user 40839
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So having run out of PBW, I encountered several interesting threads about the stuff. Five Star themselves say that PBW is basically 70% percarbonate (aka Oxyclean) and 30% sodium metasilicate, which (supposedly) counteracts hard water, which causes the haze a lot of folks see when using straight Oxy.
The sodium metasilicate source of choice seemed to be Red Devil TSP/90. I swung by my local Ace, and there it was on the shelf. $4.59 for a 1lb bag. This basically gives me a 4lb tub of "PBW" for that price, since there's always a Costco box of Oxy at home. Hooray!
Anyways, I get home, mix them up, and get them put away. But as I'm cleaning up, I notice the back of the Red Devil bag - in big, red, all caps, bold lettering:
AVOID ALL CONTACT WITH WINDOWS, MIRRORS, AND OTHER GLASS SURFACES.
Wha wha whaaa? I've used PBW on my carboys without issue before! I went to Red Devil's site, and got the MSDS sheet for TSP/90, and sure enough, it's 100% sodium metasilicate.
Has anyone used this mixture before? If so, any problems with it? Considering I only invested less than $5 in this, I have no problem ditching it if it's going to damage my equipment!
The sodium metasilicate source of choice seemed to be Red Devil TSP/90. I swung by my local Ace, and there it was on the shelf. $4.59 for a 1lb bag. This basically gives me a 4lb tub of "PBW" for that price, since there's always a Costco box of Oxy at home. Hooray!
Anyways, I get home, mix them up, and get them put away. But as I'm cleaning up, I notice the back of the Red Devil bag - in big, red, all caps, bold lettering:
AVOID ALL CONTACT WITH WINDOWS, MIRRORS, AND OTHER GLASS SURFACES.
Wha wha whaaa? I've used PBW on my carboys without issue before! I went to Red Devil's site, and got the MSDS sheet for TSP/90, and sure enough, it's 100% sodium metasilicate.
Has anyone used this mixture before? If so, any problems with it? Considering I only invested less than $5 in this, I have no problem ditching it if it's going to damage my equipment!