How to Clean Air Stones
Do you have clogged air stones?
If you are here, it means you are looking for ways to clean your air stones. You have come to the right place, I will show you how to clean air stones, This is how I clean and disinfect my air stones. Cleaning and disinfecting your air stones is very
important in the compost tea making and hydroponics process.
Airstone or air stones diffuse the air in an aquarium filtration system or Water tank and break the air into smaller bubbles that are easily absorbed by water. These stones will gradually lose their effectiveness as the inside surfaces easily get clogged over time. Air stoneswith finer textures (micropore air diffuser) lose their effectiveness even quicker than the regular ones.
Depending on the solution there are in, air stones begin to lose their effectiveness after about five weeks of use, In compost tea it is much faster than that, so that is why it is recommended to clean the air stones after every use.
It is recommended to replace the air stones at regular intervals but you can save a lot of money by cleaning and rejuvenating the air stones to restore their effectiveness.
Clean air stones for hydroponics or compost tea regularly in order to restore their effectiveness and in turn get the best result.
How to clean air stones with Hydrogen peroxide
A good clean will take out all the dirt blocking the holes.
Secondly a good clean will also kill most or all the germs or bad bacteria. It is very simple to clean it with Hydrogen peroxide once you know what to.
Main items needed
Hydrogen peroxide, a small container and the air stones you want to clean.
Steps to Clean Air Stones
Rinse the air stone in fresh water and scrub off any excess build up off the outside.
Allow the air stone to air dry
Get a small container the air stone(s) can fit inside
Put the air stone(s) in the container
Fill the container with hydrogen peroxide so that it completely cover the stones (You will see some bubbles coming from the liquid, that’s good. it is cleaning the stones
Leave the air stones in that solution for about 10 to 30 minutes, keep it longer if it is really dirty. If it is extremely clogged leave it in there for a day.
After that remove the air stones from the solution and drain out all the water.
Allow the air stone to air dry completely or attach an airline from an air pump to the stone and run the stone through a 10 minute clean water circle with air pump in order to eliminate all hydrogen peroxide from the stones.
If the air stone(s) are not air dried or run through a clean water cycle, the air stones will still have a lot of hydrogen peroxide in it and if you put the airstones back in to you fish tank, compost tea or hydroponic system, the hydrogen peroxide might affect you fishes, hydroponic system or kill some beneficial micro organisms in your compost tea.
How to Clean Air stones with household Bleach
Rinse the air stone in fresh water, then lightly scrub off any excess build up off the outside. Allow the airstone to air dry completely.
Boil the stone in fresh water for about ten minutes, and allow it to air dry again.
Soak the airstone in a solution of one part household bleach to three parts fresh water (1:3) for a whole day. bleach will both cleaning the stone and also disinfect it. leave the stone for two days if the stone is badly clogged.
Remove the stone from the bleach solution and rinse it with fresh water
Attach an airline from an air pump to the stone.
Place it in a large container of fresh water (at least a gallon of water), letting it run for 10 minutes. This will dilute and remove any residual bleach from the stone.
Remove the air stone from the fresh water.
Continue to let the air pump pumps air through the stone for 5 minutes to dry the inside pores. Allow the stone to completely air dry for 24 hours, then use it again or store for future use.
Warning: If the air stone(s) are not air dried or run through a clean water cycle, the air stones will still have a lot of bleach in it and if you put the airstones back in to you fish tank, compost tea or hydroponic system, the bleach will affect you fishes, hydroponic system or kill some beneficial micro organisms in your compost tea.