ALK Dosing - drip line clogs
- Thread starter Tbyram
- Start date
- Tagged users None
jmichaelh7
2500 Club Member
I have ATO . Let me
how long have you been using with no issue
Been out of the hobby for nearly twenty years (I’m in Houston and didn’t have backup power after a hurricane—-better prepared now) but having a tank built now so back in soon but I used this solution for years after beating my head against the wall trying to solve it. I actually found it in someone’s post eons ago so I can’t take credit for it. It works and makes nothing but sense (other than finding an alternate alk product that doesn’t cause the problem—I plan on using All for Reef once I’m back up and running). You have virtually nothing to lose and if it fails (it won’t), nothing will be harmed. Trust me...it works. Promise.
In the past I had my ATO line next to the ALK line and bent it over to rinse the end of the ALK. Worked pretty well but the line would slowly bend back and I had to keep bending the line back over. I like the 'y' idea!
I don't remember where I saw it but they way I do it now has been flawless and costs nothing. Some crystals will form on the edge but never clogs. - Just cut the end of the tubing at a 45 degree angle. That's all !!
I don't remember where I saw it but they way I do it now has been flawless and costs nothing. Some crystals will form on the edge but never clogs. - Just cut the end of the tubing at a 45 degree angle. That's all !!
Wow. Seriously. Followed the Y valve instructions and it’s working great. What a difference. I would start getting precipitate in like 1-2 days before. Now I have none. I even have the dosing line next to my other lines for calcium and Mg. I moved it before in case they were causing the clogging. Everything is working better than ever. What a saver approach. So simple but makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip!
6 month update. Haven’t had any issues. This has stabilized my alk levels. Total game changer.
Outstanding news! Thanks for the update. Another option (perhaps even better) is Tropic Marin’s All for Reef supplementation. Cal, Alk,, Mag and trace elements in one solution. I use the powder and mix my own with RODI water. Mixing is a bit of a pain (a magnetic stirrer has proven to be a godsend even though I mix rarely due to making large batches). A lot of people think it’s not economical but I think the exact opposite is the case with the powder once you do the math. One solution of course just means one dosing line. Never had anything even approaching a clog. Super stable parameters. Just FWIW. So glad to hear you now have a long term fix. Stay well!
I’ve thought about changing my dosing strategy. Mixing my own would be way more economical. One thing holding me back is that I’ve stabilized my system and dosing schedule. I don’t really feel like going through that again. If I upgrade my tank size then I definitely will need to. Thanks for the info!
Another update. I’m upgrading my tank. I have to move it so I figured why not upgrade. In this process I’m going to switch to a plumbed ATO with a float valve coming straight from my RO unit. So I can no longer flush my alk line with my ATO. Any thoughts on how to po this approach over?
What I’m planning to do is leverage my auto water charge system. So instead of flushing the line with RO I’ll just flush with fresh saltwater. I pump in 1 gallon per day throughout the day.
Any other thoughts are welcome!
What I’m planning to do is leverage my auto water charge system. So instead of flushing the line with RO I’ll just flush with fresh saltwater. I pump in 1 gallon per day throughout the day.
Any other thoughts are welcome!
Hey Jersey! A bit confused. I read your post as saying you will top off straight from your RO unit which I infer as fresh, filtered water (be aware of TDS creep if my inference is correct…every time an RODI fires up and produces product there will TDS which is why the standard practice is to run the initial outflow down the drain for a minute or two to eliminate that issue) but your last paragraph mentions flushing with “fresh” saltwater. Can you clarify…it’s likely just me not getting it; that’s generally the case.
In any event, I’m not sure flushing the line with salt or fresh would necessarily matter so long as the end of the tube through which your alk is being dispensed is being kept moist periodically. That said, I can’t say definitively and certainly can’t speak to the chemistry (or perhaps physics) behind what causes the clogging (if indeed that’s what you’re inquiring about) in the first place…I’d defer to someone like Doc Farley for that!
In any event, I’m not sure flushing the line with salt or fresh would necessarily matter so long as the end of the tube through which your alk is being dispensed is being kept moist periodically. That said, I can’t say definitively and certainly can’t speak to the chemistry (or perhaps physics) behind what causes the clogging (if indeed that’s what you’re inquiring about) in the first place…I’d defer to someone like Doc Farley for that!
I have a TDS meter to monitor but I get your point. I’ve heard this before with the initial startup of the RO unit. Challenge with the new tank being a Red Sea reefer, there’s very little space for the ATO reservoir and although it comes with one, it’s very small and I was thinking of repurposing it. Given your point, maybe I’ll just port my auto fill system over from the old tank. I’m using a 5 gallon bucket that a Solenoid fills every morning to avoid the TDS creep. I could just use this to fill the ATO tank instead, but that ATO tank is gravity fed with a float valve. My old one has an ATO monitor with attached pump. So I would probably still need to try the auto water change system in that case because the Red Sea solution won’t flush the alk tubing.
Note, when I said freshwater I meant RO.
Note, when I said freshwater I meant RO.
Sean Clark
7500 Club Member
This is simply brilliant. Thanks.
mingc
Community Member
learned it and avoid the future mistake, GOOD INFOs!
