Cleaning Bucket Concerns

[omega59]

Hi

I recently read the concern of reusing plastic water bottles which are labeled 1, as the chemicals they contain start to leak into the water causing contamination. So i looked my cleaning bucket and the number is 2 which concerns me as numbers 1-5 contain this chemical and should not be reused but tossed. So I have been using this bucket to refill clean water into my aquarium for about a year now and was wondering if i should be worried? This is one of those Coral Life Salt buckets with the purple lids. Also i began to notice a odd plastic odder than usual so i'm a bit worried i may be poisoning my fish

This is my process.

Place tap water in bucket let it sit over night
place dechlorinator
dump into tank

At first i thought it was the conditioner but it does not smell like this at all, and it expires in 2012 long time. Please what are your thoughts on this plastic bucket refilling, should i be worried the bucket is breaking down? ty.

 

[OldMan47]

There is no reason to let the dechlorinator sit over night if it is like most of the ones that are made. It works almost instantly. I use some glass and plastic containers for RO water temporary storage and have noticed an odor in either one after letting them sit out overnight. When I looked closer, I was getting a thin layer of algae on the surface of the glass and that was causing the odor. I cleaned it up and started using the water right away from those containers and letting them dry between uses. The odor is now gone.
I have no idea about the leaching issue but a short exposure would certainly give the volatiles in the plastic less to to leach.

 

[omega59]

I leave water over night so it gets to absalute room temperature. I don't place dechlorinator at this time, I put it just before adding to the tank same day. The oddar is a smelly mix of rubber and plastic. Not sure but I also smell it in the bucket I have of aquarium salt. Can this salt expire and this is expired smell? It was purchased a few months back.

 

[OldMan47]

I have no idea about the salt, I just don't have any. Is the salt moist at all? If it is we may be back to the same thing where moisture just sitting in a container that is always wet will start to smell after a while.

 

[omega59]

Ahhh, i keep this bucket int he basement sitting on the cement floor, the basement is cold since it is summer and the ac runs. I dont close the lid fully down as it is very hard to open this lid. So you think it is moisture build up? is my salt okay??

 

[omega59]

the smell is not with the empty bucket anymore, it is in teh salt bucket tho. i dunno what the cause is .