Why wont my Calcium reactor work correctly ? HELP PLEASE

[gilman]

So over night the reactor sat at 6.55 according to the probe . The effluent reads 18.2 now . That was about a bubble every 12 seconds . I turned the bubble count up .

Im going to just for get about that dang probe and just tune it like jda has suggested .

 

[jda]

Sounds like progress. Do this next:

• Forget about the pH reading
• Fill that thing back up to the top with media
• Turn the bubbles up by one or two per minute until the reactor dKh is at about 25. You will have to wait overnight to see the changes
• Once to 25, or so, measure the effluent and count the bubbles - this is your magic ratio
• Take note of where the low side pressure is on your regulator
• Once to 25, or so, let it run overnight and then turn off the 2 part
• See if this meets the demands of your tank, raises the dKh or lowers it
  • If it raises the tank dKh, then lower BOTH the effluent rate and bubbles in the same magic ratio
  • If it lowers the tank dKh, then raise BOTH the effluent and bubbles in the same magic ratio
• Enjoy your CaRx and put your feet up while passing judgement on those who have not figured it out yet - kidding, of course... log in and help them get theirs figured out just like you got help.

Remember to wait overnight after making bubble or effluent changes - it takes a while. Don't worry about the pH probe, just look at the tank every day or two and make sure that you have bubbles and have effluent dripping - you will get to where you can just look and tell if something needs attention. You can just test tank dKh unless you need to raise or lower your reactor output and then you might need to test effluent dKh every once in a while. When your media gets down to 33-25%, then change it or keep a really close eye on the alk - there is some part of the structure that is harder to melt and the output will go down with the "bones" left in the chamber without any "easy" stuff to melt.

 

[gilman]

Sounds like progress. Do this next:

• Forget about the pH reading
• Fill that thing back up to the top with media
• Turn the bubbles up by one or two per minute until the reactor dKh is at about 25. You will have to wait overnight to see the changes
• Once to 25, or so, measure the effluent and count the bubbles - this is your magic ratio
• Take note of where the low side pressure is on your regulator
• Once to 25, or so, let it run overnight and then turn off the 2 part
• See if this meets the demands of your tank, raises the dKh or lowers it
  • If it raises the tank dKh, then lower BOTH the effluent rate and bubbles in the same magic ratio
  • If it lowers the tank dKh, then raise BOTH the effluent and bubbles in the same magic ratio
• Enjoy your CaRx and put your feet up while passing judgement on those who have not figured it out yet - kidding, of course... log in and help them get theirs figured out just like you got help.

Remember to wait overnight after making bubble or effluent changes - it takes a while. Don't worry about the pH probe, just look at the tank every day or two and make sure that you have bubbles and have effluent dripping - you will get to where you can just look and tell if something needs attention. You can just test tank dKh unless you need to raise or lower your reactor output and then you might need to test effluent dKh every once in a while. When your media gets down to 33-25%, then change it or keep a really close eye on the alk - there is some part of the structure that is harder to melt and the output will go down with the "bones" left in the chamber without any "easy" stuff to melt.

Thank you . Ill keep posting my progress . This weekend I plan to change the media out to a bag of Reborn . Im gonna give it a cleaning and check the pump and all fittings then start again with the tuning . Hopefully by the end of next week I am where I need to be .

 

[dank reefer]

@gilman Can you give us an update on how your CaRx is doing now?

 

[FMF0331]

i did a complete break down of my calcium reactor, found i had some lines that were clogged

 

[vangvace]

Thanks for summarizing. So the pH controller turns the carbon doser on/off to hold pH in the reactor constant? Even under that method, once you reached the target reactor pH, wouldn't you cut your bubble count down if the controller is cycling the carbon doser too much? Can't be great to repeatedly cycle the carbon doser on and off.

I run a masterflex for effluent pump, and it made running a carx so much easier for me.

Carbon Doser's electronics is a timer that turns the solenoid off/on to match the dial.

 

[Guttersnipe]

If you want to learn a more reliable and efficient method of using a CaRx, I can help you with this. It will NOT involve a pH probe or controller with a co2 dumping method. It does require that you learn a few things, but it is not hard - when you are done, you won't even need a second chamber, your co2 will last longer and your output will be more consistent.

This is basically the normal old method of using a CaRx and it is superior to the method in that video (which I hate) or what some people recommend, but it is not for everybody. I have helped a lot of people with this who went down the pH controller path and got sideways only to be happy now. Let me know. If you do not, then I will not bother you anymore.

Can you tell me about your method? I heard a few members here talkkng about this method. I just picked up a calcium reactor. I would love to try it.
thanks Jda!

 

[X-37B]

Can you tell me about your method? I heard a few members here talkkng about this method. I just picked up a calcium reactor. I would love to try it.
thanks Jda!

Im sure jda will chime in but its explained in a thread here just search for it. I set mine up his way and its so simple. Set my effluent to 20 ml per minute, bubbles to 50 pm, checked effluent and it was at 14.7 dkh.
Started at 10psi but went to 1 bar 15psi as bubbles were not consistent at 10 on my system. May have been to low to get a consistant flow through the check valve and distance to reactor.
Adusted bubbles to 64 pm and dkh is 21.8. Checked effluent ph and it was 6.8.
Running no controller.
This holds my dkh at 8.
Tank stays 7.9 night and 8.1 day. Same as it was before adding Carx. Mine has been running for a week now and is stable.

 

[jda]

I recommend that people throw their pH probe away and tune the reactor by hand - not really throw away, but stop relying on it. Tune the reactor to to get about 25 dKh, measure the MLs and count the bubbles to get your magic ratio. Then raise/lower BOTH in this same ratio to meet tank demand.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I recommend that people throw their pH probe away and tune the reactor by hand - not really throw away, but stop relying on it. Tune the reactor to to get about 25 dKh, measure the MLs and count the bubbles to get your magic ratio. Then raise/lower BOTH in this same ratio to meet tank demand.

Thank you so much for your advice. This sounds very straightforward and takes a lot out of all the tinkering and guesswork.