Kalk dosing source

[mojo]

I'm in the process of re-adding my kalk reactor, after my big disaster a year and a half ago. This time with safegaurds.

Has anyone tried to run a kalk reactor inline with the system, instead of running it through ATO?

I plan on using a peristaltic pump (similar to a Litermeter) and only running like 5g a day or something, regardless of top off needs.

Can anyone argue why I should NOT do this? The only good reason I can see is possibly solubility concerns, but if it doesn't happen in the reactor, it'll happen when it hits the tank...

 

[FutureInterest]

By "inline", are you going to be running saltwater through the reactor and back to the tank? Sounds interesting... but I've never heard of anyone doing that before.

 

[mojo]

Oops- sorry- yeah, basically, the dosing pump would pick up the water from the tank, go through the reactor, and then back into the tank. Just like a Ca reactor does...

 

[jmaneyapanda]

From what I understand, you cannot or should not mix the kalk powder in anything but freshwater. Why, I dont know, but that is what I have been mindlessly following for some ridiculous reason.

 

[glxtrix]

me too

 

[schwaggs]

What is your evaporation rate? Why not setup the litermeter to dose 50-75% of that volume through the kalk reactor using the litermeter and have a separate ATO for the remainder?

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Schwaggs;132530 wrote: What is your evaporation rate? Why not setup the litermeter to dose 50-75% of that volume through the kalk reactor using the litermeter and have a separate ATO for the remainder?

Yeah Chris, I thought you mentioned you were gonna do this technique.

 

[purplegorilla]

You will increase the chance of calcification of the dosing tube by running inline vs. r/o water. Basically by using it as top off water, you are hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. You can't really beat the safeguard of a peristaltic pump as a top off source. I am using it on my system (5 gal per day). I don't really see any risks involved other than it stop working, which means I won't get any top off water. My pump is drawing water from a 30 gallon bin below.

 

[schwaggs]

Or set the litermeter to dose 110% of your typical evaporation and use your controller to cut the power to the litermeter when the level gets to the "full" switch. Install 2 more switches as safeguards - one up higher out of the water as a snail-proof high level safeguard (cuts litermeter and triggers alarm) and another switch below the water level as a low level alarm.

 

[mojo]

Schwaggs;132530 wrote: What is your evaporation rate? Why not setup the litermeter to dose 50-75% of that volume through the kalk reactor using the litermeter and have a separate ATO for the remainder?

Evap rate is about 5g/day right now - it'll be higher in the summer. Your idea is exactly what I'm thinking, so that I can tune my alk and pH needs separately from my top off. My Ca reactor will be on a 3rd dosing pump, so that I can adjust my Ca / Alk / and top off all separately, based on system needs.

purpleGORILLA;132533 wrote: You will increase the chance of calcification of the dosing tube by running inline vs. r/o water.

Please explain why his is the case.

Basically by using it as top off water, you are hitting 2 birds with 1 stone. You can't really beat the safeguard of a peristaltic pump as a top off source. I am using it on my system (5 gal per day). I don't really see any risks involved other than it stop working, which means I won't get any top off water. My pump is drawing water from a 30 gallon bin below.

I'm pretty familiar with the use of kalk as top-off. I also crashed my tank in the past because of it (skimmer went crazy, sump level dropped, kalk was poured in, and tank pH went to 10). I'd much rather be able to control them separately.

 

[mojo]

Schwaggs;132537 wrote: Or set the litermeter to dose 110% of your typical evaporation and use your controller to cut the power to the litermeter when the level gets to the "full" switch. Install 2 more switches as safeguards - one up higher out of the water as a snail-proof high level safeguard (cuts litermeter and triggers alarm) and another switch below the water level as a low level alarm.

Interesting idea... I like the idea of cutting power to the Litermeter. I won't be using a litermeter (my controller has an accessory for peristaltic pumps), but I may be able to use the same concept.

 

[cdub]

i believe i was involved in a post on RC where i posed this exact same idea. i cannot remember all the details, but the feedback i got was that the chemistry would be thrown off and it would not disolve as well.

to me i don't think it really matters if you're already going to tune the flow. it shouldn't matter how much disolves as you will be adjusting based on what your ph/ca/dkh readings are in your tank.

 

[purplegorilla]

mojo;132539 wrote:
Please explain why his is the case.

Phosphate and many heavy metals in your tank water will precipitate, either as calcium salts, or as metal oxides and hydroxides as it reacts with your Lime water.

 

[FutureInterest]

+1 pG.

 

[mojo]

Ok- it sounds like it's going to be better to just use RO water...

 

[schwaggs]

mojo;132539 wrote: I also crashed my tank in the past because of it (skimmer went crazy, sump level dropped, kalk was poured in, and tank pH went to 10).

I assume you are putting some controls in place to protect from your ATO doing a similar thing (like happend to Oregon Reef)?

 

[mojo]

Absolutely. I've finally got a new controller (Profilux), and it has the standard float sensors, pH, and salinity monitors, among other things.

The top off will be controlled by a peristaltic pump and a optical float switch - just plain RO water, with possibly a secondard switch to cut power, like you suggested. I'll also have it controlled by the salinity probe - I'll have it stop if the salinity goes below 1.023 or so.

The kalk reactor will be fed by a second peristaltic pump, which will feed 3-6 g/day, based on my weekly test kit results, but stopped if the pH gets above 8.4 or something.

The Ca reactor will be fed by a third peristaltic pump, which will also feed based on my test kit results, have it's own pH controller, and possibly be shut off if the pH gets below 7.8.

Hopefully this will give me a bit more failsafes, in case something happens.... you never can be too careful...

 

[schwaggs]

Sounds like a good plan. What kind of flow rates can you get with those pumps? Is it adjustable?

 

[cameron]

Saltwater gets into the mixture and the kalkwasser will clump rather than stay saturated is my understanding.

I like the two pump idea that way you can run RO through the reactor till you hit 8.4 or so and then shut it off and go with the straight RO water. A bit more expensive but a nice design. The other option is to get two RO solinoids and do the same thing... pH under 8.4 Kalk Solinoid on straight RO solinoid off and over 8.4 reverse the solinoids. You would only need one pump then, but two power ports and two solinoids.

 

[mojo]

Here's a picture of the unit. One of the disadvantages of the Profilux line is that information is not really consolidated, so you really have to go looking. I don't know the pump rates off the top of my head. I do know that this unit hooks into the main unit, and each pump is controlled separately, and like an LM3, you calibrate the flow rate, then tell the controller how much you want per day. The red button on front allows for manual override. I'd prefer continuous feed pumps instead of on/off, but variable speed peristaltic pumps start to get expensive; this model should work.