I think this is bad but.....

[drummerman951]

I keep this in a dark room not above 85 degrees. It hasn’t even expired yet. Why does this happen?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

That’s iodine staining from the potassium iodide (R-0003 is just KI solution). A strong oxidizer is getting into that bottle and causing the iodide to get oxidized into iodine. Are you storing that kit anywhere near bleach or peroxide? Are you making sure that nothing is getting drawn back into the bottle when you squeeze out the drops? Are you tightly closing each chemical cap to make sure nothing from the outside is getting?

 

[drummerman951]

Wow. I had no idea. Yes, I store closed in a room off garage. I do keep muratic acid in there but everything is tight and no opening of chem in that room. Ever. I do my testing in garage on bench. It’s only open enough for 5 drops then closed and back to the kit. But... when I first got this kit almost a year ago there was DPD powder spilled all over the inside. I cleaned it out, vendor sent me another DPD powder replacement and refunded my purchase of entire K2006c kit! Could that be the issue and it took this long to manifest? Weird.

 

[mknauss]

Muriatic acid should not be stored in a confined space with anything else. The caps are vented and fumes will corrode metals, etc.

MA should be stored in a plastic receptacle outdoors by itself. I use a 20 gallon plastic trash can with lid.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Is the staining on the outside of the bottle? Is the R-0003 solution inside the bottle still clear?

 

[drummerman951]

Muriatic acid should not be stored in a confined space with anything else. The caps are vented and fumes will corrode metals, etc.

MA should be stored in a plastic receptacle outdoors by itself. I use a 20 gallon plastic trash can with lid.

Dang it! I thought they were completely sealed. Never smell anything in that room. But to be safe I am going to take your advice and move them out. My only concern is there isn’t any location where I have constant shade, I’m supposing direct sunlight will contribute to off gassing?

 

[drummerman951]

Is the staining on the outside of the bottle? Is the R-0003 solution inside the bottle still clear?

I’m pretty sure it’s inside the bottle. It used to be clear.

 

[manfacro]

That’s what happened to mine. I left everything in the blue box it came in, and that happened plus the DPD powder turned black. I started storing them in a caddy instead of the I closed box it came in and the problem went away... after buying new chems.

I figured pool water humidity in a inclosed box can cause some issues. Open air caddy everything stays clean and dry.

 

[frogabog]

What do you mean by "caddy"?

Pic please.

 

[kimkats]

Muraitic acid does not care about sun/heat. All you need is something that will allow the nasty gas to vent out and keep little hands out.

 

[manfacro]

What do you mean by "caddy"?

Pic please.

In the picture below you can see the chloine and PH side of the blue box all kinda gross, and the CC reagent looks like the OPs. The TA and CH tests don't seem bothered by being in the box, so I left them. the CH and PH are more frequently used anyways so the caddy keeps them clean and ready to use.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Potassium iodide solutions are subject to oxidation in which the iodide (I-) can be transformed into iodine (I+) or triiodide (I₃^_). Iodine and triiodide both have a brown color in solution. I would say that the solution is compromised and should be discarded.

I would also consider getting a new storage box and store your reagents inside the house up in a high cupboard. Muriatic acid should always be stored outdoors in a secure but breathable secondary container. A Suncast resin deck box is a good place to store that.

 

[drummerman951]

Potassium iodide solutions are subject to oxidation in which the iodide (I-) can be transformed into iodine (I+) or triiodide (I₃^_). Iodine and triiodide both have a brown color in solution. I would say that the solution is compromised and should be discarded.

I would also consider getting a new storage box and store your reagents inside the house up in a high cupboard. Muriatic acid should always be stored outdoors in a secure but breathable secondary container. A Suncast resin deck box is a good place to store that.

Thanks. I moved the acid out today to an area near the pool equipment inside a cheap plastic storage box. No kids around to mess with it either. I will have to relocate my kit I guess to inside the house.

 

[drummerman951]

Thanks. I moved the acid out today to an area near the pool equipment inside a cheap plastic storage box. No kids around to mess with it either. I will have to relocate my kit I guess to inside the house.

Thanks for the help everyone! Now to go out and enjoy the pool. Great day in Southern California to do it