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View Full Version : What's your filter sock cleaning method?


Ssteve
12/30/2013, 11:01 AM
Just moved to a tank with a sump after running a couple aio tanks and got a ton of used filter socks with the tank and I'm wondering whT most of you guys do to clean them? I've read a ton of methods from just rinsing them out, to washing them in the washing machine with no soap or even soaking in bleach. So I'm wondering what you guys would recommend for a step by step process?

MondoBongo
12/30/2013, 11:11 AM
1. remove filter sock from sump
2. walk to trash can
3. place filter sock in trash can
4. beer.

Ssteve
12/30/2013, 11:13 AM
Lol I'm on a budget so I would essentially be throwing away my beer money.

bellis31
12/30/2013, 11:15 AM
I rinse them in the sink then wash them (no soap) in washing machine and rinse rinse rinse like crazy!! final rinse with RO before I use them!

FullBoreReefer
12/30/2013, 11:15 AM
Washing machine once a month.

What I do...
Run an empty load through first. Meaning max load volume on shortest cycle to flush it out. Then I put it on smallest volume and longest cycle. Once done I let them sit in ro/di water for a few days just in case. But i use nothing as in soaps/etc. Just a cycle in the wash...

After 6mths I pitch them and replace with new.

MondoBongo
12/30/2013, 11:17 AM
Lol I'm on a budget so I would essentially be throwing away my beer money.

for better or for worse i actually stopped using filter socks in my sump a little while ago.

i was only changing them about once every 4 - 6 weeks, unless they got really grimy in the mean time, so the cost wasn't too prohibitive.

i usually like to completely drain my sump and wipe it out clean then refill with new saltwater every 2 - 3 months anyways, so i get most of the detritus out then.

i also tended to find a lot of pods in my filter sock, making me wonder if running one was inhibiting their population.

i'm pretty sure my girlfriend would kill me in my sleep if i used the washing machine for them.

campos
12/30/2013, 11:23 AM
1. remove filter sock from sump
2. walk to trash can
3. place filter sock in trash can
4. beer.

That's ridiculous!! You just like throwing money away. I soak mine over night in a bucket of water with 1 or 2 capfuls of bleach, then run in washing machine, no soap. Then I rinse once more for safe measure. Been doing this for years with no issues

cllrmar
12/30/2013, 11:23 AM
I've been successful for years by doing the following:

1. Place socks into washing machine with small amount of bleach
2. Run an extra cycle to insure bleach is gone.
3. Place in drier without fabric softner.

FlyPenFly
12/30/2013, 11:30 AM
I only use mesh socks now, the felt ones clog up way too easily.

I have like ten mesh socks, I throw them in a bucket. I then once a few weeks clean all the socks in the shower without any soap. Mesh socks are extremely easy to completely clean with just running water in the shower.

Savant
12/30/2013, 11:40 AM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

NTP66
12/30/2013, 11:52 AM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

This.

MondoBongo
12/30/2013, 12:00 PM
That's ridiculous!! You just like throwing money away. I soak mine over night in a bucket of water with 1 or 2 capfuls of bleach, then run in washing machine, no soap. Then I rinse once more for safe measure. Been doing this for years with no issues

i'll be honest with you, i am not real comfortable soaking anything that will be going back in the tank with bleach.

rocks are an exception, but when i soak rocks i give them many weeks of soaking in RODI with water changes.

maybe i'm just being overtly paranoid, but it works.

heritage
12/30/2013, 12:00 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

Same here.

Felt filter sock changed out every 3 to 4 days.

H.reidi.MN
12/30/2013, 12:03 PM
-Rinse inside out
-soak in bucket of bleach inside out.
-rinse again
-soak in fresh water for a few days
-rinse again
-let dry.. if i smell bleach i rinse and dry again.

I live in an apartment where i pay to wash cloths so it doesn't make sense to pay $$ to wash 4 filter socks. My method has kept them looking like new and i have enough now to keep a fresh pair on while i was the dirty ones and just rotate like that.

klwheat
12/30/2013, 12:07 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

Me too, nothing special. In fact, half the time I forget to turn them inside out, yet they still get clean.

Ssteve
12/30/2013, 12:18 PM
That's ridiculous!! You just like throwing money away. I soak mine over night in a bucket of water with 1 or 2 capfuls of bleach, then run in washing machine, no soap. Then I rinse once more for safe measure. Been doing this for years with no issues

If you drink enough beer and recycle the container it could pay for some more socks.

Ssteve
12/30/2013, 12:22 PM
I have about 25-30 used socks that came with the tank so I think I'll try the bleach method and just do a extended rodi soak(maybe a week) then let stand for a week.

Vadafallon
12/30/2013, 12:23 PM
Wash them in bleach, then soak them in RO water with some Prime and then let them dry out. That's it.

tanksfishtank
12/30/2013, 12:26 PM
I use bleach and them soak in RO water x2. Make sure when they are dry, that there is no remaining bleach smell!

dkeller_nc
12/30/2013, 12:30 PM
If I'm using them (I typically don't - just when the situation warrants it), I wash them in the washing machine, regular cycle, hot wash, cold rinse, standard measure of liquid washing detergent, drying, then one quick rinse with RODI before use. The detergent is important, btw. It's alkaline and includes proteases, and both features break down proteins and lipids. The amount of detergent left, assuming your washing machine is functioning correctly, is miniscule.

Fr0zEn4244
12/30/2013, 12:45 PM
4" Filter sock Change daily then wash extra filters inside out with a small amount of bleach with extra rinse.

7" Filter sock change once every 3-4 days, same method as above.

My 7" filter socks I have been lacking on changing some times and man they are a foam fest if I neglect them.

dlai531
12/30/2013, 12:52 PM
pretty much same method as everyone else

Get Hooked
12/30/2013, 12:54 PM
I change my 25 micron socks out every other day. When it's wash time, I use a cup or two of vinegar in the washing machine, Hot Water, Heavy Cycle, 2 rinse cycles. Then dry them in dryer. Once in a while I add some bleach.

ravi197699
12/30/2013, 01:27 PM
I just install my pressure nozzle in front of hose and wash it with high pressure, no soap, vinegar or bleach. Never had any issues.....

edmondspl
12/30/2013, 02:58 PM
I was reading a detailed post a few years ago about this. This guy took a filter sock and looked at it under a microscope. First he washed it with bleach and checked it, and then used hydrogen peroxide. He concluded that hydrogen peroxide worked better. And that bleach really left a lot of stuff in the sock it was well just bleached. Ever since that post I've been soaking in peroxide over night and then in washing machine. Every now and then I use a little bleach just to keep it white.

Ssteve
12/30/2013, 03:46 PM
How much do you dilute the peroxide?

hogfanreefer
12/30/2013, 06:33 PM
There was a good thread on this not too long ago. I tried the peroxide method but it didn't work too well for me. I still use a cup of bleach and an extra rinse. As long as the socks are dry you're golden. According to that thread bleach is not stable out of solution so as long as it's dry it's no problem. I've had zero issues doing this.

StevieD
12/30/2013, 07:21 PM
Personally I tried the filter socks and didn't really like them (too much work for the money) so I went to using the blue and white filter floss/pad...If you cut a 6" wide strip and separate the blue from the white (not all the way down) and slip it over the overflow pipe in the sump, its pretty much serves the same purpose, its cheaper, and no cleaning it (seems to last longer as well)...Just my 2 cents...

addictedreefer
12/30/2013, 07:41 PM
I rinse thoroughly inside and out with a high-powered garden hose once per week. I typically replace mine every 2-3 months.

Napoleon I
12/30/2013, 07:48 PM
I let them collect a week at a time. I change daily, or close to daily anyways. I turn them inside out and use the garden hose with a high jet nozzle. It blows everything off of them. They actually look almost new except for the red cyclopseeze dye staining them red sometimes. It may not be an added dye. But it does turn them red if a pile of them sit in a spot for several days.
I use a 2 foot stick of pvc inside the sock and hold the rim of the sock with my thumb. After I spray the inside I turn it around the right way and do a quick once over. Shake out the water and then hang from a camera tripod with a bucket underneath of them to catch drips while they dry.
Works great. Way better than the washing machine. I never use bleach either.

Jeff

DCReefer1964
12/30/2013, 07:58 PM
I use my pressure washer to clean the socks. Turn them inside out and blast away. Soak in hydrogen peroxide and water hang to dry

Dr Colliebreath
12/30/2013, 08:37 PM
I soak mine in a 20 oz solo cup with water and a couple of tablespoons of bleach for 24 hours, rinse, soak in water for another couple of hours, then shake dry. I let it air dry before using again. This will remove all bleach.

yanagisawa
12/30/2013, 08:44 PM
I just rinse it by tap water and then turn it over to rinse again. Then put it back to sump. No worry.

skidoctor
12/30/2013, 08:52 PM
turn inside out and rinse
place in bucket with bleach
rinse and hang dry when I'm on my last sock

I have a rotation of 5 7" felt socks. they're changed every 2-4 days depending on how clogged they get.

tubbs2323
12/30/2013, 09:00 PM
I use the sand method as campos, if u still don't feel safe after all that soak it in a bucket of ro water with some chlorine remover

reefgeezer
12/30/2013, 09:04 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. Washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. Air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

+1

McPuff
12/30/2013, 10:22 PM
I have a hose with sprayer attachment that I use in my utility tub. Spray it inside and out until it's as white as possible. Works very well.

edmondspl
12/31/2013, 12:50 AM
I found the thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1943735

torero500
12/31/2013, 01:51 PM
There was some microbial studies done a few years back showing that if you wash clothes or anything with fecal bacteria in them, the washing machine DOES NOT wash away the bacteria and it is transferred to whatever clothes you put in the next load. So I wouldn't ever be washing these filthy socks in the washing machine, personal choice...but if I did, I'd be sure to run a cycle of just bleach and water in an empty washing machine after I washed a filter sock in there. There's a reason your girlfriend would kill you in your sleep for washing a filter sock in the washing machine.

When I used them, I just used a garden hose with pressure nozzle and blasted them clean. A day in the sun, they were good as new. Now don't even bother with them unless I do a major cleaning stir up job to trap stirred up debris and just wash them out with the hose.

dkeller_nc
12/31/2013, 04:30 PM
There was a good thread on this not too long ago. I tried the peroxide method but it didn't work too well for me. I still use a cup of bleach and an extra rinse. As long as the socks are dry you're golden. According to that thread bleach is not stable out of solution so as long as it's dry it's no problem. I've had zero issues doing this.

This is a bit off-topic, but it isn't quite correct that drying something soaked in bleach will ensure that all of the bleach is gone. "Bleach" is a solution of sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide. Depending on the circumstances, some of the sodium hypochlorite will remain as a solid when bleach is dried. Some will also decompose to sodium chloride and chlorine gas, and eventually, all of the dry sodium hypochlorite will decompose.

It's unlikely that the residual sodium hypochlorite in a filter sock that remains after a residential washing machine cycle would cause a problem, but I mention it as general knowledge - something that wasn't rinsed could have a substantial amount of sodium hypochlorite remaining.

Thomas_Geoffery
12/31/2013, 05:09 PM
I change mine every week and wash the used ones in my washing machine with just cold water. Works great no issues. Replace when worn

kikoreefer
01/03/2014, 12:34 PM
Machine wash with a capful of bleach no problems ever

SeargentSlice
01/03/2014, 02:28 PM
Machine wash inside out with xtra rinse cycle air dry.

hoooop54
01/03/2014, 05:16 PM
I switched to using hydrogen peroxide about 3 months ago after reading the thread edmondspl listed above. The tank was about 6 months old at the time and I was going through cyno pretty bad. I did a 3 day lights out, switched to this method, and I have been fine ever since. I am certainly not suggesting this method is what stopped the cyano, as I believe the lights out did. However, this was the 3rd lights out treatment I did, and the only change was a really good filter sock change. Before, I was just turning inside out and putting in washer with no soap for 2 cycles.

DM1975
01/03/2014, 06:07 PM
I rinse mine and set them in a plastic tray in the wash room and when they build up (I have five I circulate) I wash them in the washing machine with just under a capful of bleach. I have dogs and cats so I have to use a lint roller on them before I put them in the sump.

Maxxumless
01/03/2014, 06:44 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

ditto... going on 8 years

lluv24
01/03/2014, 07:42 PM
Personally I get about 4 or 5 dirty then I take them outside and use the high pressure water hose to clean them up. After that I just let them sit in a bucket of ro. That's it I've been doing that for about 10 years or so!!!

chris.francis14
01/03/2014, 08:41 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

This is what I used to do when I ran a sump in my 90g.

FlyPenFly
01/03/2014, 09:43 PM
You guys do a lot of work and add risk for what's a simple inside out rinse job.

SVTour
01/03/2014, 09:52 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

Only thing I'll add to this...I tie a slight knot with the strings (all mine have them). This way, they don't get pulled through in the wash cycle.

krzyphsygy
01/03/2014, 10:51 PM
1. Turn inside out
2. Washing machine, bleach in dispenser, heavy duty cycle with extra rinse
3. Air dry until smell of bleach is gone (1 to 2 days)

+1

Chicago
03/12/2014, 08:56 PM
Washing machine. With bleach. Inside out. Heavy spin cycle. Double rinse. Then dry out. Day before I use. I dump in bucket of Rodi water with some novaqua to dechlorinate any reside bleach left. And hang dry. By the way tank looks so clear since started to use socks..

Is iT true if totally dry bleach residue is safe..it's a salt. . ...???

bif24701
03/12/2014, 09:21 PM
Washing machine. With bleach. Inside out. Heavy spin cycle. Double rinse. Then dry out. Day before I use. I dump in bucket of Rodi water with some novaqua to dechlorinate any reside bleach left. And hang dry. By the way tank looks so clear since started to use socks..



Is iT true if totally dry bleach residue is safe..it's a salt. . ...???


Once the bleach is dry, it's safe. No need to use dechloinator.

My method is about the same but I run a empty cycle first to remove and left over detergent. I use hot water quick cycles until they are perfectly clean. Wash once, turn inside out, wash again and if needed I'll turn them again and wash once more. I have a lot of socks and only need to do this every two three months so I don't mind taking extra time to get them extra clean. I only use bleach first cycle, because it only denatures them and didn't actually help get them any cleaner really. Just makes them look whiter. I would also think the bleach is hard on the fabric this shorting their life span. I use it anyway though, I like white socks!

bif24701
03/12/2014, 09:26 PM
You guys do a lot of work and add risk for what's a simple inside out rinse job.


Simple hand rinsing dosnt do a good job of removing all the built up organics. After several rinses I found they would clog in just one day. Then I started washing them in the machine and they are like new!

SS_Sean
03/13/2014, 12:41 AM
1. Remove filter sock from sump
2. Walk to trash can
3. Place filter sock in trash can
4. Beer.

lol!

JawFish559
03/13/2014, 01:05 AM
I sometimes like to go bearback but end up using the sock again ;)

erickcooper
03/13/2014, 06:28 AM
for better or for worse i actually stopped using filter socks in my sump a little while ago.

+1

The sock was just clogged all the time so I took it out. I ran the lines down to the water level to cut down on the noise. I figure the skimmer will take out some of the crap and the rest will move into my refugium to feed my monster bristle worm. :-)

BTW, I do run a canister filter on my tank in addition to the sump.