Calcium reactors...help...

[Brian Prestwood]

Ron

I've never figured out what makes water back up into the CO2 line. It only takes about 10ml of water fill the CO2 line all way to the expensive stuff.

EDIT: FWIW I normally find about 30 ml sitting in mine within a couple of days of draining it. It tends to just sit there for weeks.

A dripper flow restrictor (needle valve or drip system dripper) on the exit side of the reactor chamber means the reactor chamber is pressurized to whatever pressure the reactor chamber input pump delivers. On several occasions when I was using a dripper flow restrictor like this my resevoire just started slowly filling over several days.

There is nothing magic about resevoires. If they fill the water will back up into the expensive stuff. I've been using mine for about a year now. In that time I've seen it fill almost completely once.

 

[Brian Prestwood]

Windowlicker916

I've tried most of the expensive valves. All have failed.

 

[RonMidtownStomp]

I guess I have a check valve after the air chamber. I've only seen the water level go down and never up. I guess it evaporates slows and passes on with the CO2 into the reactor. The check valve should only ever stay dry, I'd think.. why would it go bad? Power off=no change to the air chamber water level. I would think if the regulator shuts off like it's supposed to it would have to compress all of the air back into the tank in order for water to pass in that direction?

 

[Brian Prestwood]

Hey Ron

I agree that this shouldn't happen...

The check valve should prevent the water from backing up

If the check valve fails the line pressure on the reactor side of the closed solinoid should stop the water from backing up.

If the solinoid fails/leaks/opens then the gas flow should stop the water from backing up.

If the bottle is empty then the atmosphere pressure should stop the water from backing up.

If the empty bottle cools enough to form a vacuum then water would flow into the regulator.

This doesn't explain the water my resevoire catches when the bottle is full.

The impossible/unlikely has ruined two of my regulators. I'd like to understand how. Until then I'm using a resevoire and hoping its big enough.