Long term solution for Nielsen reactor???

[camarojweed]

Ok here is that I would like...I have a 260 gallon in wall show tank, with 3 other tanks..total water about 400 gallons...

I have a Ca reactor that runs 24/7, but I have grown tired of filling a bucket and mixing pickling lime to drip Kalkwasser every other day...

I want to build a devise that drips kalk at night (on a timer or something like that) that I can set and forget for a month (I am in the service so I travel quite a bit so i want this to be simple but not a 35 gallon trash can in my basement next to the tank) I have a friend that takes care of the basics while I am gone so when he does a water change i would like it to be simple to recharge the reactor..maybe there is no such thing and I will have to forego the kalk while I travel but there has got to be something out there...Also, i maybe missing something on these reactors that are connected to the makeup water but I have a small pump that makes up my water from a separate tank that has a float then the pump is turned on and off by a level control system, but the flow seems to high to send through a reactor chamber and not cause kalk solids/sludge to just dump into the tank...

Maybe I am just missing something here but this kalk thing is kicking my butt...there has to be a way to keep this small, simple and long term...pictures would help too..

Thanks

Jason

 

[AcroSteve]

I use a large container that I keep kalk in and make it in batches. Use a dosing pump on a timer. The trash can need not be right next to the tank. Got a closet close by?

I have not used an actual reactor, but I suppose you could rig the timer to your RO system and feed the reactor with it. Back it up with a float valve and or switch for safety.

 

[radone]

I'm with Steve
My barrel is only 30 gallons and it lasts me about 2 weeks, I only have a 30 because of space being so tight. If you've got the room look into a stock tank.

If you could buy the pickling lime in 50 or 100lb bags that would save some time.

 

[beez]

AcroSteve and Radone,

Just curious, does the Kalk in your reservoirs fall far below saturation before it gets dosed? I kinda have the same issue...I'd like to automate my kalk addition because of business travel but would prefer not to lay out the $$ for a Nilsen reactor...thanks!!!:bum:

 

[camarojweed]

I think I have a good design, i am going to use a 6" x 24" acrylic tube as my chamber then use a maxijet plumbed about 1/3 the way up to mix the Pickling lime sludge, I will have a dosing pump that draws off my RO/DI water supply (25 gallon tank w/ float to RO/DI unit) and pushes low volume of water through chamber and drips to tank, the maxijet will run twice a day for about 3 minutes to keep slurry from solidifying and the dsoing pump will run at night opposite of the MH light cycle...my only concern is how long/how much Pickling lime I can add to createt the supersaturated solution, one it hits the water and disipates it's intial heat production do I have any worries besides cleaning out the chamber every few months and cleaning the mixing pump...

Thoughts...also I have a dosing pump but it is kinda loud..it is an older mechanical drive style..any one know the cheapest place for the newer style...

Thanks

Jason