Kalkwasser stirrer hooked up after ATO solenoid?

[DomiKasReef]

I'm wondering if anyone has experience/thoughts on hooking up a kalkwasser stirrer after an ATO solenoid which is directly connected to the RODI line.

I'm using the neptune systems ATK and use their solenoid not a pump (all hooked up to my Apex)

Would there be any concerns with hooking up a stirrer after the solenoid?
Would I need a pressure regulator on the line before the stirrer you think?
Things to consider with doing this?

Thanks!

 

[Justfebreezeit]

So you don't have an ATO reservoir is what your saying? or even if you do, you want to bypass it straight to the stirrer?

My only thought would be in the event of a failure and dumping a cup or two of kalk into your system. I feel a solenoid has a higher change to get stuck open than a pump does getting stuck on. Though its probably minimal.

 

[DomiKasReef]

Correct. No reservoir, just water lines straight from the RODI system.
It is a normally closed solenoid but I wasn't even thinking about it getting stuck open so that's a GREAT point.

So now I will add a redundant solenoid in series and limit the chance of that ever happening.

I'm also mainly wondering about the pressure output from the system and if that is something that needs to be considered too. This setup idea is something that is somewhat new to me and not something I'm really familiar with (dosing kalkwasser).

 

[DomiKasReef]

Back to full circle update on this. I setup my RODI feed line straight to 2 solenoids in series (one after the other) that goes to a T which branches off .. one line to my kalkwasser stirrer and the other to the tank both with shutoff values to use one independently. (in the event I need to use plain RODI water) I installed another valve for the stirrer to adjust the violent flow of my RODI line and all is good. I think the key here was the redundant solenoid that made it 'safer' in the event of one sticking open.

 

[DogsRule]

I've always been under the impression that it is not good to have RODI lines directly connected to an ATO- it is not so much because of the potential risk of a valve or solenoid failing, but because it is bad for the RO system to constantly turn on/off for short cycles. Have you researched "TDS creep"? If your DI resin is handling the TDS creep & not exhausting too fast, then maybe it's a non-issue, but I'd still expect a shorter RO membrane life in the long run. HTH

 

[DomiKasReef]

It depends on the person maybe? I’m aware of TDS creep but for me and my setup, it’s not an issue. I have 17TDS after the membrane and resin is lasting a good amount of time so far. Not even showing color change signs of used at this point. Although it is a real thing, I think some reefers take it to the extreme and warn of TDS creep like a plague to avoid it. Which might work for them but doesn’t matter for others. I could easily setup an additional solenoid to open before my DI prior to the ATO ones opening to mitigate some, but again, for the gains, it’s simply not worth it to me. Maybe it’s worth it for others though. I also have a mineral tank holding a cubic foot of di-resin I use for other things quite a bit and it’s taking TDS of about 400 and I’ve had that over a year. Might even move the reef setup to a mineral tank at some point.

 

[Gene Ashton]

Back to full circle update on this. I setup my RODI feed line straight to 2 solenoids in series (one after the other) that goes to a T which branches off .. one line to my kalkwasser stirrer and the other to the tank both with shutoff values to use one independently. (in the event I need to use plain RODI water) I installed another valve for the stirrer to adjust the violent flow of my RODI line and all is good. I think the key here was the redundant solenoid that made it 'safer' in the event of one sticking open.

I've been thinking about doing this very thing only I have the Auto Aqua pump from my RODI top off bucket into the sump. I was going to run it into a Kalkwasser stirrer directly but think the pump is to strong. A "T" would allow me to slow down the flow. I've been adding a few gallons of Kalk every week on my RSR450 about 115 gallons and get tired of making kalk every other day.

 

[C. Eymann]

After kalk? no, that solenoid will jam up pretty quick,

I would hook your RODI ATO setup to a float in a separate reservoir. then have a stand alone reliable ATO like a Tunze 3155 osmolator plumbed to push the TO water through the stirrer/reactor.