# making a 4dKH solution using a teaspoon?



## jarthel (3 Jan 2010)

All I have is a weighing scale (use for measuring a person's weight) so I decided to check out what tutorial is available out there using a teaspoon/tablespoon.

I found this site.

It says:
â€¢Dissolve 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of sodium bi-carb into 1 litre of distilled water.
â€¢Take 10mL of this solution and dissolve it further into 490mL of distilled water.

Any thoughts on this guide?

thank you very much


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (3 Jan 2010)

Good tutorial   - Sorry mate   - dam sight easier to buy the stuff.

Regards
Paul.


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## aaronnorth (3 Jan 2010)

Accuracy is the key to making this solution, and teaspoons just aren't accurate enough.
You can get 0.1g scales for about Â£6 on ebay


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## jarthel (4 Jan 2010)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> Accuracy is the key to making this solution, and teaspoons just aren't accurate enough.
> You can get 0.1g scales for about Â£6 on ebay



yup. I already watching a .01 scale in ebay. just wondering if I should buy it 

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thanks everyone


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## chris1004 (16 Jan 2010)

Hi,

I bought these scales a few weeks ago from this seller and I am very happy with them and the service I received.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-Pocke..._Measurement_Equipment_ET?hash=item53de4115f9

They do a slightly more expensive one aswell at Â£13.99 and the calibration weights which you'll need to go with the scales.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-Pocke..._Measurement_Equipment_ET?hash=item53dd18eb92

Regards, Chris.


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## tel (17 Mar 2010)

In something of a similar situation to what Jarthel was.

No supplier of a 4dkh here in Australia( that I can find ), so wondering whether it is _recommended_ to make your own, or is there too many factors that could result in things going dire.

would appreciate some help on this, 
cheers thanks 
tel


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## dw1305 (17 Mar 2010)

Hi all,
You can make your own from "baking powder" (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3), you can also get around the problem of needing accurate scales if you use fairly large weights and lots of dilutions (plastic measuring spoons or kitchen scales should be fine). You don't need to be able to measure volumes all that accurately either, as 1000ml (1 litre) of water (or dilute solution)  weighs 1000g (1kg).

I've lifted this straight from Wikipedia, but it is correct. 

"An aqueous solution containing 120 mg NaHCO3 (baking soda) per litre (1000ml) of water will contain 1.4285 mmol/L of bicarbonate, since the molar mass of baking soda is 84.007 g/mol. This is equivalent in carbonate hardness to a solution containing 0.71423 mmol/L of carbonate, or 71.485 mg/L of calcium carbonate (molar mass 100.09 g/mol). Since one degree KH = 17.848 mg/L CaCO3, this solution has a KH of 4.0052 degrees."

120mg = 0.12g but we could make the initial solution a lot more concentrated, 1.2g = 40KH and 12g = 400KH. 
(This is where we get the initial "6g in 500ml" from, 6g in 500ml = 12g in 1000ml.) 

So 12g in 1000ml = 400KH I'll all this "solution 1", and 100ml of solution 1 in 1000ml = 40KH "solution 2", and then 100ml of solution 2 in 1000ml = 4KH "solution 3" *and solution 3 is the one you want*. 

So you can make a *litre of 4dKH* solution for the cost of 12g of Baking Soda.

cheers Darrel


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## tel (17 Mar 2010)

Thanks Darrel  , 
I have looked at a few DIY  threads floating around the various forums, as always though, some conflict as to which method is best. 
cheers and thanks 
tel


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## chris1004 (17 Mar 2010)

dw1305 said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> You can make your own from "baking powder" (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3), you can also get around the problem of needing accurate scales if you use fairly large weights and lots of dilutions (plastic measuring spoons or kitchen scales should be fine). You don't need to be able to measure volumes all that accurately either, as 1000ml (1 litre) of water (or dilute solution)  weighs 1000g (1kg).
> 
> I've lifted this straight from Wikipedia, but it is correct.
> ...




Hi Darrel,

Thanks for the info but at the risk of seeming pedantic you must first start with pure H2O for the above to work. i.e. Distilled or RO water. I know its just an oversight on your part mate but just to save someone somewhere some confusion further down the line I felt it needed pointing out.

Regards, Chris.


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## dw1305 (17 Mar 2010)

Hi all,
Yes you would need to start with de-ionised water,  I must admit it didn't occur to me that any-one would do anything else, which I suppose is a bit of an oversight on my part. Having said that because you are using relatively small amounts it would be economic to buy it.  
cheers Darrel


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