Kalk reactor questions?????

[william1]

Ok so I got this new kalk reactor the other day. I have a few questions about setting it up.

1st does it have to have RO/DI water ran into it or can it be fed like a calcium reactor?

2nd how ofter does it need to be stirred per day, and can I leave it stirring 24/7 without harmful effects?

3rd can I put a turn off switch on the enfluent drip side and keep it turned almost all the way off so theres just a few drips a minute? Turn off switches like the ones on a RO/DI unit white with the blue lever to turn.

I trying to figure out a way to hook it up. Im also trying to see if I can mount the new RO/DI unit up under the tank. It might have to go in the kitchen again were the old one is. Thus meaning I have to fill a top off container by hand. ( not what I really want to do )

Seems like alot of work just to help keep my ph up. I almost think I should make it into a second chanber for my CR:blush:

Any ideas would be great.

 

[delloman]

you cant run a tub from your RO where ever it is to your tank?

 

[weaglereefer]

Is there any way to run a line from the ro/di to the reactor under the stand? I'm planning to run a 20ft hose from my ro/di under the sink through the wall to inside the stand so I can have water where I need it.

 

[grouper therapy]

It does have to have ro water. not saltwater. You can hook your ro unit to it directly but that can be pretty risky. If you do hook it directly,I would definitly set up a ph controller to shut it down when ph rises above a setpoint and a float valve to stop at certain levvels in the sump for top off. a redundant float switch wouldnot hurt anything either for a littll safety factor. My kalkwasser drips 24/7 at just under my evap. rate but is fed by a 50 gallon reservoir.Mine only mixes once a day but is 50 gallons so it depends on how much you drip as to the mixing schedule. once the water becomes satuated it needs no more mixing until fresh ro water is added.
I think MRC has a reactor with timers built in you might can check there website and get ideas for your own

 

[william1]

Im thinking of running a hose to the kalkR but not sure if I want to drill holes in the walls. If I ran a hose from the rodi under the stand and the kalk recator and T'd them together to the float switch and another T from the rodi to the feed of the reactor. Think that might work the when the top off goes off the kalk will be added a small amount at a time, with the stirrer on a timer for 5 min once a day.

 

[grouper therapy]

With as large of volume as you have, you may be able to just drip kalk at night continously. You can control it with a timer and a solenoid valve. I think the key is to let it drip at an extremely slow rate so that if the solenoid stuck open you could catch it before overdosing. William I know everyone has a budget for there tanks but if you are going to drip kalk I would really recommend a ph controller. The sm122 milwaukee will work but you have to order the one that is designed to shut off at the high ph setpoint as the one for the calcium reactors does just the opposite. Around a 100 bucks By the way not implieng that your poor but that I am!!!

 

[derek_s]

WILLIAM1;324724 wrote: Ok so I got this new kalk reactor the other day. I have a few questions about setting it up.

1st does it have to have RO/DI water ran into it or can it be fed like a calcium reactor?

YES, it cannot be tank water. It will precipitate the minerals in the water like magnesium, and maybe others. Ask Lee!

2nd how ofter does it need to be stirred per day, and can I leave it stirring 24/7 without harmful effects?

You can probably let it stir all the time but it will be potent. It s best to stir it ocasionally. I think mine is set to stir one minute every ten minutes.

3rd can I put a turn off switch on the enfluent drip side and keep it turned almost all the way off so theres just a few drips a minute? Turn off switches like the ones on a RO/DI unit white with the blue lever to turn.

You can do this, but it will need to be cleaned often. Kalk clogs stugg up fast.

I trying to figure out a way to hook it up. Im also trying to see if I can mount the new RO/DI unit up under the tank. It might have to go in the kitchen again were the old one is. Thus meaning I have to fill a top off container by hand. ( not what I really want to do )

The best way in my opinion is to run it on an electronic ATO (JBJ, Tunze, etc) through a reactor, either bought or DIY. Then, for saftey, you can use a ph monitor to cut power to the ATO incase of a high ph condition. THis can also be accomplished with a controller like a RK or ACJr. Also anywhere you put float switches, use at least two for redundancy, since they are relatively cheap and easy to wire.

Seems like alot of work just to help keep my ph up. I almost think I should make it into a second chanber for my CR:blush:

Any ideas would be great.

This is one of the instances where a controller like an ACjr can be super helpful. It can sense the ph, and cut the ato off, and it can also controller a stirrer to cut it on and off at regular intervals.

The second best option might be to drip it like Grouper Therapy said, at a very slow rate, and just be vigilant f the PH and KH levels.

 

[acroholic]

A Kalk reactor is made to work with an auto top off. Don't hook an RO unit directly to it. Have the RO dump into the ATO reservoir if you like. That is how mine is set up. If you can't set it up like that, then have your RO empty into a brute can and then fill up your ATO reservoir every few days by hand.

You need to use RO water. Do not circulate tank water thru it.

You will also need to use a pH controller, not a monitor, as a back up safety device as Derek suggested. I have one hooked to my setup like that. Cuts power to the ATO and Nilsen pump if the pH spikes higher than 8.5 or so.

Kalk reactors have pumps for stirring the kalk/water at regular intervals to maintain saturation. A decent starting point would be to have the pump come on 4 x daily for 1-2 minutes each time, then adjust according to the pH readings you are getting in your tank. If they are too high, then cut down on the amount of time and /or intervals you are stirring your kalk.

DO NOT stir your Kalk 24/7. You will spike your pH and probably kill everything in yourt tank.

 

[william1]

A Kalk reactor is made to work with an auto top off. Don't hook an RO unit directly to it. Have the RO dump into the ATO reservoir if you like. That is how mine is set up. So how dows the RODI water enter the kalk stirrer?

Well Im not to poor but always on some type of budget. I have four kids so theres always a budget LOL..... This is going to get interesting. Im not really understanding this whole set up. I would like to set it up so theres no messing with it. I never really had a problem with low PH this was just something extra I have and thought I would hook it up. Does anyone have a link to a diagram of a set up.

 

[grouper therapy]

Sorry William I don't. Did you check MRC's site ?

 

[william1]

grouper therapy;324852 wrote: Sorry William I don't. Did you check MRC's site ?

Yup just not getting the answers I need. I know not to hook up the rodi directly to the kalk stirrer. Just how to get the water into it is the problem.:shout:

 

[william1]

I was wondering how many people here use a kalk reactor and what are the benifits of it? I hear that its supposed to help keep up the PH in your tank when you run a calcium reactor. But it seems to be more trouble than its worth why not just run a second chanber on the calcium reactor. To help raise the PH back before it enters the tank. Maybe I just dont need this.

 

[acroholic]

WILLIAM1;324848 wrote:

A Kalk reactor is made to work with an auto top off. Don't hook an RO unit directly to it. Have the RO dump into the ATO reservoir if you like. That is how mine is set up. So how dows the RODI water enter the kalk stirrer?

A Kalk Stirrer works like this: You have a reservoir of RO water. In the RO reservoir you have the pump for your ATO. The ATO is hooked into whatever solenoid or the like that senses a drop in the sump water level. The kalk stirrer sits inline between the RO water reservoir that has the ATO pump and the sump. ATO Pump > kalk stirrer > sump.

The ATO Pump feeds the kalk stirrer water via 1/4" OD tubing usually down to the bottom of the kalk stirrer and water from the top of the kalk stirrer exits via 1/4" OD tubing to the sump. The clear, saturated kalkwasser is at the top of the reactor. My MRC kalk stirrer uses John Guest fittings to connect the in/out tubing.

The pump that mixes the kalk in the stirrer is independent of the ATO. You se the kalk stirrer pump with a digital timer from Lowes or HD.

You are welcome to see how mine is plumbed if you ever want to come by. Just shoot me a PM.
Dave

 

[william1]

Acroholic;324886 wrote:

A Kalk Stirrer works like this: You have a reservoir of RO water. In the RO reservoir you have the pump for your ATO. The ATO is hooked into whatever solenoid or the like that senses a drop in the sump water level. The kalk stirrer sits inline between the RO water reservoir that has the ATO pump and the sump. ATO Pump > kalk stirrer > sump.

The ATO Pump feeds the kalk stirrer water via 1/4" OD tubing usually down to the bottom of the kalk stirrer and water from the top of the kalk stirrer exits via 1/4" OD tubing to the sump. The clear, saturated kalkwasser is at the top of the reactor. My MRC kalk stirrer uses John Guest fittings to connect the in/out tubing.

The pump that mixes the kalk in the stirrer is independent of the ATO. You se the kalk stirrer pump with a digital timer from Lowes or HD.

You are welcome to see how mine is plumbed if you ever want to come by. Just shoot me a PM.
Dave

Now this sounds like a more reasonable way to do things. This is a very large reactor 6"x30" so if the tank was topped off threw the kalk stirrer it could be as many times as 20 per day for30 seconds each.... Its very tall so if I used a smaller amount of kalk powder it might be less potent maybe...

 

[acroholic]

WILLIAM1;324926 wrote:

Now this sounds like a more reasonable way to do things. This is a very large reactor 6"x30" so if the tank was topped off threw the kalk stirrer it could be as many times as 20 per day for30 seconds each.... Its very tall so if I used a smaller amount of kalk powder it might be less potent maybe...

One option you could do is take the reactor to MRC and have them cut it down and put on a new top with JG fittings on it.

Tim retrofitted that cool little Pan World Pump on my MRC Nilsen when the minijet my model used died.
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[grouper therapy]

The problem with using with the ato (with some tanks) is it that your evaporation rate could be high enough that when your ato tops off it could pump more kalkwasser in the tank than it needed and could spike your ph. Maybe not at once but could over the period of the day. If your ato sticks on your tank is fried if the top off water is pushed thru your kalk reactor.I guess you could add just enough kalk for the tanks intake everyday but why have a reactor? The ph controller minimizes this risk of super saturation of your tank

 

[william1]

So if I had a ph controller conected to the dose pump to turn it off if the ph gets to high. Then nothing would get pushed threw the kalk reactor. I think it might be ok like that. Im going to run a chiller so hopefully theres not much evap. I would just hate to be filling the sump 1 or 2 times an hour pushing fresh kalk water into the tank..

 

[victor626nj]

dont put it on a ro unit that spells desaster waiting to happen