bpitts4;944535 wrote: So....my reactor ran out of CO2. Went to Airgas in Lawrenceville and picked up a new bottle. Came home connected the regulator back and can see the bubbles in the bubble drip and all but when I test the affluent coming out of the reactor it is the same as my tank. The ph isn't dropping and therefore not dissolving the media. Kind of at a loss as to what to do. I was thinking maybe a bad cylinder of CO2 but that is highly unlikely although not impossible. What do you all think. I also changed the media out about 1 month ago. Again prior to the old tank running out....everything was fine.
Thanks!
Calcium reactors can be tricky, but there may be an explanation.
Are you giving the Co2 sufficient time to break down the reactor media? In other words, how long has it been since you changed out the Co2 tank and started testing the effluent?
How are you regulating the Co2 into the reactor, are you using a controller? If so, what is the probe reading as the ph within the reactor chamber? If the probe is reading a high ph, then that would lead me to believe that one of the following is the problem:
1) The solenoid valve - Make sure that the regulating valve feeding Co2 into the reactor is releasing sufficient flow to break down the media. Make sure none of the hoses are obstructed after hooking up the new Co2 tank.
2) The ph probe regulating the reactor is bad - if this is giving you a false reading, then the controller will not kick on the solenoid. I would suggest pulling out the Ph probe and making sure it is calibrated.
3) The Co2 tank itself - while it is highly unlikely that the tank or the gas is bad, it may be possible that you do not have a good seal between the tank and the solenoid. This could cause a low pressure reading on the gauge and would result in poor circulation to the reactor chamber.
