfate. It would take an incredibly small amount to sterilize an entire water cooling system, and keep it sterile. Should be able to go to any home-brewing supply store and get some of it (way more than you need, a small packet of the powder makes 4 liters if I remember right - I might have 1/4 of a liter of fluid in my system, but I don't have a res).

Yes, but would it negate the anti-corrosion agent of WW? (for those that use multiple metal rigs)

Doesn't anyone know anything about this stuff? Or do I have to find out the hard way.

Someone send me a little copper cut-off from one of the many block projects I read about on here, and I'll drop it in a glass of distilled water + 3% water-wetter + a bit of aluminum foil + small amount of Sodium Metabisulfate mix and see what happens.

Actually - if I get time this weekend, I'll just mix a bit of my extra water-wetter mix and some of the sodium stuff and see if it reacts, but I don't think it will.

Also, while searching around on google, it turns out that the sodium stuff is also an antioxidant, so unless it does react with waterwetter/other things we add it should actually help prevent corrosion in our systems.

well its a salt ;p

Thanks for testing it!

You might also try testing the conductivity of different combinations, if you have the tools.

I would think that the WW reduces the electrical conductivity of the water, but I just can't see that happening.