what is DE?

I have absolutely no clue what it is. can someone fill me in?

diatomatious earth.

From Wikipedia:

"Diatomaceous earth (pronounced /ˌdaɪ.ətəˌmeɪʃəs ˈɜrθ/) also known as diatomite or kieselgur, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micron to more than 1 millimeter, but typically 10 to 200 microns.[1] This powder has an abrasive feel, similar to pumice powder, and is very light, due to its high porosity. The typical chemical composition of oven dried diatomaceous earth is 80 to 90% silica, with 2 to 4% alumina (attributed mostly to clay minerals) and 0.5 to 2% iron oxide.[1]

Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, as a mild abrasive, as a mechanical insecticide, as an absorbent for liquids, as cat litter, as an activator in blood clotting studies, and as a component of dynamite. As it is also heat-resistant, it can be used as a thermal insulator".



It's pretty cool stuff.

why do people refuse to google, instead of clogging BYC with stuff like this?

There are different grades of de. Be sure to use one that is labeled as food grade. It's my understanding the other grades used for pool filters etc. can be toxic.

Ken

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Or even search here for existing threads on the same topic. There must be a hundred DE threads........................

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Can’t speak for everyone but I can say, we use a LOT of initials on the message forums and for a noob (like me) if you don’t know DE is Diatomaceous earth, how are you going to Google it?
And if you did, how would you know it was the same one they/we were talking about?
For example:
"DE " on Google gets you a Delaware Government site, The John Deer Stock exchange symbol on Yahoo finance, a site in Germany for international broadcasting "Deutsche Welle" , You tube "100 greatest hits in four minutes", the Wikipedia article on "De Facto, and the Dwight-Englewood independent coeducational day school.

Sometimes it just makes more sense to ask.

Hey! Lets look up RIR, GLW and BR on Google next!

Quote:
Can’t speak for everyone but I can say, we use a LOT of initials on the message forums and for a noob (like me) if you don’t know DE is Diatomaceous earth, how are you going to Google it?
And if you did, how would you know it was the same one they/we were talking about?
For example:
"DE " on Google gets you a Delaware Government site, The John Deer Stock exchange symbol on Yahoo finance, a site in Germany for international broadcasting "Deutsche Welle" , You tube "100 greatest hits in four minutes", the Wikipedia article on "De Facto, and the Dwight-Englewood independent coeducational day school.

Sometimes it just makes more sense to ask.

Hey! Lets look up RIR, GLW and BR on Google next!

You don't even have to search. Just go to index and then FAQ and then scroll down for links to threads about DE.

It isn't CLOGGING up anything. If someone has a question lets answer it and not persecute them for what they asked. When I ask a question I do it because I want a quick answer. Thats kind of the point so you don't have to go research it forever.