landys calcium reactor

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13959722#post13959722 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
Well I don't know if I've said "wow" up until now, but, well, WOW!!! That thing is "hotter than a two dollar pistol"! Get a sexier looking pump and clean up the plumbing and its a winner!
I think V3 should bed red and use an Ehiem pump... WOW!

Tim

thank you tim!!!

im glad you like it

 

[landy]

ok, the pump has got to go. not enough flow, and it is getting HOT.

so i been looking at my options, i know ehiem has been thrown out a few times, but from what i can tell they are a barb fitting pump as well. Maybe im wrong??? never owned one.

the pump i leaning towards is the sicci 2500. looks to be npt on in and out. the question is, would you what the modded one with a mess/needle wheel and the venturi, or just a regular one??

thanks landy

 

[stugray]

I use an Eheim 1048 on my reactor & it's approximatley the same size.

The barbed ends unscrew & you can find the right PVC fittings, but it was tricky to find locally.

I was even told the eheims have thermal protection & will shut down if they overheat ( although Ive never tested that )

Stu

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13977820#post13977820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stugray
I use an Eheim 1048 on my reactor & it's approximatley the same size.

The barbed ends unscrew & you can find the right PVC fittings, but it was tricky to find locally.

I was even told the eheims have thermal protection & will shut down if they overheat ( although Ive never tested that )

Stu

do you have an opinion on the sicci 2500. it might be cool to use the modded on an feed the c02 into the venturi? what do you think? maybe im way off on this one

thanks stu

landy

 

[hllywd]

landy, I'm almost embarrassed to show you this but here's what I recently built and how the 1250 is plumbed. I don't know anything about the Sicce pumps. On mine there is no reason on a reactor for a needle wheel pump. When the CO2 hits the impeller in mine its instantly dissolved. I've watched the input and no bubbles ever enter the chamber.
Here it is... http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1485615
Be gentle it's my first acrylic project...

Tim

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13978062#post13978062 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
landy, I'm almost embarrassed to show you this but here's what I recently built and how the 1250 is plumbed. I don't know anything about the Sicce pumps. On mine there is no reason on a reactor for a needle wheel pump. When the CO2 hits the impeller in mine its instantly dissolved. I've watched the input and no bubbles ever enter the chamber.
Here it is... http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1485615
Be gentle it's my first acrylic project...

Tim

i think it looks great Tim! Only thing I may have done different is not paint the PVC black. For your first project, I would say it turned out phenomenal!!!!


I like the sicce because they are small and would be easy to mount the way I want. It may not make sense to use a pinwheel version; I was just thinking that you would already have a great place to feed the Co2. Maybe a moded one with a standard impeller would be the ticket?

Again, great build, would not be embarrassed to show that to anyone!!!

Thanks
Landy

 

[troylee]

landy,
next time use cast acrylic that is the only reason that happened.....when extruded get's hot there is no way to glue it with out the crazing ime. if that was cast which i highly doubt use a better kind like acrylite gp or plexiglass g and you will never come across that problem.......sorry that happened.....

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13979004#post13979004 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by troylee
landy,
next time use cast acrylic that is the only reason that happened.....when extruded get's hot there is no way to glue it with out the crazing ime. if that was cast which i highly doubt use a better kind like acrylite gp or plexiglass g and you will never come across that problem.......sorry that happened.....

i never use extruded acrylic, but thanks for the tip

no worries

landy

 

[troylee]

also by sanding the edges is not gonna help if it is extruded........don't buy cheap material.........you will always have problem's trust me ask acrylic's he will tell you the same thing.........i have been doing this 15yr's and have built everything there is out of acrylic and tryed almost every acrylic and solvent/glue.........

 

[troylee]

what kind was it??? i heat form acrylic everyday and i have ran into that a few times with some cast like optix it suck's.......plexiglass g is my favorite....... i have never had that problem with it and it join's perfectly clean.....you are right about a cnc that's the best to use nothing can touch that router if you run the right bit.......it look's polished when done.....also never flame polish any material untill the build is complete or you will have crazing.........i alway's perfer sanding and buff........i think the torch take's the oil's out of the plastic and when a solvent hit's it forget it.......ime...... you are lucky you did not use 3 or 4 or that thing would be history........i have welded laser cut stuff before without problem's maybe you just got a bad piece.......... the stuff vary's so much there is no telling what happened even from the same manuf. other thing's could be the laser was hotter than normal there is a lot of variable's that could of contributed to that.......

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13979036#post13979036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by troylee
also by sanding the edges is not gonna help if it is extruded........don't buy cheap material.........you will always have problem's trust me ask acrylic's he will tell you the same thing.........i have been doing this 15yr's and have built everything there is out of acrylic and tryed almost every acrylic and solvent/glue.........

the clear i used was altuglas plexiglas g.

do you still think this is a factor in the crazing?

have you ever laser cut acylic?

landy

 

[troylee]

lol!!!!! you must have got a bad piece........i have never came across that.....with plexiglass g....hmm........we had a problem awhile back with a bad batch of acrylite gp....... the manuf. covered the material but we lost in labor!!!!!!!!!!!!!the plastic was brittle as can be in less than a year with some sign's inside a casino and were breaking....

 

[CrazyCohiba]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13888591#post13888591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by landy
here are some update pics.

everything is coming along nicely. I still need to cut the gaskets, and one more set of flanges for the bottom of the reactor.

i took troylee's advice and tried thicker weld-on for the laminating. i didn�t use 40 as I don�t like working will it. I used 16 instead. It seemed to reduce the bubbles, but the spill over turned into an issue. It crazed the edges, as I did not sand them before bonding. In the past I have not sanded the lasered edges that I did not plan to glue, but the excess 16 that spilled over these edges did some damage. Live and learn.

Here are some shots after sanding with 400, then followed by pictures of the edges lightly polished. It will not affect functionality, but does not look as well as i had hoped.

ok question, on the deltec calcium reactors i have seen a degauss chamber that housed the ph probe, the effluent out line, and a small line that goes suction side of the pump. Does anyone have an opinion if this is worth incorporating into my reactor?

Landy

I'm A nubee. so feel free to ignore me. But I have an acrylic tank that I have been trying to get someone professional to come and buff out some scratches. Long story short I couldn't find anyone that would do this tedious job. So I started to do some research on the web. One guy used a mapgas torch to eliminate the crazing on the edges. Would this work with your problem?

Sorry if I don't make sense..

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14951673#post14951673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CrazyCohiba
I'm A nubee. so feel free to ignore me.

LOL, nice

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14951673#post14951673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CrazyCohiba
But I have an acrylic tank that I have been trying to get someone professional to come and buff out some scratches. Long story short I couldn't find anyone that would do this tedious job. So I started to do some research on the web. One guy used a mapgas torch to eliminate the crazing on the edges. Would this work with your problem?

Sorry if I don't make sense..

im not sure if it would work or not, never tried it. I’m not too worried; now that the reactor is under my tank I can even see the bottom sides. I do plan on redoing the base, but only to get rid of the getto plumbing. I already bought a different pump. I just haven’t ordered the acrylic, and with so may other projects going, this has taken a back seat.

Landy

 

[landy]

ok, Tim made me realize that I left this build a little open ended. The reactor has been up and running since my last post showing the completed reactor. I have had no mechanical issues. my calcium has been soild @ 425, once dialed. Now i was having a hard time keeping alkalinity up, and started dosing soda ash to compensate. If anyone has any comments on that I would love to hear.

Here are pictures i just took.

Now for the next part. I plan on building a new base for the reactor. I want to get rid of the barb fittings and pump. I bought a quiet one 3000 that should mount up with two 1” unions real slick like. I think I already drew the dxf cut sheets, but have yet to purchase acrylic. Maybe I will look them up and post. But I should more than likely get off my @$$ and order up the acrylic and just build it instead.


Hey tim, do you want me to double my acrylic order and send a base your way


landy

 

[CrazyCohiba]

Landy, does that mean you will consider selling your first prototype?
$$$$

 

[hllywd]

I still think that thing should be displayed like a piece of art! I'm glad it's working as planned.

I had a thought on the crazing problem. Is the problem strictly with the edge or is it further into the assembly? Could you laminate oversized base parts and trim to size once the gluing is finished eliminating the crazed edges? Also, do you use gaskets with your flanges or o-rings?

BTW I'd love to have a base, but then I'd need flanges, and a diffuser plate too

 

[CrazyCohiba]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14957269#post14957269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
I still think that thing should be displayed like a piece of art! I'm glad it's working as planned.
I agree. I have never seen perfect cuts like that even on Profactory units. "encore"

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14956441#post14956441 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CrazyCohiba
Landy, does that mean you will consider selling your first prototype?
$$$$

the whole design is modular. the only part that needs redone is the base. So if I wanted to sell it, i would have to make all the other pieces as well. and that is a bit of cash just in acrylic, then time in assemble and such.

im not even sure what i would have to charge to make it worth my time. I bet is would be one of the more expensive reactors on the market.

plus, I wouldn’t want to sell the base I have now anyways. I can’t have my name tied to that ghetto @$$ pump plumbing. Now, maybe when i redo the base we could talk :smokin:

landy

 

[landy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14957269#post14957269 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
I still think that thing should be displayed like a piece of art! I'm glad it's working as planned.

I had a thought on the crazing problem. Is the problem strictly with the edge or is it further into the assembly? Could you laminate oversized base parts and trim to size once the gluing is finished eliminating the crazed edges? Also, do you use gaskets with your flanges or o-rings?

BTW I'd love to have a base, but then I'd need flanges, and a diffuser plate too

When i get me new tank and sump room done, I will have a much less cluttered space for the reactor.

About the crazing, if I would have lightly sanded the edges, or took better care not to let the weldon 16 spill over, I would not have had that issue. Remember, that this base was version 2. The first version was laminated with weldon 3 or 4, and I had no crazing with it.

I used gaskets, laser cut. I tried oring sealing when I built my kalk reactor, and had bad luck. I redid the top three times before I gave up and went gasket. I would love to use oring instead, but apparently am just not that skilled.

I thought about the laminating issue last night, I am considering making version 3 bolt together with gaskets between the two layers. That way no sanding, no crazing, AND you could completely disassembly for cleaning if you wanted to. I am also considered going with .75” clear for the center section of the base, this could aid in flow for the bigger pump.

Maybe I will draw a little sketchup for illustrative purposes, as I know I am not the best at explaining myself with words.