acid product for removing barnacles from SS underwater gear

BartW

BartW

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www.amptec.be
last year during the liftout, I've seen the yard using a "acid" for dissolving the barnacles from the submerged Hilo platform lift system
the yard I'm going to use next quotes this service "acid threatment" separately

as I'm going to disassemble the hilo lift system, and replace the main housing,
(with help of 2 friends)
thats the main reason for the liftout,
we could aswell take care of the cleaning of the other parts from lift system ourselves

does anybody know what kind of product "acid" we can use for that ?
 
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Hi Bart,

I am no expert but they did the same to my targa before sea trial in Mallorca and I think it was brick cleaner or "zoutzuur" in our language. I clean my SS props with this although I think you need to be carefull with softer metals and rince well after the barnacles are gone.
That said I think Rydlime that has been discussed on the forum is a safer alternative however I have not heard of it being used in spray on application.

Rob
 
I have used Cementone Brick & Patio Cleaner which is hydrochloric acid. Brush on with an old paint brush, watch the barnacles fizz and dissolve, then hose off thoroughly.

Make sure you use gloves and eye/face protection!

I bought it from B&Q, a UK DIY chain.
 
@ Jimmy: indeed :) Wish I could have kept it in the med where I bought it :) Maybe in another 10 yrs.
@ Bart: Proudly flying the forum flag in Zeeland or the Bieschbosh. Do you still boat there in the Karnic? Let me know if you do!

Rob
 
There is a "Barnacle Remover" product made by International which is more effective than brick cleaner, but its probably just stronger HCL. It's a boat product so lots more expensive of course. Also, "cement remover" is generally stronger than "brick cleaner", but may depend which brand.

If you're staying on the boat in the yard just use theirs, they usually leave the sprayers hanging around the yard overnight.
 
rlw said:
Proudly flying the forum flag in Zeeland or the Bieschbosh. Do you still boat there in the Karnic? Let me know if you do!
Click to expand...

oh yes, now I remember,
not much time left for using the Karnic, last season only 3 weekends,
for this year 2 are in the agena yet, a few more to come hopefully (dive trips from Wemeldinge or Bruinisse)
 
In Spain it is called Aqua Fuerte which is Hydrochloric acid - literally translated as "Strong Water"
It is easy to buy in Spain - supermarkets sell it really cheaply - less than a euro a litre.

Evil stuff - we use it all the time.
Anything made of calcium just evaporates - including the concrete if you drop some!!

I once spent a good hour with some gelcoat cleaner doing about a square foot on the underside of our bathing platform.
In desperation, I applied a little Aqua Fuerte to a rag and wiped it across a different part of the underside of the bathing platform.
It was just like those TV ads for that Flash cleaner - instantly cleaned the area.
Whole bathing platform was done about half an hour later.
All washes off with water and doesn't react with gelcoat.

We mainly use it for the props and underwater metalwork.
Very satisfying watching the little ?uggers (barnacles) go up in a puff of smoke.

Not sure what they would call it where you are though.
 
Never without it on board - chap along our pontoon was given a 2.8m tender which was encrusted with barnacles, he was taking ages trying to carefully scrape them off, I had a new bottle so asked if he had tried it, no, well try it, 10 minutes later you would have though I'd given him a pot of gold...... Tender looked like new.
 
Yep Hydrochloric acid is the one to use, but with care. Wear eye protection and gloves and avoid sniffing the vapour or you will need new lungs. Rinse with a hose when done to dilute it and stop the reaction.
 
Muriatic acid is hydrocloric acid and used for various purposes: EG

Muriatic acid is a powerful substance that can be used for different purposes. In fact, it is the same acid that works in the stomach during digestion except that in this case, it is in a dangerous concentration. With this substance, safety is a major concern as it emits fumes that can burn the lungs. It can also burn your skin; so, while working with this chemical, make sure you put on safety equipment such as masks, gloves and thick clothing. It is also advisable to use the acid in a well ventilated room. Keeping these in mind, here are 6 different uses for the acid.

1. Industrial Uses

This chemical is involved in many industrial processes such as the production of paper, detergent, plastics, etc. It is also used in the manufacturing of food additives, gelatin, and other types of food products. Although this might not be as useful to a homeowner as to a business entity, it is worthwhile for persons to know it as well.

2. Cleaning Metals

While not a recommended solution for the cleaning of metals, it is the best one for treating tough stains on metal. However, it should be an option of last resort when other safer alternatives fail. Muriatic acid can clean brass, copper, iron, and other metals, but you have to dilute it by adding 9 parts of water to 1 part of the chemical. Since the acid is an extremely powerful cleaning agent, you should not use it directly on metal.

3. Cleaning Brickwork

A ten percent solution of muriatic acid is a good cleaning agent when it comes to bricks. Typically, they become stained due to mold growth, formation of mineral deposits, and contamination. It is important to prepare the solution properly as the acid cannot be directly applied to the brickwork.

4. Cleaning Pools

Pools can be cleaned with the help of detergents and scrubs, but some of the staining is not easy to remove. You can treat dark stains that adhere to the grout in between the tiles with muriatic acid. When using the product for pool cleaning, make sure you do not apply it directly. First create a ten percent solution by mixing one part of the chemical with nine parts of water. Alternatively, follow the manufacturer’s recommended mixing procedure.

5. Neutralizing Alkalinity in Masonry

Alkalinity in masonry causes problems when applying paint or sealers. It prevents the coating material from adhering to the surface, therefore requiring neutralizing procedures. To neutralize, you have to apply muriatic acid solution to the entire surface before applying the coat. This step will help the coating material bond with the surface.

6. General Cleaning Purposes

This chemical can easily strip off stains on bathroom and kitchen tiles as well as on grout and drainage pipes. When the toilet bowl gets too dirty, regular cleaning products such as detergent cannot easily get rid of stains. Don’t forget to use muriatic acid as a last resort step. Finally, the chemical comes handy for cleaning clogged drainage pipes.



Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/6-best-uses-for-muriatic-acid#b#ixzz2rGnvpORg
 
Yup, I agree it is hydrochloric acid, moderately concentrated. The smell is unmistakeable

Bart, exactly which part of the HB Technics Hilo are you fixing? Is it a design or manufacture fault? I'm interested obviously because I have identical gear
 
BUT care must be taken as HCL will also dissolve aluminium as well, so if you have bare aluminium props, it will attack them.
 
jfm said:
Bart, exactly which part of the HB Technics Hilo are you fixing? Is it a design or manufacture fault? I'm interested obviously because I have identical gear
Click to expand...

The lift cylinder is “hanging” on a eye which is welded on the plate on top of the housing
This plate is welded on the housing.
When the cylinder lifts, the down force on the mounting eye, pulls the top plate down,
This plate is lie-ing on top of the housing, so can handle a big down force.

But

If there is a upwards force from waves on the platform,
(This happens only when the platform is lowered, above or in the water)
Then the upwards force on the lifting cylinders pushes the top plate upwards,
And the complete force must be hold by the welding’s of this top plate

Normally this happens only very occasionally if you use the platform just for launching the tender, or for swimming in flat water,
But in our case, we use this quite a lot with divers sitting on the fixed part of the platform with their feet on the lowered part and preparing their gear.

In august during a dive cruise, (we had quite a few dives with rough sea)
I noticed that the welding’s of these top plates where breaking.
Luckily right in time.
I went to a yard and borrowed 4 long F-clamps, and fixed them from top to bottom on the lift housings, two clamps on each lift housing,
These clamps are still there today as a temporarily solutions.

I have to add that I am very pleased with the HB service,
When I announced the problem, they tried to help me immediately in different way’s
Fe. taking a part from a system ready for delivery to another brit yard ;-)
Or send someone over for help.
Sebastian told me that they never had this problem, but immediately understood what I was talking about.
He didn’t complain about that fact that we use the platform for a application that it is not really made for,
and that there is written several times in the manual that you should bring the platform back in its UP position immediately after launching a tender.
When the platform is in the Up position, there is no force on the cylinders, all mechanically “locked”

He confirmed that this welding might have been a bit too weak (manufacturing fault)
But that they will reinforce this plate with a extra steel plate in the future (design improvement)

We got new housings, and all other spares such as screws and anodes, and pressure hose stops all for free, He offered to send someone to help (if we take care of travelling and accommodation) but because I need to do some works on the boat with friends anyway, I proposed to do the work all by ourselves. They made a manual how to proceed with the exchanging of the housings. Disconnectiong the pressure hoses, what sequence, etc…

I’ll post pictures later from the repair and from the old and new housings

John, I'm not sure that your system is exactly the same like mine,
mine is 1000kg, and yours is 1200kg standard fit on Sq78 iirc
 
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