Dosing equipment
- Thread starter ronj
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DonW
R.I.P.
Ya not much grit in additives except the alk suppliments. The aquamedics dont have a adjustable flow rate so your stuck with 50ml min. The pinch rollers also dont hold tight enough when their off so the hose drains back. They come with a check valve to try and fix this but with additives it wont work. When the hose drains back it draws in air this causes the additives to precip in the hoses. Thats where the grit is going to come from. After they drain back getting the proper dose is going to be next to impossible, do to the fact you need to acount for priming. The priming time is going to change with each cycle.
There are much better pumps at omega for about the same or less money.
Don
"The pinch rollers also dont hold tight enough when their off so the hose drains back. They come with a check valve to try and fix this but with additives it wont work. When the hose drains back it draws in air this causes the additives to precip in the hoses. Thats where the grit is going to come from. After they drain back getting the proper dose is going to be next to impossible, do to the fact you need to acount for priming. The priming time is going to change with each cycle.
"
I find that with the check valve the water doesnt get sucked back down and it doesnt get clogged. Maybe you just had a bad check valve?
Without it, it certainly behaves in the way you describe and its really frustrating! I was about ready to thrown mine out the window till i put in the check valve.
"
I find that with the check valve the water doesnt get sucked back down and it doesnt get clogged. Maybe you just had a bad check valve?
Without it, it certainly behaves in the way you describe and its really frustrating! I was about ready to thrown mine out the window till i put in the check valve.
DonW
R.I.P.
The check valve wont last long with additives. Does just fine with water but thats about it.
Don
Salty D-O-G
Well-known member
There are much better pumps at omega for about the same or less money.
Don
Do you have a link or model #? Thanks....
Jerry
caseyb21
Active member
Wow this thread is old and dead, but I am bringing it up again. I came across this thread while searching for digital timers. So what do you guys use for timers to control your mixing pumps? I have 'heard' people turning the mixing pump on anywhere from twice a day for 30 mins, to every 5 minutes for 30-60 seconds. I assume its all relevant to how the mixing goes, considering the pumps used, the shape and volume of the holding container, etc.
What are you using to keep from crossing that barrier of dripping saturated water, or kalk sludge?
Anyone using a minute to minute digital timer other than a reef controller?
What are you using to keep from crossing that barrier of dripping saturated water, or kalk sludge?
Anyone using a minute to minute digital timer other than a reef controller?
DonW
R.I.P.
It really only takes a dpdt timer to accomplish that assuming the drip is controllable.
Don
Don
jedimike
Well-known member
I have the 5G gravity fed doser by Kent. It works fine for me. I just use a 2 part product (like this...https://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewItem~idProduct~EV1113.html)
Compared to the rest of the tank maintenance, filling my doser is relatively painless.
Compared to the rest of the tank maintenance, filling my doser is relatively painless.
DonW
R.I.P.
caseyb21
Active member
Hey Don, having trouble finding a dpdt timer other than relays, are you talking about building one?
DonW
R.I.P.
Intermatic outdoor lighting timers are dpdt. If you want something smaller let me know and I'm sure I can come up with something to fit your application.
Don
theJ
Well-known member
Something like: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100018745
is looking promising
is looking promising
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Katchupoy
Well-known member
I'm working on my own kalk doser for cheap = >$20.
I made the D-I-Y Kalk/airline tubing dripper out of a 1 gallon jug, then I hooked the primer tube up to an old air pump.
I plugged the air pump into an $8 digital timer (set to come on @ 10:00pm for 60 seconds) the air pump primes the siphon, the bottle drips Kalk all night....
in the morning, I refill the jug with more kalkwasser, and then repeat...
It took a few trial runs in the kitchen sink to get the airline valve adjusted to the right drip rate...
but it's been running for a few days now, my AM pH is now 8.2 (up from 7.7-7.8) so far so good!
Also another alternative is to use aqualifter. Just make sure the suction line is way up so no grit will be suck. I also use this combo on a regular timer turned on at night. And if you want to be fancy... you can use those garden drip or something. Im using the 0.5 gallon per hour drip. There are many drip choices as big as 2 gallon per hour drip.
something like this... http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore.com/75-483-drip-irrigation-drippers.aspx
i bought mine from ace hardware
DonW
R.I.P.
Thats just a timer. You would have to sequence two of them together to accomplish what hes attempting. Dont get me wrong that would work but takes up space and two outlets. You could use one of those and add a 110v coil dpdt relay and get by using only one outlet.
Now if you bust into most of those digital timers youll find a dpdt relay controlling the power and wires can be tapped onto the unused polls.
Don
Don
theJ
Well-known member
Looking for this only came up with results of things that are not on minute resolution, and are setup for like 9 cycles/24 hours, on hourly resolution. Not something that will run for a minute, every 3 minutes.
I think I am starting to not follow where this thread is going. Don, what 'smaller' applications did you have in mind, do you have a link?
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DonW
R.I.P.
Ive got a little preprogrammed timer that I can program to do just about anything but it a hardwired application not just a plug in deal. They are easy to install but not PNP. I can set them up to time anything in about any configuration.
All I need to know is what needs to be timed at what intervals. They just go and go until you reset them by removing the power.
For example if you used one for your halides it could be set to turn on for 8hrs then off for 12hrs over and over. There is no clock so the 8 hrs starts as soon as its plugged in.
I could set a kalk stirrer to stir for 1 second ever 1 minute it really doesnt matter its up to the user.
Don
jedimike
Well-known member
Not sure what you mean, but I put about 20ml of each solution in the 5 gallon jug of RO/DI top-off water and let it drip into my main tank. The 5 gallons of water lasts about a week when I have my fans running. Now that it is getting cooler, I will slow the drip down and shut my fans off.
I've been doing this for over a year and maintain good calc levels and proper Ph.
DonW
R.I.P.
You cant be needing to much. Dosing them together in the same jug forces them to precip. At 20ml a week you could probably not dose at all and save a few bucks.
Don
rismai
New member
any pics anybody?
