Korallin Calcium Reactor

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6379207#post6379207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KH971
My fault I have gotten a new notebook, and have not gotten use to it yet. I got the check valve from Marine Depot. I soaked it in vinegar last night, it works much better. What part of the maxi jet do people t off from to pressurize their reactor?

I also double posted. The system was so slow that I tought the computer had frozen so I hit enter twice and was posted twice, then I edited.

For the majxijet I conected it to the discharge pipe. I left the coupling insert installed (The one with the side bleed hole) for two reasons. It is easier just to unplug the powerhead for maintenance and second the bleed hole will provide for a relase of the excess flow and pressure for the powerhead. In other words some of the flow not taken by the reactor will bleed (Flow out) trough the hole providing for a more stable pressure to the reactor and better cooling for the powerhead.

 

[smoke15]

wow! this thread I started has lasted two years!
My reactor has run well, and I love it

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6398760#post6398760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smoke15
wow! this thread I started has lasted two years!
My reactor has run well, and I love it

Nice for you to ring in. Happy New Year and may the wind be on your back Smoke

 

[Codeman00]

Effluent drip rate always slows down

Effluent drip rate always slows down

I guess this as good of a place as any to ask this. My apologies, but the question I have wasn't directly answered in the first 12 pages of this thread...I wish I had time to read all of the thread but I dont. Dragon_Slayer or anyone else, your thoughts are appreciated.

I have a Reeftek single chamber calcium reactor. Its being fed by a Maxijet powerhead and I can't for the life of me get the drip rate to remain constant. The bubble rate is constant and I can dial the reactor in perfect, but only for a couple of days. The effluent rate always seems to slow down thus decreasing the reactor pH (I have a probe in the reactor to watch this). I am constantly ajusting the effluent valve to get the effluent rate back up and then back down. It's driving me nuts.

Has anyone had the same problem of an erratic drip rate and how do I fix it? I bought this reactor to reduce the time I spent keeping the calcium and alkalinity but so far, I'm spending just as much time with test kits and adding supplements. Thanks in advance.

 

[jdieck]

If I remember well the Reeftek is an uplow unit that came with either ball valve or needlevalve at the inlet.
Here are a couple of ideas:
a) Insure that part of the powerhead flow returns to the sump, this will improve the stability of the pressure from the pump. You can do this by leaving the perforated nipple that comes with the MJ but leave the hole open so there always be flow in the powerhead even if the effluent flow is low.
b) try moving the effluent control valve from the inlet to the outlet if it is in the inlet or viceversa.
c) if it is a ball valve (John Guest syle) Try to use a needle valve like the ones supplied by US plastics.
NOTE: that plastic needle valves (or any needle valve) are not made to shut off the flow, doing so may damage the needle so if by any chance you tighten it shut the needle may have been marked and becomes more sensitive to changes in temperature.

By the way, have you tried talking to Jorge from Reeftek? he is usually very helpful and I know he has tried several configurations.
Hope this helps.
Jose

 

[Codeman00]

Hey Jose,

I'm going to ask some questions here which will help me troubleshoot this better. I just need to know why you think some of these changes will work (just be sure you know I'm not questioning you..just trying to learn)

1a) I do not have part of the powerhead flow returning to the sump. I thought that the powerhead itself would keep a constant pressure in the reactor....but am I wrong here? And can you explain why?

2a) I do have the long perforated intake nipple on the maxijet. The powerhead is in the bottom of my sump

b) I will look at moving the valve as a last resort due to the difficulty of getting to my reactor. Why would this change anything?

c) It is a needle valve and I have tried to shut it completely off in the past to stop the flow. In fact, some of the setup instructions say to stop the flow by shutting off this valve. Hopefully I didn't ruin it.

Yes I have contacted Jorge at Reeftek. He just told me that sometimes the effluent rate varies due to unknown reasons and that I might want to try to use a peristaltic pump to power the reactor. But then I would be limited to a reactor pH of 6.5 with a fully open needle valve. What ever the pump pumps I would be able to use..if I needed more, then that would be a problem. They are expensive and I really didn't want to go that route if i didn't have to..so that's why I wanted you and dragon_slayer's opinion. It also worries me that Jorge didnt ask any of the questions that you are asking...maybe I did something to my reactor to make it not work right or maybe there is a simple fix?

 

[jdieck]

There is a lot of reasons why the effluent flow changes. Changes in temperature causes plastic valve expansion and contraction which changes the aperture of the needle/seat gap. Changes in media size as it dissolves, media settling etc can change the flow trough it thus changing the pressure in both sides of the media bed. Small bits of media may get trapped in the valve etc.

Now lets take one at a time.

1)The strainer at the inlet of the pump does not have an effect unless it is getting plugged.

2) On letting some flow from the PH back into the sump: Centrifugal pumps including the small powerheads are designed for optimal performance at about their middle of their performance curve. Effluent flow is so small relative to the capacity of a PH that the pump impeller is basically just recirculating the water inside the casing, this has two effects. Bubbles from slight cavitation stay inside it and make the discharge pressure erratic also due to such small flow the pump does not have enough cooling and heats up also changing its performance.

3) If the valve is at the input the reactor is operating at atmospheric pressure, at the input is less risk for it to be pugged by media dust but the reactor is more succeptible to variations. With the valve at the output, there is a bit more chances of it being plugged by the media particles but the reactor will operate at slight pressure created by the powerhead. This additional pressure inside helps maintain some buffer against variations.

4) Do not worry much about the valve seat. Try the pump first. If it still does not stay up then move the valve to the output of the reactor if it does not work then you can think on replacing the valve.

Last but not least, 25 to 30 ml/min of effluent is the minimum I would recommend, below that the effluent flow becomes very unconsistent. Try to set the flow above that volume. (Use a measuring cup and a stop watch to measure the effluent) If the effluent is too much and the alkalinity in the tank starts to rise then just increase the PH in the reactor to compensate for the higher flow.

Enjoy!
Jose

 

[Codeman00]

Let me digest all of this info for a few days and I'll get back to you. I'm one step ahead of you on increasing the effluent rate to fix my problems. My tank demand is now enough where I think that can happen...in fact I started that test today. Thanks for the all the help and detailed explanation.

 

[Codeman00]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453482#post6453482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck

a) Insure that part of the powerhead flow returns to the sump, this will improve the stability of the pressure from the pump. You can do this by leaving the perforated nipple that comes with the MJ but leave the hole open so there always be flow in the powerhead even if the effluent flow is low.

Jose,

Can you explain this a little further? I have the perforated strainer on the powerhead, but is the perforated nipple the same thing or different? Where is the hole located?

If that doesnt work, Im going to put a JG tee in the reactor inlet line and drain some of the water (pressure) back into the sump...hopefully this will stabilize the drip due to the pump curve reasons that you told me about.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6483444#post6483444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Codeman00
Jose,

Can you explain this a little further? I have the perforated strainer on the powerhead, but is the perforated nipple the same thing or different? Where is the hole located?

The grille like strainer cap for the inlet is not what I am referring to. By the way it is good to have it to prevent debris from potentially plugginf effluent and flow lines of the reactor.
The nipple piece I am referring to is the cylindrical piece that is pushed into the outlet spout on one end and has the fan shaped piece to direct the flow on the other end. That cylindrical piece has a side hole to were the air inlet can be connected. If you install this piece at the end of the hose that delivers the water to the reactor and push the other end at the pump's outlet spout the water returning via the hole in the niple will be enough to stabilise the pressure and keep the pump cool.

Tapping off with a JGuest T may also work well.

 

[Codeman00]

Interesting...I've been overdriving the powerhead I guess. I understand what you're talking about now. I'll try to work with it this weekend and see what happens. Thanks jdieck!

 

[jdieck]

Keep us posted. Good Luck!

 

[reefdom]

How much media do you need for the reactor again? I'm half way down and am re-ordering just forgot how much for a full replacement since I want to put in all fresh media.

Thanks..

 

[mikeatjac]

dragon_slayer your directions are fantastic. I have not had to touch my reactor for a month now. If anyone has not read them they a missing out. The instructions are clear, easy to use and will save you a lot of time.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6500932#post6500932 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefdom
How much media do you need for the reactor again? I'm half way down and am re-ordering just forgot how much for a full replacement since I want to put in all fresh media.

Thanks..

Sorry as I am not certain but because it is a consumable and will not spoil why don't you just buy twice as much as you think you need. You will use the extra eventually.

 

[dragon_slayer]

a 1502 holds 3 Kgs or 6.6 lbs
a 3002 holds 6 Kgs or 13.2 lbs
a 4002 holds 10 Kgs or 22 lbs

mikeatjac
thanks for the compliment.

kc

 

[thrlride]

kc,

I have a 1502 reactor, with the needle wheel valves you recommended but I still can't keep a steady drip rate. My reactor is getting it's flow from my return pump which is a panworld 50px-x. Could this be the reason the drips get slower and slower until they stop? I have to simply make sure to adjust the drips to keep my PH of the effluent the same over time.

 

[dragon_slayer]

I've never had such an occasion where I Myself couldn't get a consistent drip rate but i have encountered a few online who have and while i don't do this myself............if your continuously having drip rate problems my best recommendation is to set the effluent flow to 'a broken stream' and adjust CO2 accordingly. wile not the most efficient use of CO2 by a long shot it does cut down on frustration considerably.

kc

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6511702#post6511702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thrlride
kc,

I have a 1502 reactor, with the needle wheel valves you recommended but I still can't keep a steady drip rate. My reactor is getting it's flow from my return pump which is a panworld 50px-x. Could this be the reason the drips get slower and slower until they stop? I have to simply make sure to adjust the drips to keep my PH of the effluent the same over time.

Hi Mr. President!
One tip that possibly solve your problem. If you have the needle valve at the inlet of the reactor to control the pressure comming out of the Panworld my best guess is that the valve is almost completely closed due to the pump's discharge pressure, when this happens the valve becomes very sensitive to changes in temperature and pressure from the pump. To solve this issue feed the reactor out of a powerhead. My preferred is the maxijet 1200 leaving the nipple that connects the output to the directional fan piece (remove the fan piece) so the hole which is originally used to inject air is in this case used to return some of the flow back keeping the ph cool and keeping a more constant inlet pressure.

 

[thrlride]

Thanks guys! Is it a problem that I don't have a needle valve controlling the flow from the panworld? It is simply providing a little flow from a 1/4" line.