Would this be a viable way of dosing kalk?

[smp]

A kalk overflow?
Basically, I recently invested in a tunze osmolator, I really, really like it but I am hesitant to submerge that nice pump in limewater.

So here's my idea because I refuse to pay 300 bucks for a kalk reactor.
Get a small bin, some kind of rubbermaid or something that holds a couple of gallons of water. Put a small durso standpipe in it, or a straight bulkhead wouldn't matter I guess.

Put this thing up above my sump. When my osmolator turns on to fill the sump it actually fills this container which holds limewater, the limewater overflows into the sump. Viola!
I can then easily add more kalk to the container since I would only need to open the top and done and done?

It's sort of a poor mans kalk reactor I guess?
Maybe others have already done it?

Randy, would this be a good way to top off with kalk?

Thanks!

[David Grigor]

I would go to the Tunze sponsor section of the forum and do a search for info on the life expectancy of the pump in Kalkwasser or ask Roger. Replacment pumps appear to only be $19, so if you can get a year or so out of it, it may be more economical just to buy replacement pumps when needed.

If they just don't hold up well, Tunze has addon tanks specifically for your unit that seems reasonable ( $97 ). May check the costs vs. trying to come up with it on your own.

[smp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8928205#post8928205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by David Grigor
I would go to the Tunze sponsor section of the forum and do a search for info on the life expectancy of the pump in Kalkwasser or ask Roger. Replacment pumps appear to only be $19, so if you can get a year or so out of it, it may be more economical just to buy replacement pumps when needed.

If they just don't hold up well, Tunze has addon tanks specifically for your unit that seems reasonable ( $97 ). May check the costs vs. trying to come up with it on your own.


Good suggestion, thank you.
I don't know much about the tunze calcium doser (kalk doser), but it looks pretty small. I would be concerned with how much kalk it would hold.
I will check the tunze forum.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That sounds like a reasonable DIY limewater reactor.

How fast could the pump run at full bore? Too fast of water dosing, if only by accident, would be a concern.

[smp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8928887#post8928887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
That sounds like a reasonable DIY limewater reactor.

How fast could the pump run at full bore? Too fast of water dosing, if only by accident, would be a concern.

I'm thinking that I would make the container a bit segregated.
Water from the feed line drops into a piece of PVC that is vertically oriented and about an inch from the bottom of the container. The drain is up near the top on the other side. Any water introduced into the container has to go down before it can mingle with the rest of the water in the container, this way it comes into contact with kalk paste on the bottom. Water that drains out is old water that has been in the container a while.
Because it's a simple container with a lid I can stir it up when I add kalk powder once a week or so.

How does that sound?
I'll work on the idea a bit more and draw up a diagram, the idea ultimately would be for water entering the container to somehow be forced (using gravity somehow) through the kalk, or forced to mix.

I can go so far as to add a powerhead into the container to mix things up on a timer but I want to avoid any more electrical cords so I'll try to figure out a way to use gravity to do the work for me.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Water coming "into contact" with settled undissolved lime is unlikely to dissolve much. It usually has to be stirred.

[smp]

Thanks.

If the container is big enough, say 3 gallons and I evaporate 1 gallon a day. Would it be enough to stir the kalk once a day? Say, with a powerhead on a timer?

Alternately, maybe I can install a check valve on the infeed line and submerge the end of the line coming from the osmolator right at the bottom of the container. Everytime the top off triggers and pumps water into the kalk bin/overflow it will mix with the paste at the bottom.

[jag1979]

would it be ok to leave the limewater exposed to air, I thought that dilutes the limewater? Also wouldn't the film above the limewater overflow first

[TXKev]

There was a DIY Kalkreactor in the DIY section last month made out of a RO/DI canister. I made on and it is working great. All you have to do is add a piece of PVC to the lid that will run to the bottom of the canister and put a cap on the bottom of the PVC. Drill a few small holes in the cap for the water to push out of. Fill the canister with Kalk and plumb it up to your pump. Search is not working for me now but you might want to try searching later for the info.

Good Luck,
Kevin

[TXKev]

I got the search to work, here is the link to the post.


http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=938048&perpage=25&highlight=DIY%20kalk%20reactor&pagenumber=2

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The less concerned you are with dosing saturated limewater, the less often you'd need to stir it. 1 gallon per day from a 3 gallon reservoir will dose 2/3 saturated limewater just before the next stirring.