best way to do a kalkwasser drip?

[freelancing]

I finally got the plumbing done right (thanks for the tips, Brad!) through my wall and I finally have the skimmer running like a champ. I felt pretty horrible when I saw all the gunk that showed up in the first 5 minutes. Yuck.:(

Is there any brand of gizmo that y'all would recommend to keep a steady drip of kw into the water returning to the tank?

How much is too much kw?:confused:

On another note... I have a slow leak in the return pipe. Halfway through the pipe I have one of those flow knobs so I can regulate the flow back into my tank. On both sides of this doo-dad, I've got a regular drip. I've got a bucket underneath and about every 3 days I dump the contents back into the sump. In three days there's about 4" high of water in the bucket.

I've got some stuff at Lowes to seal PVC pipes, but I'm scared I'll contaminate my fishies... has anyone done this?:fish2:

Thanks,

[Brad Ward]

Shelley with an "E",

Good going!;)

I use a float valve in my sump for all makeup water that the system loses due to evaporation. The make up water tub is filled w/kalk. If I need a strong dose, I pour it in the tank milky, 1 teaspoonful of kalk per gallon of r/o water.

If you want to be able to disconnect the pipe, I would try two things. The first would be to try teflon tape to seal it. That would allow you to keep it loose and removable. The other way is to use a union, and use PVC solvent (glue) to permanently bond them together. That would allow you to disconnect the seperate sides for maintinance. You can find the union at Home Depot and they are white and screw apart. The solvent is clear and floats. I have never had a problem with using it a couple minutes after connecting the pipes.

hth,

Brad

[freelancing]

Brad...

Thanks for the tips w/ the PVC sealant. I think I've got that stuff, but I was just paranoid. Plenty of things are rated as safe for humans (like tap water), but I didn't want to make my fish glow in the dark (unless they're supposed to, of course).:p

Where do I get a float valve?

I think I know what a union is... but just to make sure (in case they maybe call it something else @ Lowes). Is it one of those extender things you use if you have to repair a pipe, cut out a section and then insert a telescopic piece? I was looking at one of those the last time I was at Lowe's.

Thanks,

[Brad Ward]

No problem. E mail me on the float valve. That is one kind of union. That one doesn't require glue. The other one takes up about 1/4 of the length and screws apart. They sell it at HD in the PVC valve section.

ttys,

Brad

[freelancing]

YGM. ;)

[Jimmy Walls]

ShellEy,

Is your pump that is going to the sump still in the filter box in the tank?
Is that where your water level goes down?
If it is then that is where you would have to have your Float.
One of those float switches like I showed you would be about the only way to go.

Jimmy