Should I use BRS Dosing pumps with Vodka?

[oseymour]

I dosed vodka manually on my old 37 gallon tank with great results. When I upgraded to a 50 breeder I decided to use biopellets to simply the task.

It's been about 3 months and I haven't seen any change in nitrates. I prefer to go back to Vodka as it was easy to adjust the dosing.

I just ordered a couple of BRS dosers to maintain Calc and Alk. Should I purchase another one to dose vodka daily? Is anyone else doing this?

 

[ReefWreak]

I'm interested to see what others are saying, since I was planning on doing exactly the same if I cant get back to ultra-low nutrient status in my 29g cube in the next two weeks.

I planned on using a BRS doser just as you mentioned, so I imagine it can be done just fine. Just make sure you have it set up with a reliable timer.

 

[oseymour]

I'm interested to see what others are saying, since I was planning on doing exactly the same if I cant get back to ultra-low nutrient status in my 29g cube in the next two weeks.

I planned on using a BRS doser just as you mentioned, so I imagine it can be done just fine. Just make sure you have it set up with a reliable timer.

I have an Apex so I was going to use one of the ports. The BRS doser doses at 1.1ml per minute so I'll just turn it on for the right amount of minutes per day - maybe split it up throughtout the day.

 

[ReefWreak]

That sounds good. Make sure to use a mechanical relay switch to control the pumps (you might also be familiar with them as being "high voltage" outlets for heater/chiller control).

The solid-state relays are good because they have a longer lifespan, however dosing pumps do not pull enough current to always trigger them to know that something is on the circuit, and so they may stick open. There are a number of ways around this if you really want to use a SS relay, just google it (triac relays).

 

[ericarenee]

I Do not have brs dosers But i have a dp4 jabao i dose Calcium alk and Phyo as well as every 3 days some Mag....

You should be fine .. My Next purchase is a Controller.

 

[ReefWreak]

I should also have mentioned that I'm using their current dosing pumps for my CA/ALK supplementation on my reefkeeper controller. 2 dosing pumps which each run twice a day for ~7 minutes per cycle.

 

[hart24601]

I have been using brs 1.1ml/min doser for vodka over 2 years now with no issues. Started with just a timer and now on apex.

 

[oseymour]

I have been using brs 1.1ml/min doser for vodka over 2 years now with no issues. Started with just a timer and now on apex.

Are you running them on the relay ports? Every had any instance of overdosing?

 

[jason2459]

Are you running them on the relay ports? Every had any instance of overdosing?

You want to run them on the relay outlets. The triac solid state outlets are what would most likely not switch off with a low wattage dosing pump. I have the BRS 1.1ml/m for dosing vinegar on the last outlet (relay) on the reef keeper strip for many years with no issues. The other ports do not work with it properly.

 

[oseymour]

You want to run them on the relay outlets. The triac solid state outlets are what would most likely not switch off with a low wattage dosing pump. I have the BRS 1.1ml/m for dosing vinegar on the last outlet (relay) on the reef keeper strip for many years with no issues. The other ports do not work with it properly.

I had my dc return pump and heater on both relay ports. I guess I'll have to move some stuff around.

 

[jason2459]

I had my dc return pump and heater on both relay ports. I guess I'll have to move some stuff around.

Both of those would have no issues on the other ports.

 

[oseymour]

Does the energy bar 4 have relay ports?

 

[jason2459]

Does the energy bar 4 have relay ports?

If I've read correctly the EB4 all 4 outlets will be fine with low wattage items.

 

[hart24601]

I run them on the relay outlets. No overdosing issues yet.

 

[ReefWreak]

I run them on the relay outlets. No overdosing issues yet.

Both types of outlets are relays. There are solid-state (Triac) relays that do not have a mechanical component, and there are electro-mechanical relays that do have a moving part to them (make the clicking sound when they turn on and off).

It's recommended to use the clicking ones (electro-mechanical relays) for dosing pumps as mentioned in the posts above, as the solid-state (triac) relays do not always turn off when switched off by the controller with light loads on them.

 

[jason2459]

Both types of outlets are relays. There are solid-state (Triac) relays that do not have a mechanical component, and there are electro-mechanical relays that do have a moving part to them (make the clicking sound when they turn on and off).

It's recommended to use the clicking ones (electro-mechanical relays) for dosing pumps as mentioned in the posts above, as the solid-state (triac) relays do not always turn off when switched off by the controller with light loads on them.

To be fair DA and Neptune describes their outlets as either Relay (mechanical) or not (Triac Solid State) and even labeled as so showing "relay" on top of 4 and 8 on the sticker.

Example:

A couple of notes about the EB8 module. These come with 8 receptacles, numbered 1 - 8. Outlets 4 and 8 are
activated with mechanical relays (on the EB4 and Apex Jr., all 4 outlets are mechanical relays). These have a
distinct "click" whenever they switch on/off. Mechanical relays (think light switch in your house) have been
around for a long time, are inexpensive and very reliable. They handle both high and low current devices well but
are large and bulky compared to solid state alternatives. Also, over time they can ‘arc’ (basically a small spark) and
have their contacts ‘pit’ (a black, crusty residue) as a result. And, as far as switches go, they’re relatively slow
which can be a problem in some applications.
Outlets 1-3 and 5-7 are TRIAC (Triode for Alternating Current) solid state outlets. They are silent, compact and
capable of hundreds of thousands of on/off cycles. An example of a TRIAC switch can be found on your Christmas
tree lights. They are very, very fast and can switch in fractions of a second and do that all day long without
wearing out like a mechanical switch/relay would. Another advantage that TRIAC switches have over mechanical
switches is that they “time” their switch to the point when the current sine wave is at or near zero (what Neptune
calls ‘soft start’). This virtually eliminates the possibility of “arcing” that can happen with mechanical relays that
are indiscriminate about where in the sine wave they open/close.


...

The total amperage draw of all outlets for an EB8 is 15A which is the maximum load an average household circuit
can handle anyway. TRIAC outlets are designed for a maximum of 5A, the relay outlets 10A. The EB4 outlets (1-3)
can handle up to 8A each and outlet #4 can handle 12A. The maximum of 15A for the module still applies.


TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Number of Solid State Switched Outlets 6
Number of Relay Switched outlets 2
Maximum Current Draw per Solid State Outlet 5 Amps
Maximum Current Draw per Relay Outlet 10
Amps
Maximum Allowed Current Draw (total of all
outlets)
15
Amps
Number of AquaBus Connectors 6

 

[markster33139]

Running 4 BRS pumps on an EB4 for over 2 years, dosing the main 3 plus vinegar, no issues