Kalkreactors

[meitzler]

When selecting a Kalkreactor is the stirrer type or powerhead type more reliable or easy to maintain? Looking at GEOs and others but some actual experience with them would be valuable information for me.

 

[DonW]

They all for the most part work ok. The slow speed stirrers hands down are more efficient and waste less kalk. Not a lot of options though. Deltec is nice but expensive. AM but build quality is not that great. I have a geo and build quality is what you would expect from geo but it waste kalk which of course is not good for the rest of the tanks pumps and heaters.

Don

 

[mike1441]

i have this one and it works great it has a timer and speed adjustment i just run a small power head to it with a value to control the amount of drips back into my system
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=CR-CA11000

 

[meitzler]

How do the powerhead versions such as Geo waste Kalk. Don't they have a timer on the power head that turns off the pump approximately an hour before one drips. Thanks your information and insight is very valuable.

 

[DonW]

How do the powerhead versions such as Geo waste Kalk. Don't they have a timer on the power head that turns off the pump approximately an hour before one drips. Thanks your information and insight is very valuable.

First you have to understand that if a kalk reactor is being used properly it will drip for long intervals. When the ato activates it feeds the reactor but it should be slowed to a drip rather than the wide open pump used with just plain water top off. This means that the reactor is drippinng for the better part of a day rather than short cycles.
The reactor timer has no idea wether or not the ato is on or vise versa. The timer is just an interval. Each time the PH or Magnetic stirrer turns on the reactor is clouded with lime powder. It takes awhile for the cloud to fall so in the mean time your dripping undissolved lime which is just a waste since its not going to dissolve once it hits the SW.
The slow speed stirrers never cloud the mixing chamber they run for long periods rather than a short blast. The easiest way to run a slow speed mixer is to connect it to the ato pump 110v outlet and have it mix at the same time that its dosing. The slow speed reactor can also be much shorter. Most PH kalk reactors like the Geo really need to be two or three times as tall as they are to prevent the above mentioned issue.
In the long run the slow speed mixer will use much less kalk and save on your pumps and heaters. In the mean time will dispense well saturated lime water.
I have the older Geo and have used the magnetic and the slow speed stirrers and will be going back to the slow speed as soon as its done being built.

Don

 

[roscoe]

Don it is nice to see you back on the boards! How have you been? I'm seting up a total system of 400-500g and about 75% complete with the project. What size and brand or kalk reactor would be best suited for it?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Don it is nice to see you back on the boards! How have you been?

Ditto!

Another point is the pump on their type often need to be replaced due to abrasion grinding the impellers up, whereas the mag stirrers last indefinitely.
Be that as it may, I am using an el cheapo DIY pump stirrer and have replaced the pump once. A used pump for $5 and Kalk is so cheap, it is almost free.

The time required to change stuff is the real savings.

 

[trido]

Ditto!

Another point is the pump on their type often need to be replaced due to abrasion grinding the impellers up, whereas the mag stirrers last indefinitely.
.

Yep, I have to change the pump on my kalk mixer about once a year. If you put too much Kalk powder into a mixer you can literally burn the impellars off in a matter of days. Trust me, Ive done it.

 

[DonW]

Don it is nice to see you back on the boards! How have you been? I'm seting up a total system of 400-500g and about 75% complete with the project. What size and brand or kalk reactor would be best suited for it?

Hi guys. Roscoe i really dont know which one to suggest. I contracted with a local guy with a cnc to cut up the parts so I can just throw a deltec copy together. I just drew the design and wrote the code and hes doing the cutting.
Another thing about kalk reactors is the output and lid. The deltec for example has a big output tube but the top/lid is NOT sealed it just a lid. Some are sealed and are good for remote locations. The water is pushed in and reactor over fills. On the slow speed reactors they have to be in the sump or right next to so that they just drip straight in, they really never fill to the top.
The slow speed stirrers are also easier to fill since you have the whole 6" + open just by lifting the lid. No screws or small plugs but again you cant remote locate or send kalk uphill.

Don

 

[roscoe]

Don my filtration system will be in the garage and the DT in the house. I was thinking about something along the line of the drip reactor type incorprated with a mag stirer with maybe something like a plate with holes drilled in it (something like a bubble plate on skimmers nowadays). Placed 1/3rd from the bottom of the reactor. The purpose of the plate I think will defuse/reduce the amount of kalk particulates to the top half of the reactor leaving pure saturated lime water. Does that makes sence? What do you think about the idea and will it work and how easy will it to DIY?

 

[DonW]

They are easy to diy but the plate won't help, been there done that. Mag stirrers I liked at first but learned to hate. The kalk gets hard if you wait to long for it to settle then the stir bar gets stuck. They are fine for little reactors for little tanks but can't handle much kalk needed for a big tank like yours. You can find industrial stirrers on ebay that do well but they are still expensive. The best way is a 1/8" glass insert installed in the bottom plate so that it won't get chewed up and its thin enough so the magnets don't slip. Not real hard to diy but can be a little tricky to seal the glass bottom.

Don

 

[roscoe]

The best way is a 1/8" glass insert installed in the bottom plate so that it won't get chewed up and its thin enough so the magnets don't slip. Not real hard to diy but can be a little tricky to seal the glass bottom.

Don

I'm not getting the picture in my head for this Don:lol:..

 

[DonW]

I'm not getting the picture in my head for this Don:lol:..

To get the best performance we need to have a bottom that is very thin and resistant to abrasion, acrylic is neither. Magnetic stirrers have a handycap when used for stirring kalk.
First they are desiged to have labware sitting direcly on top of them. Next the labware is very thin pyrex probably 1/16" thick and lastly they are only made to stir very small volumes of thin liquid most affordable ones at around a pint.
To get around this you could use two acrylic donuts with thin glass sandwiched in the middle. With this the magnetic bar can sit on the thin durable glass. Unfortunatly there is no way to get around the turbidity and volume issues. More frequent stirring will deal with the caking but then your right back to excess turbidity being dosed to the tank. Magnetic stirrers can be hit and miss when it comes to diy because you really dont know how powerful they are until you give them a test drive.


Don

 

[roscoe]

Thanks for the explanation Don! I get it now.