Any reason not to leave a kalkreactor mixing all the time?

[Anonymous]

I have a DIY Kalkreactor and the power head sticks. Any reason I shouldn't leave it mixing all the time?

 

[Russ1]

I have mine on a timer that turns on the pump for one minute every 2 hours. I tried leaving it on all the time but found that the effluent wasn't as clear and it seemed to use up more kalkwasser. FWIW the pH of the output was no different between the two. I have a union on the top and I add 5 tsp per day.

 

[Anonymous]

When mine mixes it still does clear water, think I am gonna mix continuously and see what happens.

 

[Ben1]

Geez, you of all people not using the search function! J/K

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... alkreactor

I am still running it 24/7 with no problems. I am going though a lot of kalk but the pH is stable. I also run a calcium reactor so that may help the balance.

HTH

 

[ChrisRD]

As long as the impeller of the circulation pump isn't ingesting lots of kalk I can't really see a downside to just letting it run...

 

[Anonymous]

Does it really matter if the efflouent isn't clear?

 

[Anonymous]

Geez, you of all people not using the search function! J/K

!

I didn't use terms that made that thread come up!

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=52569&highlight=kalkreactor

I am still running it 24/7 with no problems. I am going though a lot of kalk but the pH is stable. I also run a calcium reactor so that may help the balance.

HTH

Great! I am just sick of the impeller sticking when the timer comes on. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

I have mine on a timer that turns on the pump for one minute every 2 hours. I tried leaving it on all the time but found that the effluent wasn't as clear and it seemed to use up more kalkwasser. FWIW the pH of the output was no different between the two. I have a union on the top and I add 5 tsp per day.

Since this is going to be a "great taste, less filling" issue, I am just going to comment on Russ's observation.

1, the effluent is not clear due to the suspended kalk powder.
2, it use more kalk since the effluent contains kalk powder than otherwise would stay in the rxtor.
3, pH remain the same due to the saturated pH for kalk. Suspended kalk does nt increase the pH just like turning up the burner for a pot of boiling water does not get it any higher than 100C

Having cleared kalk served the same purpose of mixing kalk and let it settle. If you like to dose kalk slurry, then you will not have any issue with the powerhead on 24/7, but if you are a clear kalk purist, then you will want the powerhead to stop for a few minutes.

 

[Anonymous]

Having cleared kalk served the same purpose of mixing kalk and let it settle. If you like to dose kalk slurry, then you will not have any issue with the powerhead on 24/7, but if you are a clear kalk purist, then you will want the powerhead to stop for a few minutes.

That depends on how your kalk mixes in the mixing chamber. In mine, the kalk slurry only goes up about 2/3rds, the top 1/3 is clear and that is what goes to the tank. I believe most reactor recommend the ame 3/2 1/3 ratio

 

[Anonymous]

should not hurt, all the large setups I've seen ran them all the time to maximize effectiveness

 

[Fatal Morgana]

I can tell MegaDeTH and Righty are not clear kalk purists.

Again, it is just a matter of personal taste, with some scientific opinion throw in (phosphate precipation with kalk as a potential benefit, etc.)

 

[Ben1]

Well, FWIW I lost an impellar soon after I started running it 24/7 and seem to have lost the second one today after adding more kalk again. Dont know if this is that bad as they are cheap or if they would break less often if I wasnt running 24/7 or not.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, FWIW I lost an impellar soon after I started running it 24/7 and seem to have lost the second one today after adding more kalk again. Dont know if this is that bad as they are cheap or if they would break less often if I wasnt running 24/7 or not.

Funny! I Am having the exact opposite experience. Not breaking 24/7, breaking/sticking on/off!