• LostXOR@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    60
    ·
    28 days ago

    How is lye nonhazardous? Can’t it cause serious chemical burns? Maybe it’s just in low enough concentration that that’s not a concern.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      40
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      28 days ago

      You don’t want concentrated lye, but diluted lye is safe enough to make soap. My question, and I’m not the only one asking in this thread, is- is a mixture of borax and lye a good coolant for a supercomputer?

      I guess you could argue that the green is so they would recognize a coolant leak…

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          12
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          28 days ago

          Ah, that makes more sense then.

          But lye as well?

          Edit: never mind, that discussion says also lye.

          • kindernacht@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            27 days ago

            They use this mixture at my work as well. Flushing out large sub freezing cooling systems. We don’t dump it out on the street though.

            • mhague@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              edit-2
              27 days ago

              If it’s anything like the places I work, they specifically tell you to be very careful about what you wash away.

      • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        15
        ·
        27 days ago

        The lye concentration used to make soap is rather nasty if it gets on your skin and you don’t deal with it immediately. Source: I’ve made a lot of soap from scratch.