Ever dose using an IV Pump?
- Thread starter RussC
- Start date
I picked up a Kangaroo 324 peristaltic pump on Ebay a while back. I'm currently using it to drip in topoff water. I would like to eventually use it for kalk dosing. I've tried this occasionally, but the kalk clouds the drip sensor chamber. The pump stops when this happens, even though the solution is still dripping.
The people that sell this exact same pump on Ebay for reef dosing purposes claim to have disabled the drip sensor, so the pump will run continuously.
Has anyone performed this modification? Could you share the details?
Jeff
The people that sell this exact same pump on Ebay for reef dosing purposes claim to have disabled the drip sensor, so the pump will run continuously.
Has anyone performed this modification? Could you share the details?
Jeff
greeneyedblackcat
Premium Member
kangaroo 324
kangaroo 324
Here is the kangaroo pump modification; the pictures were taken with the pump in its free standing position (handle up), as you can see in the pictures a red jumper wire is soldered on the firmware chips legs (from the bottom right corner of the chip going right to left pin #6 and #12 are connected), thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the entire modification, it takes about five minutes total. I have had three pumps with this mod running for almost a year with no ill effects.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC
kangaroo 324
Here is the kangaroo pump modification; the pictures were taken with the pump in its free standing position (handle up), as you can see in the pictures a red jumper wire is soldered on the firmware chips legs (from the bottom right corner of the chip going right to left pin #6 and #12 are connected), thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the entire modification, it takes about five minutes total. I have had three pumps with this mod running for almost a year with no ill effects.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GEBC
greeneyedblackcat
Premium Member
kangaroo
kangaroo
Here is another picture.
kangaroo
Here is another picture.
xrunner1234
New member
Anyone have a mod for the 300 series.
xxaquanutxx
New member
I have never used a pump but I do use the IV drip and tubing jammed into a 1/2 G container and sealed it w/ silicon.
user48953
New member
Well, last night i was getting way too many "Flo Err" and decided to risk making the modification.. after opening the cover, and inspecting the pins, it was pretty evident that the pins to use (short) are PIN #6 and PIN #12 starting from the far right side and closest to the motor counting towards the motor.. if you look closely at the circuit board of where the pins mount to, you'll see that both pins don't have a trace going to them (at least from the top view)..
naturally i tested (was sweatin every single second :eek1: ) the short prior to actually soldering them.. the soldering was a little tricky b/c there are other components really close to the pins.. i'd suggest you use the small soldering head you have..
one a side note, while i was in there I also disconnected the backup battery and *could have* disconnected the audible alert speaker.. i changed my mind about disconnecting the speaker b/c the only time it annoyed me was when the "Flo Err" occurred; all other times i wanted to be notified..
with the battery backup disconnected, I can use the k324 with a timer to do timed nightime dosing.. since i have the digital one, when the power is cut, the settings are loss.. this means i have to manually set and start it every time, but it will shut off automatically via the timer.. no way around this
.. i think the analog version doesn't have this problem..
if you look at the second pic from above, the battery connector is the red/black wire w/white connector and the speaker is the blue/black wire w/brown connector.. what's not in the pic are the 2 leads from the AC plug.. they are screw tighten into a connector box at the bottow right corner.. you can very easily hook up a $6 float switch to this connector if you wanted an overfill protection device for those dosing 24/7..
in all, i'd say it's about a 10 minute DIY to disable the drip sensor, battery, and (if applicable) the speaker.
hope this helps
naturally i tested (was sweatin every single second :eek1: ) the short prior to actually soldering them.. the soldering was a little tricky b/c there are other components really close to the pins.. i'd suggest you use the small soldering head you have..
one a side note, while i was in there I also disconnected the backup battery and *could have* disconnected the audible alert speaker.. i changed my mind about disconnecting the speaker b/c the only time it annoyed me was when the "Flo Err" occurred; all other times i wanted to be notified..
with the battery backup disconnected, I can use the k324 with a timer to do timed nightime dosing.. since i have the digital one, when the power is cut, the settings are loss.. this means i have to manually set and start it every time, but it will shut off automatically via the timer.. no way around this
.. i think the analog version doesn't have this problem..if you look at the second pic from above, the battery connector is the red/black wire w/white connector and the speaker is the blue/black wire w/brown connector.. what's not in the pic are the 2 leads from the AC plug.. they are screw tighten into a connector box at the bottow right corner.. you can very easily hook up a $6 float switch to this connector if you wanted an overfill protection device for those dosing 24/7..
in all, i'd say it's about a 10 minute DIY to disable the drip sensor, battery, and (if applicable) the speaker.
hope this helps
gotfrogs
Premium Member
OK, I just did the 6/12 mod, but am still getting an error. I just got this thing and don't have any special feeding tube things. Can I just use airline tubing?
Picture of my mod!
Picture of my mod!
Last edited:
I tried to use silicon air tubing and although it worked for a while, it tended to break fairly quickly and since my dosing pump was on the floor lower than the water level, it would siphon out my water reservoir. If you have one pumpset, you can replace the tubing that wraps around the black wheel with Tygon R1000 tubing from www.usplastics.com. For my Kangaroo 324, I use 1/8" ID x 1/4" OD with a wall thickness of 1/16". Just remove the old piece and use super glue gel to attach the new piece. Let it dry for an hour.
I bought 30' of it and use 4.25" peices to replace the pumpset about every 2 months. Would probably last longer but I have not done the drip sensor mod yet so when the tubing gets stretched too much, the sensor goes off (a good reminder for me to replace the tubing).
HTH
Lee
I bought 30' of it and use 4.25" peices to replace the pumpset about every 2 months. Would probably last longer but I have not done the drip sensor mod yet so when the tubing gets stretched too much, the sensor goes off (a good reminder for me to replace the tubing).
HTH
Lee
user48953
New member
gotfrogs said:
The mod in the pic looks good.. what is the specific error? is it "FLO ERR" or "NO SET", etc.. if its the "NO SET" error, then it means you don't have the 'correct' drip set..
i think there's a sensor in the housing right above the arrows (the two round brackets where the drip set and end plug? would go) that senses for the set.. the end plug? does have a black washer around it.. you may need something there to fool the sensor.. try electrical tape, at the least the motor should turn a couple of rotations before the "FLO ERR" pops up..
I use 3/16" ID silicone tubing from USPlastics with my one drip set.. its walls are twice as thick as the original tubing and it's rated at 20 psi as opposed to the tygon which is rated at 9 psi.. not sure if it matters or which one is better..
with the 3/16" ID, i didn't have to glue anything.. all i did was simply cut the original silicone tubing (with it still attached to the drip counter and end plug?) about 1/8" after it cleared the connection point.. then slipped the 3/16" ID tubing over the original tubing (which is over the drip set).. it's a pretty snug fit so you have to be sure you push it all the way in..
with the original tubing, i would run 24/7 at a setting of 200 ml/h (3 drips per rotation), now with the 3/16" ID i run at 90 ml/h and get the same amount; maybe a tad more..
Jeremy Jones
New member
This mod works like a charm. I was getting flo err no matter what I tried, even with brand new dripset. I'm dosing like a madman now. Thanks for the pics and info guys!
IV Bag?????
IV Bag?????
Are you guys using the IV bag? Is the idea here to pull the tubing out of the bag and stick it into a large container? I hope so. I just bought one and was surprised it's got an IV bag attached. Now it seems I need to disable the drip sensor....
Argggghhh!!!!!!
IV Bag?????
Are you guys using the IV bag? Is the idea here to pull the tubing out of the bag and stick it into a large container? I hope so. I just bought one and was surprised it's got an IV bag attached. Now it seems I need to disable the drip sensor....
Argggghhh!!!!!!
user48953
New member
I don't use the IV bag.. i just have the drip set pull straight from a Lowe's 5g bucket (it's white, compared to HD's orange) filled with RO.. the k324 then feeds my DIY Nilsen (kalk) reactor, which in turn drips into my sump..
i started out with using the pump to pull from the kalk reactor and dripping into the sump, but the drip set would allows get cloudy.. having it pull from the RO keeps everything from clouding up..
i started out with using the pump to pull from the kalk reactor and dripping into the sump, but the drip set would allows get cloudy.. having it pull from the RO keeps everything from clouding up..
Snausages01
New member
How loud are the pumps?
Thanks,
Thanks,
poon415
New member
I use 2.5 gallon Kent Drip for Kalk. Was only $ 23.00 bucks online. No installation challenges, fairly cheap and works great. I use it to top off R/O for evaporation and I use it to dose Kalk. Works great for me. Works on gravity. Not as trick as a Calc reactor but reliable for me.
reefhippie
New member
Can you set the IV dripper on a timer so that it starts dripping at a specific time and then shuts off at a specific time?
user48953
New member
The k324 is pretty quiet; can't speak for any other pumps.. i keep mine on a shelf behind the tank and hardly hear it.. if you keep it in the stand, you won't hear it for sure..
I use to use the 5g Kent AquaDose (it would always leak where the 90 elbow tapped into the container), but i wanted a more automated system where i can set it and leave it alone for a few days at a time.. mixing kalk daily got old after a month.. now with the Nilsen and k324, i just fill the reactor with about 2 cups of kalk once every few weeks and refill my RO resevior when it gets low..
got my k324 for $65 on eBay.. the drip sensor mod is not needed for the pump to work, it just makes life easier
If it's the digital version, then you CAN'T use a timer to have it start a specific time; it CAN only stop at specific time.. and you will need to disable the battery (very simple mod).. this is because the settings are loss when the power is cut.
The analog version may be possible, i haven't seen one in person to verify.
