Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

What size of Polyethylene Tubing should I use? I have 1/4" mur-loc at home, but I don't know whether I should use 3/8" instead.

In the first post the author said for long runs and commercial use 3/8", but what define long runs?

Setup will be Masterflex pump, Geo CR624, and the distance between the sump and the pump is between 4-8'

Thanks,
 
i used 3/8, i just inserted a piece of 1/4 in side so i could see the stream . 3/8 will e fine for that run, 1/4 would work also, kind of up to you
 
I ran 8 feet of lift and 30 feet of vertical through 1/4 inch tubing with a Cole Parmer. I think it was my 7524-00. It was for auto top off and did not run continuously but it never lost its prime.
 
Been trying to wade through the whole thread but its pretty big. I've nailed down a few things but want to check to make sure. I was looking online for some kind of reference chart on what the specs are for each model but haven't been able to find any so far.

All 7523 pumps are brushless and the # after the - refers to rpm range?

So a 7523-20 or a 7523-40 will work? Both are listed as 10-600rpm so I don't know the what other difference there is.

7518 heads are what I want and again the # after the - are different rates. Will -60 or -12 work for the above pumps?

I found a 77300-80 which looks to be just the controller. Can I match it to a 77300-50 drive and 7518-00 head?

Thanks for the help!
 
vhuang168 said:
Been trying to wade through the whole thread but its pretty big. I've nailed down a few things but want to check to make sure. I was looking online for some kind of reference chart on what the specs are for each model but haven't been able to find any so far.

All 7523 pumps are brushless and the # after the - refers to rpm range?

So a 7523-20 or a 7523-40 will work? Both are listed as 10-600rpm so I don't know the what other difference there is.

7518 heads are what I want and again the # after the - are different rates. Will -60 or -12 work for the above pumps?

I found a 77300-80 which looks to be just the controller. Can I match it to a 77300-50 drive and 7518-00 head?

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...


Not all pumps are brushless.
Neither the 7523-20 or the 7523-40 appear to be brushless.
The 7523-20 is a 10-600 RPM unit.
The 7523-40 is a 1-600 RPM unit.

The 77300-80 does appear to be a controller only but I am not sure what motor goes with it. i would suggest sticking with an integrated motor controller combo like the ones you are looking at above.

I got that info by searching the model numbers on the cole parmer website.
I am basing the non brushless comment based on price and looking at the manual for the 7523-40 which shows the brushes in the diagram.
http://www.coleparmer.com/Assets/manual_pdfs/A-1299-0724.pdf
Both will work fine for calcium reactor use. They just will not be as quiet as their more expensive brushless counterparts.

For reference, the Brushless models will be listed at $1900+ on the CP website even if they are discontinued. If you see a price that is in the $1200 range as these were, you can generally bet they are brushed models and not "Maintenance Free" brushless... Some really old models will not be listed at all. The ones with the little knob to adjust the speed and pretty much all brushed models. The digital ones like the two you mentioned are typically offered in brushless but that is model specific.


As for the heads, the coleparmer.com website is a good resource. Just search the head model and look at the tubing it suggests. Ideally you are after one that supports LS17 tubing. While not a necessity, stainless rollers are better than the standard steel ones.

7518-60 is a good head that supports LS17 tubing and has a stainless rotor.
7518-12 does not support LS17 tubing.
7518-00 is a good head that supports LS17 tubing but does not have the stainless rotor. Not a huge deal though as long as you don't get a tubing leak.

In the future, if you search this thread by clicking the "search this thread" tab above, you can put in the model number and get more info on it quickly as others before you have asked the same or similar questions and there are other users of these pumps in this thread too and they don't all monitor the thread. As such, the search this thread feature can be a quick and useful way to gain knowledge about specific pumps.
 
I had searched the thread but only for certain models and got confused about which worked and which didn't. The CP website isn't very forthcoming with specs either, the -20 page had nothing and I did not notice the -40 page had a manual.

The 77300 seems to be a brushed motor controller from further digging.

I'm just looking to see the most cost effective way of going forward. The only 7523-60 I've found is $999.

At that price point, I can actually spend a little more and get something more current.

Found a 7523-80 for the same price but I just need a head which is another few hundred.
 
wow, $1k for a used 7523-60 is way too much, I suggested you wait for one of biotech companies that go under in either SSF, or Morgan Hill.
 
vhuang168 said:
I had searched the thread but only for certain models and got confused about which worked and which didn't. The CP website isn't very forthcoming with specs either, the -20 page had nothing and I did not notice the -40 page had a manual.

The 77300 seems to be a brushed motor controller from further digging.

I'm just looking to see the most cost effective way of going forward. The only 7523-60 I've found is $999.

At that price point, I can actually spend a little more and get something more current.

Found a 7523-80 for the same price but I just need a head which is another few hundred.
Click to expand...



The 7523-80 is what I am using. It's silent at normal operating speeds and is about the best pump you can find below $1000. As far as heads, you can get a new 7518 head that will work with any of these pumps for about $100 on eBay. I've seen them for even less. The good thing about those heads is that they don't really wear out so if you found a deal on a clean used one, I wouldn't hesitate.
 
Those pumps have been hard to find used. Good units demands high price. I stalked ebay for 6 weeks to find a good working unit that doesn't cost 1k. Don't use the price reference in the older posts. They don't apply in today's market. For reference, I got 7523-70 used for around $400 and 7518-00 head for $95.
 
BigMike75 said:
Just pulled the trigger on a 7523-60 with Easy load 7518-00 head. These things are hard to come by for any kind of reasonable price. Got a bonus at work so I thought this would be the time to grab 1.
Click to expand...

I gave a little less then $600 with shipping for mine. You just have to keep watching ebay. There was 2 at that time but the other 1 didn't have the right head for the l/s 17 tubing.
 
I got my 7523-50 for $550. It's in excellent shape and had 2 heads. I thought about selling 1 and getting some money back but I think I'll keep it as a spare instead. Not the best deal but I don't think it was bad either for a really nice condition digital brushless one.
 
Snagged a 7550-30 with 2 77201-60 heads. I believe this hits all the necessary details. Brushless, 600rpm, LS17 head (SS rollers I think).
 
Masterflex two channel head for auto water change

Masterflex two channel head for auto water change

So happened a two channel Masterflex head came on a brushless pump I bought for my calcium reactor. Ended up using it for AWC. The head is model 77202-60 mounted on a Masterflex 7554-80 brush pump.

Have seen several Masterflex pumps with stacked pump heads for AWC, but didn't know of dual channel heads. The two channel head is small and only slightly larger than a single channel head. The head takes tube size up to L/S 25 (3/16") which is one size smaller than L/S 17 (1/4").

After several test runs, the L/S 25 tubing at 80 rpm will do a 12 gallon water change in 4 hours. For a timer, I use the feed mode on Apex to automate the Masteflex pump start-stop time, set for once a week. The feed made makes it simple to set duration times and schedule the days you want water changes.

Set up pictures:

IMG_1948_zpsokddz5eh.jpg~original


IMG_1953_zpsucxzvbax.jpg~original


IMG_1959_zps7l2c8h7x.jpg~original


Since no floor drain or sink close by, the old saltwater discharge line terminates into the side of a nearby drain pipe. For strength, I glued an extra layer of PVC to the side of the drain. Drilled and tapped a 1/4" pipe thread tap to receive the barb adapter.

IMG_1964_zpsmhp9lzq8.jpg~original
 
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