Mg and kalk

[DonW]

When I used Oceanic the mg was very high (over 1500). If I used kalk at all I'd have all sorts of pump problems.
My question is with the mg down closer to normal or even a little low. Will ca precipitation be less of a problem?

Thanks
Don

 

[Krish]

I honestly have no idea the answer to that question Don, but it sounds really interesting. It's way out of my league, but will follow this thread because I think it will be really cool to know. Thanks for posting...You may make me a bit wiser for it

 

[DonW]

I honestly have no idea the answer to that question Don, but it sounds really interesting. It's way out of my league, but will follow this thread because I think it will be really cool to know. Thanks for posting...You may make me a bit wiser for it

I cant remember anything. For some reasom my brain is saying that high alk and mg was causing my pumps and heaters to cover over with precip. With winter comming and gas heat ph is going to become a issue again as it is every year.

Don

 

[Krish]

I cant remember anything. For some reasom my brain is saying ...

Don't sweat it Don...It happens to eveyone, but you need to get that brain fired up again so I can find out the answer!(LOL)

 

[CarlaW]

Don,
Wouldn't the precip depend alot on the level of calcium you keep your water at. I am really bad at cleaning pumps, the one I did clean, had very little Ca precip after 1.5 years. Maybe there is something to the High Mg.??

 

[loohunter]

i think mojo had mentioned something before about the precip with higher levels of mag. if the mag is off the chart then it would seem precip would be an issue don't quote me though. maybe mojo or boomer can chime in and shed some light

 

[DonW]

Don,
Wouldn't the precip depend alot on the level of calcium you keep your water at. I am really bad at cleaning pumps, the one I did clean, had very little Ca precip after 1.5 years. Maybe there is something to the High Mg.??

I dont mean normal precip. I'm talking 1/8 thick over a heater in about two months. Sump walls were at least 1/8 thick also. I stopped using oceanic and kalk cleaned everything with muratic acid and havent had anything since.
With the gas heat I'll have to start using kalk again pretty quick to keep ph up.

Don

 

[MikeS]

hmmm....I'd imagine the whole Mg/Ca/Alk imbalance is causing it....I'm sure Boomer or Mike could give you more specifics on it....I had problems maintaining good balances when I used Oceanic as well...Hard to say from your post, but I take it you no longer use Oceanic, and now you have a lower Mg, right?.....Kalk will be ok, actually, kalk tends to drive Mg down anyway...

MikeS

 

[dnjan]

With the gas heat I'll have to start using kalk again pretty quick to keep ph up.

Don

How are you adding kalk to keep your pH up? I use saturated kalkwasser in an automatic topoff, and don't really see any pH jumps.

Also - aren't you doing major water changes very frequently? Were the precipitation problems from before you started big water changes, or all along?

And finally - what does gas heat have to do with CO2 in your air? Is your house that tight that your inside CO2 goes up significantly during the heating season? If so, who was your builder?

 

[DonW]

How are you adding kalk to keep your pH up? I use saturated kalkwasser in an automatic topoff, and don't really see any pH jumps.

Also - aren't you doing major water changes very frequently? Were the precipitation problems from before you started big water changes, or all along?

And finally - what does gas heat have to do with CO2 in your air? Is your house that tight that your inside CO2 goes up significantly during the heating season? If so, who was your builder?

I use calcium oxide in a auto topoff with a ph controller that will either dump in kalk water or plain rodi depending on the ph. Keeps ph steady 24/7.

I am still doing the big water changes. I had this problem before I switched to IO from Oceanic. Took alot of work to clean up that mess, just dont want it to start all over again. I am hoping it was the high mg that was causing the problem. With the IO its pretty simple to keep mg at low end.

My house is tiny and was build some time in the 30's. Co2 is a by product of any combustion. Of course it takes oxygen for combustion to occure. Those coupled with the vent free propane heat and the fact that I'm a wimp and keep the house at 72+ causes ph in the tank to fall. Pretty straight forward.

Don

 

[dnjan]

I guess it must be the vent-free propane heat. I had assumed that all the cumbustion products were going out the stack.

Still - with a house built in the 30's, you must have done some major re-sealing/insulation. My house is from '41, and the air leakage (draftiness) is enough to keep the inside CO2 down.

I don't really think the kalk by itself should have caused that much precipitation. Unless you have tons of evaporation and almost no calcium consumption.

How deep in your sump is the topoff water entering? The reason I ask is that if it is entering close to the bottom, it would have a bigger effect on the water being taken up by the pump. While if the water is added closer to the surface of the sump, the (lighter) kalkwasser would mix more slowly with the water by the pump intake and heater. Perhaps even moving the topoff water hose into a different section of the sump would help with mixing prior to the water hitting the pump and heater.

 

[DonW]

I guess it must be the vent-free propane heat. I had assumed that all the cumbustion products were going out the stack.

Still - with a house built in the 30's, you must have done some major re-sealing/insulation. My house is from '41, and the air leakage (draftiness) is enough to keep the inside CO2 down.

I don't really think the kalk by itself should have caused that much precipitation. Unless you have tons of evaporation and almost no calcium consumption.

How deep in your sump is the topoff water entering? The reason I ask is that if it is entering close to the bottom, it would have a bigger effect on the water being taken up by the pump. While if the water is added closer to the surface of the sump, the (lighter) kalkwasser would mix more slowly with the water by the pump intake and heater. Perhaps even moving the topoff water hose into a different section of the sump would help with mixing prior to the water hitting the pump and heater.

I think someone told me that the kalk would precip the mg. With the oceanic being over 1500 and would cause this sort of problem.
My top-off get pumped up to a overflow. Thats about as far away from the pump as it gets.
I guess I'll just have to give it another shot and hope it doesnt precip.

Don

 

[mojoreef]

Alk percipatates calcium, so if your alk levels were very high it will percipatate out the calcium ions. Now Mag acts like calciums big brother, it binds with the alk (surrounds it) which then wont allow the alk to get to the calcium. Now if your system is ionically balanced you will get some percipatate on heaters but it should be just a very small amount.
It does sound like a super saturation in the sump?? hopefully with the salt change it all goes away.


Mike