Calcium reactor 3172 leaking

VJV · Oct 9, 2018

Hi Roger,

I have just setup my new Calcium reactor and after removing the cap from the PH Probe port and installing the probe the unit is now slowly leaking from the base of the probe port. I did re install the rubber sleeve but it is still leaking.

What am I doing wrong? Is there a correct way to insert the rubber O ring/ sleeve? Do I need to push it all the way down?

Many thanks and kind regards

rvitko · Oct 9, 2018

Is it leaking at the thread into the acrylic or is it leaking at the probe into the gland nut? If it is leaking at the probe, it just needs to be tightened more, but I would never go tighter than can be done by hand.

VJV · Oct 9, 2018

It seems to be at the thread into the acrylic.

rvitko · Oct 9, 2018

In this case I would check that seal is OK, and main thing to do is add a little teflon tape on the thread.

VJV · Oct 10, 2018

rvitko said:
In this case I would check that seal is OK, and main thing to do is add a little teflon tape on the thread.

Thanks! The strange thing is that it seems to be leaking between the base of the port and the acrylic, not from the threaded part if this makes sense....?

Also, this is my first time using CO2 and with small kids I am paranoid about CO2 leaking from the bottle.

I just opened the cylinder main valve and a whoosh sound came out and I could clearly feel air being blown out of the regulator with my hand.... [emoji15][emoji51]

After 1 second the sound disappeared and I can’t feel any breeze, but I am concerned I might have a leak somewhere... how can I be sure that I do not have CO2 leaking into my leaving room?

Thanks!

rvitko · Oct 10, 2018

The only places it could leak is the thread or the compression on the electrode.

This was likely the emergency relief valve which would release excess pressure, this will typically go off if the bottle was opened and the regulator was turned all the way up. It can also happen if the bottle was overfilled or was warm. I would not worry about it very much, CO2 is relatively safe and assuming a small 5 pound bottle in a well ventilated room, the risk is very small, the main hazard would be dropping it so the regulator brakes off at the bottle and the bottle rocketing around but that is not easy to do.

VJV · Oct 10, 2018

rvitko said:
The only places it could leak is the thread or the compression on the electrode.

This was likely the emergency relief valve which would release excess pressure, this will typically go off if the bottle was opened and the regulator was turned all the way up. It can also happen if the bottle was overfilled or was warm. I would not worry about it very much, CO2 is relatively safe and assuming a small 5 pound bottle in a well ventilated room, the risk is very small, the main hazard would be dropping it so the regulator brakes off at the bottle and the bottle rocketing around but that is not easy to do.

Thanks! Feeling better now ... still, one thing is bugging me: the regulator has two pressure gauges, one indicating the pressure in the canister and the other would be the working pressure. I had opened the valve and adjusted to 1,0bar the working pressure (top dial in the picture ) but it slowly went back to zero...??

rvitko · Oct 10, 2018

This could be because the pressure was adjusted without the solenoid open and once the solenoid opened it dropped as the needle valve is too far open, I would check the bubble count. It can also be the pressure was stored but it is not open enough and once the solenoid opened it was released.

VJV · Oct 13, 2018

Hey Roger,

I have had everything working for about 4 days and am testing Alk 4x a day to make sure I do not have any big swings (I have a number of large SPS colonies so am trying to make sure everything remains stable).

One thing I have noticed is that when the solenoid closes I can still se bubbles in the 3172 bubble counter, albeit at a very slow rate. Is this normal or does it mean I have a leak?

Thanks

VJV · Oct 13, 2018

The second pH probe is the one in the reactor.

VJV · Oct 15, 2018

Hi Roger,

I am wandering if the reactor (it is actually the 3171) is too small for my 600 liters tank plus 125 liters sump.

I have the pH inside the reactor set to 6,5, the effluent set to a constant healthy stream, am using kalk in the ATO and still need to dose 80ml of balling (was dosing 380ml before introducing the reactor) to keep Alk above 7,0dKH...

Is this normal?

rvitko · Oct 15, 2018

This is normal at the start, it typically takes 1-2 months to get a stable level, I would reduce the drip rate as it is probably too much CO2 exiting and I would raise the KH to 8-9 as well to help with free CO2 and pH drop. It is big enough it just takes time. The bubbles could be the solenoid is leaking, it could be the pressure is too high or the valve is in backwards.

VJV · Oct 15, 2018

Thanks! By the valve being backwards do you mean the solenoid or the no return valve?

The other thing that is happening is that I set a high bubble count for the CO2 and during the course of a day it constantly drops to a point where it is no longer able to bring the ph in the reactor down...for example I set the bubble rate yesterday to some 3 per second and it would drive the pH down with no issues and today the solenoid is permanently open and the pH is actually slowly rising.

rvitko · Oct 15, 2018

The solenoid can be backwards, it has an arrow for the direction of CO2 and if backwards the pressure can push it open. Try a lower drip rate, this gives the CO2 more time to dissolve and work on the media.

VJV · Oct 15, 2018

rvitko said:
The solenoid can be backwards, it has an arrow for the direction of CO2 and if backwards the pressure can push it open. Try a lower drip rate, this gives the CO2 more time to dissolve and work on the media.

Thanks! I need to check if it has the arrow as it is a GHL solenoid, not Tunze. Would that also be the reason for the slow drop in the CO2 bubble count even when open?

I tried a lower drip rate but at that point it would not keep up with the Alk.

In fact as above even wide open (and with a bubble count allowing for the pH inside he reactor to get down to 6,6) it still cannot cope with Alk demand. To clarify:

- I was dosing 380ml of Alk (stand alone, no Kalk on ATO) which would equate to a daily consumption of around 1.5dKH for my 700 liter tank

- with the reactor working with a high effluent and CO2 usage AND using Kalk in the ATO, I still need to add about 80ml of balling.

I have some 1,5 foot wide SPS colonies but I would not consider my tank to be jam packed with SPS.

rvitko · Oct 15, 2018

It can be, I only know our valve if it is backwards it does not close and open properly.

The result with a calcium reactor is not instant, it takes 1-2 months to get dialed in and for everything to stabilize in my experience.

VJV · Oct 15, 2018

Roger, I still have my old Tunze 5074 Calcium dispenser lying around am am thinking about using it to supplement Kalk to the tank.l, instead of mixing directly in the ATO reservoir.

Problem is I no longer have the non return valve (5074.01) and I can only find online the 7070.010 CO2 non-return valve. Can I use this one with the dispenser?

Also, on my 3171 I have placed the bubble counter before the solenoid. Should I place it after the solenoid to check whether the solenoid is defective?

Thanks!

rvitko · Oct 15, 2018

You need 5074.010, 7077.010 needs 1+ bar to open and 5074.010 is set to open at half a pound. A small air pump check valve can also work but they don't last very long. The two work very well together as the talk will bind the free CO2. Yes, have the bubble counter after the solenoid, it could be that is all that is wrong, if the pressure is higher the tubing inflates and CO2 keeps flowing and the tubing basically acts like a small balloon.

VJV · Oct 15, 2018

I wish I could like your posts twice [emoji4]. Just ordered the 5074.01 but it will take one to two weeks to arrive... [emoji20] need to see if I can find one of the air pump ones you mention in the meantime.

VJV · Oct 17, 2018

Hi Roger, after regulating the bubble count on Sunday to something like 3 per second the pH of the reactor would drop quickly down to the desired 6,5. During the next 24h the ability to drop the pH would slow down to a point where it would barely be able to bring it below 6,75. One day layer however, it is back to being able to maintain the pH at around 6,5 so not sure what happened here.

The other thing that is happening is that the pH of my tank, in spite of having added Kalk to my ATO water, is now between 7,6 and 8,0. I never used Kalk but kind of expected it to boost it higher...???

I am waiting for the non return valve to arrive to setup the 5074 dispenser so am wondering if I may have precipitated the Kalk out of solution due to over mixing or whether it lost its potency because it is in contact with air?

Also, I wonder if such low tank ph is due to the very high effluent rate and if I reduce it down to a constant drip it would help boost the tank pH? The problem about a slow drip rate was that when I initially tried it it would absolutely not keep up with the Alk demand...