Nilsen Reactor

[bowfront]

Osama maybe we are reading you wrong but I agree with Golfish. Use the Litermeter to push freshwater into the reactor and pressure will force the kalk mix into your sump. This is the way I have mine hooked up also. I believe that's the way these things are designed to be used. Anyway if yours isn't hooked up that way try it and I think you will rid yourself of problems. That way the only tube that has kalk flowing through it is the one from the reactor to the sump.

 

[Osama]

Golfish & Bowfront: I agree that it is best to run RO water through the liter meter rather than Kalk I will see how I can do that in my sump setup. Distances & access issues will be minor. I think I will do it next weekend. Thanks for the good suggestion.
My problem I believe is also related to the flexible hose and the type of fitting mounted on my reactor. I do not know what the fitting is called. I push the hose into the opening & it hooks in there. I removed it last nite and placed a more rigid tubing into the fitting it seems to work better. I will check tonite to see if it is still flowing consistently. I think the flexible tubing is not the correct thing to use with those fittings but I am not sure if my problem is solved.

 

[golfish]

I think the flexible tubing is not the correct thing to use with those fittings but I am not sure if my problem is solved.

Your right, you should use the type of tubing that came with your Liter Meter. You know the white tubing the flares out real nice when you heat it up.

 

[Osama]

Golfish:
I looked at your picture

.
1)Am I supposed to heat the tubing before I insert it into the fitting on my reactor or just force it in? What do I heat it with without melting it? Sorry but I could not understand the directions that came with my liter meter about the heating their white tubing.
2)Am I supposed to heat the end that connects to the flexible tubing on the liter meter?...

 

[danmhippo]

(I don't recall reading heating part in my sets of Litermeter instruction?)

 

[SPC]

Posted by osama:

2)Am I supposed to heat the end that connects to the flexible tubing on the liter meter?...

-Yes, think of it as a barb osama. The reason you do this is that this "barbed" end will keep the tubing from coming out of the liter meter tube. Just heat it with a lighter until it flares out a bit.
Steve

 

[golfish]

NOOOOOO Osama, don't heat it for this application. You only want to heat it so it barbs up, this works real good when you connect vinyl tubing to it but you don't want it to flare up here. Just shove it into the quick disconnect (I'll call it this because that's what we call it at work) fitting on top.

 

[SPC]

Mark, I think we are talking about two different things here :? . Osama was asking about where the tubing goes to the liter meter in the question I answered.
Steve

 

[golfish]

Steve, if you look in the picture above you will see that I used that white tubing that came with my Liter Meter for my kalk reactor. I thought Osama was asking about inserting that tubing in the reactor. If Osama is asking about the fittings on top of the reactor then you don't want to heat it up. If he's asking about connecting it to tubing on the Liter meter then yes, it should be heated to flare it out.

 

[bowfront]

I think he's asking about both if you look at his question. Osama the fittings on the reactor are called John Quest. You just cut the rigid tubing with a good square cut and stick it into the fitting. As Golfish and Steve say the only heating that you have to do is to fashion a barb of sorts on the ends of the tubing that slide into the rubber tubing coming out of the Litermeter.

 

[golfish]

lol, I can only read one question at a time :? I didn't even read Osama's second question.

Sorry Steve

 

[dgasmd]

I have to tell you that after reading this entire thread I can say I have had some of the same problems as others. The kalk built up at the end of the tubing and the pressure overflowed it, the stir bar stops all the time and gets off center (I run mine continuosly), etc. I found that if I put my unit on a timer, the kalk gets so thick it will prevent the stir bar from turning so I just run it continously. The wear plate is rather thick and after talking to a couple of people in the lab that use these kind of stirrers I have come to the conclusion that a thin piece of glass would be the best wear plate. Also, running it continuosly is no harm to them since they are designed to run for long periods of time.
I have now moved mine to the garage and for the life of me I can't get the d.... thing to be leveled enough for the stir bar not to spin out of place. It is driving me nuts!!! I'll try in a couple of days again.
When I first started reading this thread months ago, I had the impression this units were pretty much fail safe. I mean, there really isn't much to them. But it seems they have too many bugs. I now wished I had spent the money in something else!!

 

[golfish]

That's kind of weird. I'm a lab tech by trade and use these things all the time. I agree that they have to be some what level but you would think the magnetic force would keep them two together.

I've always felt a thinner piece of glass was the best way to go and I still might go that route.

 

[Osama]

Steve & Mark: thanks.. I actually got it all. I will use my liter meter to feed RO water to my reacotr and let the kalk water dose directly in my sump. I will not heat up the ent that goes in the quick disconnect "John Quest" . I will heat the end that I insert into the liter meter flexible tubing to create a barb end. This end came out more than once and I had kalk water on the floor & almost ruined my doser, THANKS GUYS I GOT IT.
Next I will tackle my leaky O ring ... that is frustrating BUT this is part o f this hobby.which leads me to a note to Dimaggio: We all get frustrated but do not give up once the equipment is all set ( I am not there yet either after 4 months with the reactor & 2-1/2 years in the hobby) you will feel good about your accomplishments. This thread has some very good observations and lessons for all of us. For now level your equipment. Put coomercial grade Kalk. start witha smaller amount of kalk make sure your stir bar rotates Ok before you close the reactor up. Do not change the setting on the motor after you get it going.

 

[SPC]

Posted by dimaggio:

I have come to the conclusion that a thin piece of glass would be the best wear plate

-I got a glass man to cut a pc of window glass for me to fit the bottom of the reactor. I don't quite understand why, but the bar does not spin as well on the glass as it does on the new wear plate. Having said that, the bar dosen't spin on either well enough to make this reactor functional .
Dimaggio, have you contacted Andy?
Steve

 

[Jeff Hood]

I can say, I had all of the above problems I and others mentioned and they are all fixed now.

For the stir bar thing, I am using a much larger bar and it has worked perfectly ever since.

Clumpy kalk that turned brown after a week, was solved by going to a high quality kalk like Seachem Kalk. I only put in a Couple of cups at a time. Lasts several weeks.

Leaky O-ring was solved by the silicone grease

Plugged outflow tube solved by me getting off my butt and checking it. Can't think of an easier way right now darn it!

Wear plate thickness problem solved by the stir bar and when I get a chance I will install my UHMW wear plate or have a thin piece of glass cut for it. Should not be that bad. So far the thick wear plate is working fine for me.

Jeff

 

[SPC]

Jeff, do you have the 6" reactor? I thought you had the larger one with a different stirrer?

Posted by Jeff:

I can say, I had all of the above problems I and others mentioned and they are all fixed now.

For the stir bar thing, I am using a much larger bar and it has worked perfectly ever since.

-I purchased the biggest one Cole Parmer offers, 3".

Clumpy kalk that turned brown after a week, was solved by going to a high quality kalk like Seachem Kalk. I only put in a Couple of cups at a time. Lasts several weeks.

-I have used Seachem, Kent, ESV and Pickling Lime.

Leaky O-ring was solved by the silicone grease

-Never had this problem .

Plugged outflow tube solved by me getting off my butt and checking it. Can't think of an easier way right now darn it!

-Solved it the same way.

Wear plate thickness problem solved by the stir bar and when I get a chance I will install my UHMW wear plate or have a thin piece of glass cut for it. Should not be that bad. So far the thick wear plate is working fine for me.

-Again, you have a larger stirrer don't you?
Steve

 

[Osama]

Jeff and I have the 8 inch diameter 30inch tall reator.
I have a new problem mine sprung a leak at the interface between the vertical tube & the top horizontal plate. Andy suggested I get Welon 16 & put it on that joint. Where do I get welon 16 from & is it as simple as Andy says just apply it as I would apply silicone.( Andy also said he will send the material if I could wait)
The thin wear plate made for me by Jeff with the larger stir bar has been working fine. Had to have a level surface. I filled the tube two thirds with water & added Kalk slowly with the stir bar rotating. filled system with water closed it up & set my controller to go on/off without changing the speed of the motor... Works fine IF IT JUST DID NOT LEAK>

 

[Jeff Hood]

Osama,

The weldon 16 is a acrylic cement.

Take your reactor down and let it dry.

Apply the cement to the joint like you would calk a joint around a window. Let it cure for several hours and your done. Its that easy.

Its a little runny so turn the unit so it will stay in the crease.
You must have built up some good pressure inside your unit to pop that seam.

I did the same thing with my skimmer when I first got it. I turned the valve all the way closed and the ampmaster filled the skimmer so fast I could not respond quick enough and it popped the seam on the lower black box. Put the weld on stuff in the seam and there is no leak and is stronger than ever. I went and put it on all the joints to reinforce them. Works great. Difficult to mess up.

Jeff

 

[bowfront]

Weldon 16 is acrylic cement. Good stuff it's what I used when I droped my top and snapped the PVC coupling off it last kalk change. Try a plastics supply store if you have one around you. Maybe a hardware store but less likely. I'm sure you could find it online also. Anyway its no big deal to fix.

Just wanted to restate that maybe I'm just lucky or maybe these things just take a little more finesse than some have to offer but I've had no problems since setup. This is with a 6" unit larger stir bar and Hanna unit.
BTW, I also use regular food grade calcium hydroxide (from a taco factory) and have not experienced any problems with clumping, color change, or whatever. I think that all of the problems I've seen stated here are minor and can be solved with a little patience. When I set this thing up I add all the kalk first then I put in the bar. I get it centered and spinning the way I want it to before I put the top on. When its working right I close it up and leave it alone until I break it down again. Starts every time and I have never had the stir bar fall off center or jam. Personally I like this unit a lot and think its one heck of a time saver. Sorry some of you are having so much trouble but I think if you get things figured out you'll like the unit.

Sorry Jeff we posted at the same time