New Kalk Reactor Design

[newbostonconst]

Here is my kalk reactor design I have been running for 3 months. Seems to be running good. Let me know what you think.
Water from my RO/DI goes throught a valve to the bottom of the reactor where it slowly goes up though the kalk and out the top to the tank. I have the valve set at a drip rate to refill the tank as it evaporates. Very simple design. It is sealed off from air.
It is a 6 x 24 inch tube with 2 end caps. I just got done putting 2000 grams in it. At first I ran it with 500 grams, but desided to add more when I mounted it to the wall. The 500 grams was doing good, but had a lot of wasted water space above it. From the usage of the 500 grams, I think it will easily last a year with the amount that is in it now.

 

[newbostonconst]

Bump, Does anyone have any comments.

 

[newbostonconst]

No responces.

I don't understand. It must be a really bad design or a really good one and everyone is busy copying it.
I think it would be a really easy to make out of PVC and cheap.

 

[moneyman]

Good design. Finally a design w/o a pump. I was thinking of making one after seeing the Tunze Calcium Dispenser. I think the puny Tunze unit is like yours and is sold for just below $100.
Is your dosing pump before or after the kalk reactor.

 

[newbostonconst]

I use a small ball valve (type you use on a RODI) before the chamber that varies the flow. A more precise valve may work a little better, but my tank level stays rock solid once adjusted.
Also, you want the valve out front so that the chamber doesn't see any pressure. Even with the water moving through it at a drip rate there is still a slight amount of pressure that in inside. That is what the strap is on it for. The end caps are o-ringed and they wanted to move out over time.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Cool, life just got a little easier for me

. Is there a problem with having a pressurized chamber? I mean is it only because of your design that you dont want it pressurized? I want to run one off a float valve I have in my fuge, directly off my RO. Would that work? Or do you have to have a slow steady flow though it? Also would Mrs wages work in this? Thats what I'm currently using.

 

[newbostonconst]

I have a slow steady flow through it. Mine is not pressurized and I don't see why it would need to be.
You can have the water from your RODI go to your float first, then to a valve to slow the flow down, and then to the chamber before going to the tank. That way the chamber isn't pressurized.
I don't have experiance with Mrs wages. I used the powdered Kent and Seachem Kalk. The power just goes to the bottom of the cylinder and the water flows through it.

 

[jocoxvt]

Only problem I would see, unless I am missing something is that you have the water being forced up through the kalk through the bottom so you are going to form a channel basically where the water is rising since it will not rise evenly (I had the same issue on a smaller scale). You may just want to manually mix it up weekly so you do not have just the channel effect and get full use out of the kalk.

 

[newbostonconst]

jocoxVT, I thought the samething and was going to make a funnel type thing to help channel the kalk like you said, but in the 3 months I ran it with 500 grams nothing like that formed. I think the kalk just desolves, but shaking it would take care of it.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Im thinking of making one out of a phosphate reactor, they're cheap enough, and its pretty much a plug and play thing with one of those. just gotta figure out how to stop the kalk/wages from passing through the filter and the plate with holes in it on the bottom. I'm thinking, um... uh.... pantyhose.
My wife says I'm I nut cause I buy pantyhose more often than she does. but shes more picky than I am.