Dowflake

[daveverdo]

Can anyone tell me where to find Dowflake? I read it was available at Home Depot, anyone knwo where it is in the store? Is it with the deicers, concrete, tile,...?

What about Lowes?

Thanks,
Dave

[Mike O'Brien]

It's outside in the garden area at the one in my area.

[dweakl01]

its a deicer...at my hd its in the front lobby when you walk in

[auto_loader]

try Prestone Driveway heat as an alternative if you cant find dowflake

[hawaiianwargod]

Is it available in California home depot ?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you local hardware stores do not sell it as a de icer in winter, you can buy it on line:

http://www.buckeyefieldsupply.com/showproducts.asp?Sub=124&showspecials=124

[Spuds725]

Not all Home depots carry Dow Flake...

My local Home depot does carry 50 pound bags of prestone Driveway heat-- for $17-- No Dow Flake or Mag Flake.

My Local Lowes has Prestone Driveway heat in a 9.5 pound Jug of $8.

I have yet to find and magnesium Chloride near me that Randy has tested... I did find some made by a company called North American Salt -- the product is called "freeze guard"

In California I would look where there is snow.. which means the Mountains..

Also check in the Concrete section-- dow flake can be added to concrete to help it cure in cooler weather-- they should have some type of calcium chloride (quikrete makes some that I found near me).

In california you might also want to check pool supply stores for Calcium hardness increaser... if you can inquire and trace it back to Dow Chemical...

You can get it online as Randy posted however you are not getting much from Buckeyefieldsupply.com-- I do however thing there magflakes is a good buy if you can't find it since you will use so much less of this

[NCC-1701]

I am having the same problem finding these items in Houston, since it snows so often. I contacted buckeyefieldsupply and they will sell eight pound quanities, which is OK for the Mg but I would really like to know where I can get the 50 pound bag of dowflake.

[Spuds725]

8 pounds???

I thought they only sell it in 16 cup quantities.... for both mag flakes and dowflakes....

Mag flakes would last you quite a while... 16 cups of dowflakes would last you a while if your demand is low....

Like I said in my previous post-- if you are not in a snow area-- your options for calcium chloride are limited to swimming pool supply stores (calcium hardness increaser) and possibly in the concrete section at any place that sales concrete (its used to help it cure in cool weather)-- if its not packaged as dow flakes, both would have be traced back to Dow--- so check the bags or container for packaging/distribution info and get on the phone or internet and start asking.

[hawaiianwargod]

Thanks everyone for the inputs.

[IslandCrow]

Check your local pool supply for Dow flake. A friend of mine found some there. She said the store owner thought she was crazy for being so insistant upon it being actual Dow flake, but if you can find it locally, it's much cheaper than ordering online from Buckeye.

[crumbletop]

Try the places listed in Randy's improved two-part article. It looks like there are several options. I ordered mine from one of them -- can't remember which. The shipping was steep (about $20) - but it is still a bargain.

[coralfish]

Wish I would have read this thread before going to my local Home Depot. They don't even know what Dowflake is, much less carry it.

Randy, will the Prestone Driveway Heat work the same as Dowflake? I'm hesitant to put it into my tank with testing.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It has less moisture in it (so use 20% less in my recipes), but my expectation is that it is likely to be suitable pure. I discuss it here:

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

from it:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#16

Substitutes for Dowflake Calcium Chloride



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If Dowflake calcium chloride or a repackaged version (such as All-Clear) cannot be located, Peladow or Dow Mini-Pellets, which are dehydrated versions of Dowflake (that is, they have less water in the crystals), can be substituted. In addition to the Peladow brand name, Peladow also is sold as Prestone Driveway Heat and possibly as some other common brands. Kent Turbo Calcium is also suitable and is an anhydrous calcium chloride. Any FCC (food), USP (pharmaceutical) or BP (pharmaceutical) grades of calcium chloride should be suitable.

Peladow, Dow mini-Pellets, Prestone Driveway Heat, Kent Turbo Calcium and other dehydrated calcium chloride products are more potent than Dowflake. The dehydration makes them both more potent by weight, and more dense, so they are much more potent by volume. The problem is that it is rarely clear how much moisture they contain. Peladow specifies 90% calcium chloride minimum, but it may be higher in some cases. Dow Mini-Pellets say 94% minimum, but it actually has a lower bulk density than Peladow. The best guess for an amount to use is based on the hydration levels and bulk density provided by Dow for these products. Using these numbers, I suggest that aquarists use 20% less VOLUME of the dehydrated versions in the recipes than the Dowflake they call for. So a recipe calling for 5 cups of Dowflake would use 4 cups of Peladow, Prestone Driveway Heat, Kent Turbo Calcium, etc.

Choosing other unknown brands of any of the products may be fine, or not. I've not tested them for purity.

[tcottle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8442201#post8442201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
It has less moisture in it (so use 230% less in my recipes),

Typo? I have been using Prestone Driveway Heat at 80% of the recommend flake volume

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks.

20 % less. :)

[Cuby2k]

I am constantly blown away by how much I do not know in this hobby. I have just got my tank going and now starting to be concerned about supplements and wouldn't you know it; I don't know a darn thing.

Thanks Randy and to others that help educate us less literate types.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome. That's why this forum is here!

Happy Reefing. :)