dragon_slayer
In Memoriam
as for the 'probe holder cuppy thingy' i no longer use one it drips directly into one of the macro compartments of the fuge.
kc
kc
Korallin Calcium Reactor
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jdieck
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If the faceplate of the high pressure gauge is corroded it can indicate inside corrosion as well. Something to note here. Quality regulators for CO2 are usually made of stainless steel rather than bronze and crommed steel. CO2 when pure is not corrosive but when mixed with moisture or water it turns into carbonic acid which corrodes any steel and if long enough brass and copper. So if you see corrossion on the high pressure side I would replace the gauge also as it might be an indication of once having moisture inside the regulator an because it is difficult to seal a leak at 1000 psi I would take it to a welding shop for a full internal inspeciton and replacement of the gauges. The gauges you linked too are the right pressure range but measure the faceplate of the gauges you have to insure if they are either 2" or 2 1/2" inch, The 2" wil work but the 21/2 inch are a little more precise and easy to read so if what you have is 21/2" try to use the same.
At 700 psi inside the bottle you only have some gas and may ast very little, as the regulator is designed to egulate 500+ if the pressure falls below it you run the risk of passing full pressure and lots of CO2 to the outlet. It is also important that you do not empty the bottle competely as it may become contaminated with moist air. When filled, that moisture will freeze inside and the ice particles may plug the regulator or prevent the diaphragm seat to work properly. In addition that moisture is that can corrode the regulator and the inner wall of the cylinder once it comes back to ambient temperature.
To prevent damaging the low pressure gauge again always remember to totally back out the knob before opening the bottle.
Good Luck!
At 700 psi inside the bottle you only have some gas and may ast very little, as the regulator is designed to egulate 500+ if the pressure falls below it you run the risk of passing full pressure and lots of CO2 to the outlet. It is also important that you do not empty the bottle competely as it may become contaminated with moist air. When filled, that moisture will freeze inside and the ice particles may plug the regulator or prevent the diaphragm seat to work properly. In addition that moisture is that can corrode the regulator and the inner wall of the cylinder once it comes back to ambient temperature.
To prevent damaging the low pressure gauge again always remember to totally back out the knob before opening the bottle.
Good Luck!
jdieck
New member
By DPM you mean drops per minute of effluent? If so... usually when you increase the effluent rate the pressure inside the regulator decrease so it is easier for the gas to get in so there is a bit more BPM. Note that this is only temporary as once the pressure of the gas starts to drop the regulator opens to replenish the gas and the pressure is recovered.
The good news is that when there is a BPM rate change due to changes in the pressure of the reactor the amount of CO2 added is almost the same. When the reactor pressure increases the bubbles per minute reduces but each buble (At a higher pressure) contains more CO2.
In any case you shall adjust your bubble rate once your effluent flow is stable. Try to measure the effluent in ML/min rather than counting drops. Use a measuring cup and an stop watch to meassure the effluent amount per minute.
The good news is that when there is a BPM rate change due to changes in the pressure of the reactor the amount of CO2 added is almost the same. When the reactor pressure increases the bubbles per minute reduces but each buble (At a higher pressure) contains more CO2.
In any case you shall adjust your bubble rate once your effluent flow is stable. Try to measure the effluent in ML/min rather than counting drops. Use a measuring cup and an stop watch to meassure the effluent amount per minute.
jdieck
New member
If there are John Guest connectors it is provably 1/4" poly tubing like the one used in RO/DI units.
You can find the valves you are looking for with different connectors at http://www.usplastics.com
You can find the valves you are looking for with different connectors at http://www.usplastics.com
Ereefic
In Memoriam
Quick question about drip rate. When using a drip cup for reactor effluent, does the drip rate out of the cup have to be the same as the rate out of the dripper? If so, what is the trick, when making a drip cup, to get the same drip out of the cup as the reactor?
I made a quick cup using an old seachem supplement bottle, drilled a hole in the bottom, put a piece of RO tubing in there extending up into the bottle a couple of inches. When it fills to the poing of overflowing, it kinda squirts a little in then stops, then repeats. I must be missing something here.
pH controller should be here tuesday so I should have it going next week. Had both gauges replaced today (done by a professional) so i'm just waiting for the controller.
I made a quick cup using an old seachem supplement bottle, drilled a hole in the bottom, put a piece of RO tubing in there extending up into the bottle a couple of inches. When it fills to the poing of overflowing, it kinda squirts a little in then stops, then repeats. I must be missing something here.
pH controller should be here tuesday so I should have it going next week. Had both gauges replaced today (done by a professional) so i'm just waiting for the controller.
jdieck
New member
Ereefic said:
No need for tricks, just support a plastic cup on the inside of the sump above the water level, set the drip line to drip into the cup and let it overflow, put the PH probe inside the cup. thats all there is to it. It does not have to be enclosed or anything, whatever drips in will overflow out so wether you measure the effluent falling into the cup or the one out of the cup the amount will be the same.
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dragon_slayer
In Memoriam
FWIW i never measure in drips i use milliliters per min instead. mostly it's because of the high rate of effluent on my system, it's more of a stream then a drip but even when i'm setting up one for somebody i still use the ml/min. and as long as the 'bursts' are consistently giving the same output it's no biggie.
hth
kc
hth
kc
jdieck
New member
Sounds about right. 1 ml is usually equivalent to 12 to 15 drops. Now, get a measuring cup run the drip for say three minutes and see what you get.
In reality if you want to be able to calculate real addition and setting it up that way you need to measure flow and as Slayer said ml/min is the most practical but I have also seen liters per hour and gallons per hour in some.
So if you really want to get technical about it you can always try the calculator for setting up a reactor:
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html
In reality if you want to be able to calculate real addition and setting it up that way you need to measure flow and as Slayer said ml/min is the most practical but I have also seen liters per hour and gallons per hour in some.
So if you really want to get technical about it you can always try the calculator for setting up a reactor:
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/reactor.html
jdieck
New member
The best thing you can do is to meassure your effluent flow and CO2 Bubble Rate and effluent PH. After replacing the media if you have not moved the valve most probably you do not need to adjust but you need to re-check that the flow is the one before.
If you are using a PH controller you do not need to reset it, just insure thet the CO2 buble rate is fairly the same as before.
If you refill the CO2 tank you may need to reset the regulator as you need to back off the knob before opening the cylinder but make the adjustments to set up the previous bubble rate and thats it.
So it is important to log at which combination of effluent PH, CO2 bubble Rate and effluent flow your alkalinity remains constant once this state is achieved.
Try to refill the media when there is still about half of it left in the reactor. You do not need to replace the whole media but I would recomend to lightly wash the old media together with the new so you remove some of the smaller particles and dust left after disolution.
If you are using a PH controller you do not need to reset it, just insure thet the CO2 buble rate is fairly the same as before.
If you refill the CO2 tank you may need to reset the regulator as you need to back off the knob before opening the cylinder but make the adjustments to set up the previous bubble rate and thats it.
So it is important to log at which combination of effluent PH, CO2 bubble Rate and effluent flow your alkalinity remains constant once this state is achieved.
Try to refill the media when there is still about half of it left in the reactor. You do not need to replace the whole media but I would recomend to lightly wash the old media together with the new so you remove some of the smaller particles and dust left after disolution.
Ereefic
In Memoriam
So when you replace the media, you just unplug the selinoid? Confused about this part.
Something else that confuses me is when you say to change the media when there is about half of what you started with. Why can't you run it till it's about gone? Shouldn't it all be dissolved? I see that people are usually tossing the media left in there when changing media, seems like a waste to me.
Thanks for all the help too BTW Jdieck.
Something else that confuses me is when you say to change the media when there is about half of what you started with. Why can't you run it till it's about gone? Shouldn't it all be dissolved? I see that people are usually tossing the media left in there when changing media, seems like a waste to me.
Thanks for all the help too BTW Jdieck.
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