kalkwasser

[silverado61]

Anybody ever hear of using vinegar to mix kalkwasser? I've been reading a lot about it and it seems feasible.

 

[bang guy]

Absolutely, I have many posts on the subject.

 

[silverado61]

Does 1/2tsp kalk dissolved with 15ml of distilled white vinegar then diluted with 1qt R/O sound right? Then I would use the drip method?

 

[bang guy]

From my experience, it depends on the purity of the lime. If you are using agricultural lime like I did then it's best to add the vinegar after the water. If you have certified pure Calcium hydroxide then by all means, use vinegar to dissolve it before adding the water.

If you used 15ml of vinegar then you could bump up the lime a bit from 1/2 tsp to a full tsp depending on your evaporation rate vs carbonate demand.

The main advantage of vinegar in my opinion is the added CO2 that results from the bacteria consuming the acetate. Second is the ability to dissolve more lime due to the lower PH.

 

[silverado61]

True kalkwasser is what I intended to use. Should I just add it to my 5g bucket of ato water or should I drip it? If its drip, at what rate?

 

[bang guy]

Apologies, I'm not that familiar with your setup.

IMO dripping it at the same rate as your evaporation is ideal.

There can be issues with ATO and limewater.

 

[silverado61]

Thanks bang guy. I'm going to use Two Little Fishes Kalkwasser so I'll start adding it to my top off water. Anything sold or endorsed by Julian Sprung I trust. Thanks again.