Dosing tube issue with Kamoer X1 Pro pump

[hllb]

I have been running two Kamoer X1 Pro dosing pumps for about 9 months now with no issues. Yesterday, I noticed that the output tube had popped off one of the pumps and it had been pumping calcium onto my shelf and floor. Goody! It had probably only been a day or so, so I cleaned up the mess, put the tube back on, and did a test dose. About half the dose went fine and then the tube popped off again. It does seem like the pumping is a bit rougher on this pump than the other. Any idea what's going on? For now, I put a zip tie on the tubing to keep it in place and so far that has worked. Any ideas?

 

[JumboShrimp]

This is the stuff nightmares are made of.

 

[hllb]

This is the stuff nightmares are made of.

At least it wasn't the alk....that would have been much worse for the tank. Missing a day or two of calcium dosing isn't a huge deal. But boy, that stuff is like oil and hard to clean up.

 

[Cell]

Is it stretched out? Cut an inch off the end and try again.

 

[Gtinnel]

Since that uses just a barbed fitting I think once the tubing comes off the barb the end will be stretched out some. I'd cut a little bit off of the tubing just to get where the tubing will be tighter on the fitting again.

As for what could have caused it to come off in the first place, the only thing that I could think of would be a restriction at the end of the output tube. If the output is restricted but calcium buildup it seems like that would put pressure on the tube trying to shove it off of the fitting. I'm not positive that the physics works this way but I would think that it would.

 

[hllb]

The tube wasn’t stretched out at all but I can try cutting the end off.

 

[Gtinnel]

The tube wasn’t stretched out at all but I can try cutting the end off.

Unless the tubing is very rubbery (like silicone tubing) then it has to be stretched out at least a little bit. It may not be enough to to see or matter though. It still may not explain why it came off to start with either.

I would check the end of the output tube for any buildup too.

 

[hllb]

Unless the tubing is very rubbery (like silicone tubing) then it has to be stretched out at least a little bit. It may not be enough to to see or matter though. It still may not explain why it came off to start with either.

I would check the end of the output tube for any buildup too.

I definitely have issues in my setup - when I turn my return pump off the ends of the line hit water. Not ideal, but I can't do it any other way in my AIO. The lines are not blocked though, as when I did my test dose it was coming out. I'll snake the tube to make sure it's not partially blocked. I am setting up a new tank in Septemberish so hoping that I can do a much better setup with the new tank with a sump.

 

[Gtinnel]

I definitely have issues in my setup - when I turn my return pump off the ends of the line hit water. Not ideal, but I can't do it any other way in my AIO. The lines are not blocked though, as when I did my test dose it was coming out. I'll snake the tube to make sure it's not partially blocked. I am setting up a new tank in Septemberish so hoping that I can do a much better setup with the new tank with a sump.

I may be wrong here but you could probably also a manual dispense of a known amount and measure it in one of the graduated cylinders to see if it matches. I would think that if there is a restriction in the line putting back pressure on the pump would cause a decrease in the amount dispensed. Although if it isn't a restriction at the end then it there probably isn't one.

 

[hllb]

I may be wrong here but you could probably also a manual dispense of a known amount and measure it in one of the graduated cylinders to see if it matches. I would think that if there is a restriction in the line putting back pressure on the pump would cause a decrease in the amount dispensed. Although if it isn't a restriction at the end then it there probably isn't one.

Yes, there is a calibration setting that does just this. I should probably do it more often - it's probably been at least 6 months since I calibrated it.

 

[Gtinnel]

Yes, there is a calibration setting that does just this. I should probably do it more often - it's probably been at least 6 months since I calibrated it.

I used my kamoer x1 (the non pro versions) for about 6 months before switching to neptune dos, and never even considered calibrating them again. I just watched my alk/cal and if they changed I adjusted the amount to dose in the app.

So you are definitely not alone.

 

[hllb]

I used my kamoer x1 (the non pro versions) for about 6 months before switching to neptune dos, and never even considered calibrating them again. I just watched my alk/cal and if they changed I adjusted the amount to dose in the app.

So you are definitely not alone.

Yes, that was my theory - it doesn't really matter how accurate the calibration was, since I adjusted dosing based on water tests. In this instance, it would likely be helpful to determine if there's a blockage and the dosage is really far off the mark.