Silicade Recipe
1 Gallon Silicade — in two half-gallon containers.
Thanks to Dennis Crouse for this recipe. I am not endorsing this recipe, I am simply posting it for those who want a half-gallon recipe.
Materials:
1 Brita filter
2 half gallon jars
2 wide mouth lids and rings
1 small pitcher
1 tablespoon
1 smidgen, dash, and pinch
1 small pyrex beaker
4 zero water bottles
1 funnel
1 oven mitt
1 knife
1 ph meter
Ingredients:
sodium silicate
sodium bisulfate
baking soda
calcium chloride
magnesium chloride
Procedure:
Add 1 dash and 1 pinch of sodium silicate and 2 tbsp zero water into small pitcher
Fill 2 half gallon containers with zero water
Put 100ml of zero water into beaker
Bring small pitcher to boil and boil for 30 seconds
After boiling, empty small pitcher into pyrex beaker containing the zero water
Top off the pyrex beaker to 200 ml using zero water
Pour 100ml in each half gallon container
Fill up two half gallon containers to first line, screw on part with zero water
Add 1 pinch 1 smidgen of sodium bisulfate to each half gallon of water. When I add a pinch, my ph comes out to about 3.10-3.3 so I am halving the recipe for now.
Put on the lids and shake to mix
Test ph balance, it should be 4.0 to 5.0. If it’s not, Crouse says to slowly add a little more sodium bisulfate. However, when I do that, my ph goes down!! UGH.
Filter through the brita
Add a quarter of a smidgen - to a smidgen- of baking soda to the half gallon containers and refill them with the now brita filtered water. Then shake to mix.
Test ph, it should be 6.5
If the ph is too low, you can add a single grain of rice worth of baking soda.
Add 1 pinch magnesium chloride to each container if you want 20 ppm extra magnesium.
Add 1 pinch calcium chloride to each container if you want 40 ppm extra calcium. The pH will rise to 6.6 with 2 pinches of calcium chloride (for 80 ppm calcium).
Dennis Crouse recipe is here