Help keeping Bubbles consistent on Calcium Rx

[savoyard]

I purchased a used Life Reef Calcium reactor with a Milwaukee 957 controller. Its set up and running well until the bubbles slow down after like an hour or so. I can set it to about 1 bubble per second, but then it just slowly takes longer and longer for the bubble to come out. The tank is full and PSI is at like 10. Should I increase the PSI to keep consistent bubbles?
It also doesn't restart the bubbles well after the Solenoid turns on/off.

 

[KrisReef]

These regulators are designed for releasing CO2 but not necessarily for making bubbles. The valves used in these regulators really don't allow the fine tuning for bubble production but they do work of on/off applications where volume released is significantly more than a bubble. I struggled with this same issue, I would get it set, I purchased needle valves to adjust the bubble flow and every week it seemed that it would require some adjustment, or it would get stuck open and empty the CO2 tank, and the result was horrible for stability.

There is another way to adjust these for calcium reactors where you have a constant flow of CO2 and adjust the amount of water flow. I had similar issues with that method, again the typical regulator valves are not designed for tiny bubbles and they get plugged up or blow open at will with temperature change, bump into it during cleaning, etc.

I broke down and bought a Carbon Doser, it is designed to produce bubbles and that worked for me. There is another solution, DaStaCo Calcium reactor (very expensive) that I wish I would have bought when I first started this treck because the amount invested in constantly purchasing new valves, new reactors, etc was way more than DaStaCo would have cost had I bought it first. Carbon Doser is another fix, it is working without fiddling for 4+ years now.

 

[w8lifts]

Careful, you can pop the top off your reactor by over pressuring it. 10 pounds should be enough to maintain positive flow in the reactor. Have you tried cleaning the regulator or maybe just replacing it? I have mine set for 10 pounds and haven’t touched it in months

 

[savoyard]

Thanks, I may break down and buy Carbon Doser. I sort of thought I could avoid that using a PH controller, but I need to look into that. What's the best way to clean the regulator valves? I contacted Milwaukee and they recommended 20psi, so I'm trying that now.

 

[savoyard]

Careful, you can pop the top off your reactor by over pressuring it. 10 pounds should be enough to maintain positive flow in the reactor. Have you tried cleaning the regulator or maybe just replacing it? I have mine set for 10 pounds and haven’t touched it in months

How would you recommend cleaning it? Soak it in Vinegar?

 

[w8lifts]

From the OEM: MAINTENANCE: At the time of a bottle change. Put the regulator on the new bottle and plug the solenoid into a wall socket, take the top off the bubble counter and turn up the pressure to blow out the system. This should only take a few seconds of high gas flow

 

[savoyard]

From the OEM: MAINTENANCE: At the time of a bottle change. Put the regulator on the new bottle and plug the solenoid into a wall socket, take the top off the bubble counter and turn up the pressure to blow out the system. This should only take a few seconds of high gas flow

Thanks, I already tried that. It was in the Life Reef Instructions. I guess I need to buy a new one.

 

[w8lifts]

Thanks, I already tried that. It was in the Life Reef Instructions. I guess I need to buy a new one.

I would, it is pretty important for your safety and the tank. Maybe buy a better quality one if you plan on keeping a calcium reactor for the life of the tank.

edit: adding what I have

Dual Stage CO2 Regulator

The SR Aquaristik Dual Stage CO2 Regulator Kit is used to regulate the flow of carbon dioxide from standard North American CO2 bottles. Ideal for use in planted aquariums or for supplying CO2 to calcium reactors for reef aquariums or any other applications that require precise CO2 control. The...

sraquaristik.com

 

[Dburr1014]

I purchased a used Life Reef Calcium reactor with a Milwaukee 957 controller. Its set up and running well until the bubbles slow down after like an hour or so. I can set it to about 1 bubble per second, but then it just slowly takes longer and longer for the bubble to come out. The tank is full and PSI is at like 10. Should I increase the PSI to keep consistent bubbles?
It also doesn't restart the bubbles well after the Solenoid turns on/off.

Are you using a check valve?
You may need to bump up to 15 psi.
I had a single stage that SAS fixed at 23 psi... Hated it.
My 2 stage I run at about 12 psi for the consistency. It was at 10 but better at 12.

Did you also make sure there are no leaks in all the connections?

 

[ReefGeezer]

A good regulator and needle valve is the answer. I have a Swagelock needle valve on dual stage regulator. I could dial up a bubble rate and it wouldn't change much over time. I dose All for Reef now but I still have that regulator and needle valve just in case.

 

[Dburr1014]

I purchased a used Life Reef Calcium reactor with a Milwaukee 957 controller. Its set up and running well until the bubbles slow down after like an hour or so. I can set it to about 1 bubble per second, but then it just slowly takes longer and longer for the bubble to come out. The tank is full and PSI is at like 10. Should I increase the PSI to keep consistent bubbles?
It also doesn't restart the bubbles well after the Solenoid turns on/off.

One more thing, I don't see a needle valve on yours.???

 

[savoyard]

One more thing, I don't see a needle valve on yours.???

I attached a more complete image. Is the needle valve the knob on the right of the bubble counter? I did check for leaks and it seemed ok. I don't mind buying a swagelock needle valve or even a new regulator. I just want to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong with this one first.

 

[Dburr1014]

I attached a more complete image. Is the needle valve the knob on the right of the bubble counter? I did check for leaks and it seemed ok. I don't mind buying a swagelock needle valve or even a new regulator. I just want to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong with this one first.

That's is the NV.
How did you check for leaks? Soapy water at all connections? Turn off low side and tank for a few hours? Turn off solenoid, load the work gage and isolate for a few hours?
There's a few checks to make.

 

[billwill]

I recommend 20 psig. Quality needle valve is a must as well, but too low of psi and even that doesn't do the trick. I wouldn't get too hung up on individual bubble rate, but instead bubbles per minute. Even then, the main concern is maintaining a PH level in the reactor and keeping the solenoid energized as near constant as you can.

 

[savoyard]

I recommend 20 psig. Quality needle valve is a must as well, but too low of psi and even that doesn't do the trick. I wouldn't get too hung up on individual bubble rate, but instead bubbles per minute. Even then, the main concern is maintaining a PH level in the reactor and keeping the solenoid energized as near constant as you can.

What do you mean by keeping the solenoid energized? If I have the bubbles going too fast my solenoid turns off around 6.6 pH. It's working fine and turns back on, but a lot of times the bubbles don't start again at a consistent rate. They come out slower or are almost stuck.

 

[my86iroc01]

Get the carbon doser. It's worth the investment.

 

[billwill]

What do you mean by keeping the solenoid energized? If I have the bubbles going too fast my solenoid turns off around 6.6 pH. It's working fine and turns back on, but a lot of times the bubbles don't start again at a consistent rate. They come out slower or are almost stuck.

In a perfect scenario you want the bubble rate just right so the solenoid never shuts off and the PH in your reactor is at your wanted set point. My solenoid still shuts down a couple times a day I think but 99% of the time is energized. That's where the expensive needle valve comes into play. I agree, the carbon doser is the less troublesome way to go if you were to start over from scratch.

 

[savoyard]

In a perfect scenario you want the bubble rate just right so the solenoid never shuts off and the PH in your reactor is at your wanted set point. My solenoid still shuts down a couple times a day I think but 99% of the time is energized. That's where the expensive needle valve comes into play. I agree, the carbon doser is the less troublesome way to go if you were to start over from scratch.

I guess I was shooting for that perfect scenario where the solenoid is only used in emergency situations. It sounds like you'd need a carbon doser to achieve that. I'll get a new needle valve next to try out.
I can probably get it to where the solenoid only shuts off once or twice a day.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I guess I was shooting for that perfect scenario where the solenoid is only used in emergency situations. It sounds like you'd need a carbon doser to achieve that. I'll get a new needle valve next to try out.
I can probably get it to where the solenoid only shuts off once or twice a day.

Even with a better needle valve, it make take a slightly higher pressure to get a steady bubble count.