In case of fire.

[C A Sugg]

I have 3 pounds of glacial acetic acid stored in my home darkroom. How much extra hazard would that pose to firefighters or anyone else downwind? Basically should I give this to a more "industrial party" instead of keeping a lifetime supply plus in a frame house?
Charles

 

[Ken N]

The NFPA code (fire diamond) for glacial acetic acid is 2-2-2. Based on that, it poses a pretty moderate increase in hazard in a fire. Three pounds is a significant amount and if you want to be on the safe (and in a commercial establishment-legal) side, get a NFPA 704 sign or sticker for the code 2-2-2. Proper display would be for the sign to be on the outside of the door of the room it is stored in and the container with it displaying the code and or a sufficient label to be easily recognized. (refer to local fire codes)

It has a relatively low flash point (43 degrees celcius) and it does react with water.

 

[C A Sugg]

I'm just going to take this to a hazardous waste collection center. Off hand I don't know of anyone user who would want to fool with tha concentrate. I got this batch at a yard sale about 20 years ago and have yet to use any of it. It will not be missed.
Thanks,
Charles

 

[Removed Account]

You found glacial acetic acid at a YARD SALE? I wanna have your neighbours!

 

[Wade D]

No reason to get rid of it. I have a 1 gal. jug of glacial but store it in a shed away from the house. I only take out small amounts for dilution to 28% which is kept in the darkroom. It's lasted for years. The 28% is then diluted to working strength as needed.

 

[C A Sugg]

Unfortunately I don't have outside storage. I've been thinking about getting a Rubbermaid or similar storage box, but I'm still not sure about storing something hazardous, and unusual in something that might be broken into.
When I first moved here 15 years ago. there were a pair of #%^&-for-brains kids living a few doors down ( long gone ) who were very good at "finding" things. (like ladders) I had some spent fixer stored in a 5 gallon cooking oil jug on the back porch with the idea of eventurally reclaiming the silver. Anyway I found in it the 3 foot passage way between my duplex and another wooden one, drained, and with a soggy burned out match book. These junior arsonists (or some of their friends) had tried to ignite it!
As far as yard sale finds, that one was a long time ago. You find a lot of weird things around here. I passed on the antique stomach pump at one of them. A couple of year ago I stumbled apon the moving (overseas) sale of a photo grad student who was ditching the last of her darkroom supplies.
$20 for a bin including:
a sealed 5 litre bottle of Ilford and quart of Permawash
3 SS tanks wityh good lids and 3 Hewes reels etc
That doesn't happen very often though. I missed the paper, probably Gallerie.

 

[richard ide]

Why not just dilute it (add acid to water slowly with stirring) to a safe concentration so it poses no hazard.

 

[mike c]

The easyest and safest take to Haz. collection center, a free one that is .

mike c.

 

[frdrx]

Don't worry. If there's a fire, three pounds of pure acetic acid won't make any significant difference. My two Euro-cents.

 

[glaiben]

I just bought a liter of glacial acetic acid Mallinkrodt USP: $37/L + $33 hazmat shipping charge. At that rate, it will be cheaper to buy Kodak indicator SB rather than mixing from concentrate and I won't have to have the nasty stuff around.

 

[cmacd123]

Outside storage for acetic acid may be a problem, it fresses at fairly warm temperatures.

When I was a kid, the camera store I haunted had got some from Kodak, but the shipment included some Pro film and so the acid was also shiped refigerated. The poor guy behind the counter realized he had a hazard and was setting the bottles on their side as they were frozen and he was wairied that the "acid Ice" would break out the bottoms when it thawed.
Indoor storage at room temperature is indicated.