Does Your BRS GFO Reactor Even Work?

[Fishnthecorner]

Doesn't look like mine works too well. I have plenty of water flow through it (tee'd off my main return pump) Looks like it works for the first day or so... But then, who knows?

 

[nanojg]

Yes, my dual reactor works great

 

[samiam1975]

reactor

reactor

yea i would like to know how you can tell if it is working maybe i have too much flow

 

[Fishnthecorner]

Yes, my dual reactor works great

How do you know?

 

[jrp1588]

How do you know yours isn't?

 

[nanojg]

How do you know?

I look at it and it is working as intended...

 

[James77]

Ummmm....what's not working? Is it clogging up? Is it not reducing phosphate?

 

[drparker]

To answer the question of how I know mine is working. The reactor has water flowing through it, thus it works. The GFO slightly tumbles thus it's flow is adjusted properly.

The GFO you're putting in may not be working as you expect.

What where PO4 numbers before use? How much GFO and what type are you using? How often do you change it and what are your numbers now?

 

[kieffer_5]

yes i use gfo in a two little fishies reactor which tumbles all day. it may not be working if you unplugged it or have it on a timer because then mine gets clogged
also you may not have enough flow throgh it. try hooking it to a mj1200

 

[96p993]

Mine does its job...very little tumble on the carbon side and nice flow through my GFO section...No clogs, no issues

 

[sasharotty]

Looks like it works for the first day or so...

What do you mean by this? Is it tumbling for a day and then not?

 

[elFloyd]

Not working mechanically of chemically? Are you saying it is not working as far
as water quality...? Or, you can't get proper water flow?

 

[Fishnthecorner]

What do you mean by this? Is it tumbling for a day and then not?

Exactly.

Plus, How often should I change it?

 

[James77]

It would vary system to system and which GFO- high capacity or regular- that you use. I would imagine that the average tank would be 1-2 months between changes for regular?

Well the flow problem can only really be caused by a couple things. Either the reactor is clogging with GFO dust or granules with too high intial flow or too high of a fill. Or the incoming flow is inconsistent for whatever reason.

Is there any way to throw the reactor on a maxi jet or something to see if the problem follows?

 

[samiam1975]

reactor

reactor

oh ok so mine is probably working fine
i bought mine used and wasnt sure how to set it up

whats the best gfo to use in it?

 

[James77]

Nothing like GFO sold by bulkreefsupply . GFO is GFO. I use the regular pellets.

 

[samiam1975]

media

media

ok thank you for the info

 

[Fishnthecorner]

I had it hooked up to a maxi-jet 1200. The flow decreased significantly over a couple of days. So now it's tee'd off of my Iwaki 70rlt, which is more than enough flow. I may have too much GFO in the reactor... It is nearly full (according to BRS Website) 4 cups is required, but it doesn't fit that much...

The GFO granules gets split. Meaning there is about 2" of GFO in the bottom of the reactor, and about 8" in the top of the reactor. The bottom 2" tumbles for a few days, then stops. The flow coming out of the reactor is steady and constant.

 

[doctorgori]

Short answer: no....
mine seemed to work for a while, then clog....
After a few months of that nonsense. I broke down and bought 2ea TLF 150'S and couldn't be Happier...
there are at least a couple threads here on BRS reactors...

 

[James77]

It is not supposed to be split like that. Mine does do that when i first start it up, I usually have to tap the reactor to get it all to the bottom where it can boil. My guess is that the gfo at the top is clogging with dust and detritus which slows the flow.