Are Kalk Reactors really worth the risk???

[cdbdis]

Just looking for opinions out there on this as I consider adding an additional source to complement my CA reactor on my SPS setup.

Lately I have been reading about a myraid of failures from reefers using various kalk units - w/ most of the time the accompanying ATO unit being partly to blame. On the surface, it seems the added complexity and actions required by the reefer to maintain these units add unacceptable risk.

As for me, I used kalk years ago w/ the old fashioned IV drip pump and it worked OK...but required continuous upkeep as CA was always precipitating out of solution and clogging the line. That was a very simple setup - I can't imagine the havoc those buildups could play in a more complex setup.

Thoughts?

 

[chris27]

If it's set up properly with a couple of failsafes, ie. float switches, solenoids, probes, check valves or controllers it's very easy and very safe. The horror stories that most hear about are from not having a good deal of redundancy built into the delivery system.

 

[roblou]

I can see how using kalk via IV drip would clog the line. I have never used a kalk reactor, but use kalk with my top off water, which is controlled by a float switch. I use a 5g bucket for my kalk top off water, and just make sure that the intake of water is at least an inch above the bottom of the bucket. That way, the kalk that doesn't dissolve just settles to the bottom of the bucket.

HTH,

Rob

 

[TWallace]

I use a kalk reactor fed by ATO. I haven't dealt with any failures. Here's how mine's setup. I have a 5g bucket with a float valve to restrict it to only hold about a gallon of water at a time. This bucket is fed directly from my RO/DI unit. The bucket also has a hole in the bottom with a bulkhead for RO/DI line. That line has this solenoid on it. That solenoid is powered by a JBJ ATO, so that when the water level in my sump dips, it opens the solenoid allowing gravity to bring freshwater through the solenoid, into the kalk reactor, and then onto the sump.

The only problems I've dealt with is that the JBJ has a feature that automatically shuts off the solenoid if it's been open for about 7 minutes. This is a nice feature that prevents flooding the sump/tank, but can be a nuisance if like me you feed the sump by gravity instead of using a pump. In my case, I put the solenoid between the freshwater supply and the kalk reactor as I didn't want to worry about kalk clogging the solenoid. The kalk does form a bit of buildup on the end of the hose the feeds the sump, but it's not close to clogging it.

I think as long as you trust your ATO, a kalk reactor isn't that big of a risk. I'd be interested in seeing reports of others kalk reactor disasters though, so I can possibly better safeguard my setup.