Help: noise on my Korallin reactor...

[Ricimer]

Hi!
I have just setted up a Korallin reactor and it makes a little (but annoying) noise each time a
CO2 bubble enters the reactor. The way these reactor are made: the CO2
bubbles go through the Eheim recirculating pump, hence the noise. These reactor are supposed to be silent... Is this normal and is there a way to avoid it?
Thanks!
Ricimer

[JetCat USA]

it's normal and shouldn't be annoying unless you have extremal sensitive hearing.

[Engine 7]

I just checked my Korallin C1502 calcium reactor by putting my ear against it and didnt hear anything at all.

[Ricimer]

So it's not normal then. There must be a problem with my set up...
This is new for me, it's my first reactor. One thing Engine 7: there are two bubble counters, one on the regulator and one on the reactor itself. The bubbles in the regulator's counter are smaller then those in the reactor's counter. Consequently, several bubbles go through the regulator's counter for one through the reactor's. Is it the same for you?

[Engine 7]

I dont have a bubble counter on the regulator. I just have an electronic solinoid and a needlevalve on it. I also noticed that the bubbles in the Korallin's bubble counter seem kind of big but i would use them when starting out the reactor and tune from there.
Check out Dragon_slayer's guide found in this thread. It is invaluable when starting up this reactor: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=334587 .
Hope this helps :)

[JetCat USA]

any time a bubble of CO2 is injected into the reactor it's designed so the bubble goes directly into the impeller of the recirc pump, that noise you hear is the impeller chopping the bubble up and causing the CO2 to become dissolved into the water in the recirc loop, you'll hear it on EVERY Korallin model unless you have the CO2 turned off.

[Ricimer]

That's confusing: Engine 7 and a guy from a LFS are telling me it's no normal and those reactors are supposed to be silent while JetCat and Axel from Korallin say it is normal. How noisy is it supposed to be!? It's not very loud, but I can clearly hear it in the next room if there is no other noise in the appartment. It's at least as annoying as when you have drops of water falling in the sink...
I just crushed the tip of the tube in the reactors bubble counter to have smaller bubbles but it still doing noise. I am thinking of placing an airstone in the counter to have very fine CO2 bubbles. Maybe then it wont make any noise? Next step would be to sell that reactor (wich I already start to hate) and get another one. If I reach that step, any model you recommend (a SILENT one)?

[Engine 7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10728196#post10728196 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JetCat USA
any time a bubble of CO2 is injected into the reactor it's designed so the bubble goes directly into the impeller of the recirc pump, that noise you hear is the impeller chopping the bubble up and causing the CO2 to become dissolved into the water in the recirc loop, you'll hear it on EVERY Korallin model unless you have the CO2 turned off.

I dont hear it and my CO2 is turned on and the reactor is operating properly. It is silent even with my ear against it.

[dtm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10728196#post10728196 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JetCat USA
any time a bubble of CO2 is injected into the reactor it's designed so the bubble goes directly into the impeller of the recirc pump, that noise you hear is the impeller chopping the bubble up and causing the CO2 to become dissolved into the water in the recirc loop, you'll hear it on EVERY Korallin model unless you have the CO2 turned off.

I have the same reactor................ what he said^^^^^^

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10730448#post10730448 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Engine 7
I dont hear it and my CO2 is turned on and the reactor is operating properly. It is silent even with my ear against it.

Not intended for you to take it the wrong way but you must have a hearing problem at that frequency, the impeller chops all CO2 bubbles that enter the reactor and it makes a distinguishable noise, no getting around it.

you commented about Dragon Slayer above, we all call him KC, he lives about a mile down the street from me and was over today, he said feel free to email him direct at the address in the thread you linked to as he's on a ban from the board at the moment, he said if you don't hear the noise there is a problem with your reactor or your hearing.

[Engine 7]

Seriously, there really isnt a noise from my reactor when the bubbles go in. My hearing is fine, thanks for the concern bro :)
Tell "KC" thanks for the guide, it rocks, he knows what he is talking about.

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10730685#post10730685 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Engine 7

Tell "KC" thanks for the guide, it rocks, he knows what he is talking about.

Will do.

[Ricimer]

Yes, the Eheim pump is perfect. I am very noise sensitive but you can't hear the pump really.
So, let's take for granted it's not normal and my unti has a problem (altough it would make sense with that design that it has to be noisy, I mean the bubbles having to go through the pump to enter the reactor...), what could I do to fix it? What could be the origin of the problem?

[JetCat USA]

build a box around it and line that box with acoustical foam.

[Ricimer]

I'd rather move on and sell it second hand to buy a Schuran jetstream 1 then...
What a deception, especially for a German product! Nobody told me about this before I bought it. What a silly idea to make the bubbles go through the pump! What's the purpose, make noise!?

[JetCat USA]

most reactors circulate the CO2 through the pump, it's the most efficient way to dissolve the CO2 into the water and form carbonic acid to dissolve the CaCO3 media. the Schuran also recirculates any bubbles that form inside the reactor :) as well as the injected bubbles.

[Cove Beach]

Its normal to hear a sizzling sound when the CO2 goes in. If you read the Geo manual online, i believe it even mentions it.

[oosurfin]

i have a 1502 and i know the bubble chopping noise you are talking about. there isnt much you can do anything about it except move the location of the reactor. you are going to have the same issue with any reactor you buy, simply because that is the way they work. jetcat is right on about how the recirculation works with Calcium reactors.

[SDguy]

OMG I wish the single CO2 bubble being injected/chopped up by the eheim was the loudest thing on my tank!! :eek2:

[Ricimer]

Mmmm, maybe that's part of my problem: CO2 bubbles are the loudest thing on my tank... ;)
So there would be bubble noise on any CO2 reactor. But I really only ear that noise when a bubble comes in. In other words when a bubble is not coming in I dont ear anything, so tiny bubbles forming and recirculated dont seem to be an issue. That would lead me to think that if the bubbles dont come in through the pump it would help (?). I am going to a LFS Friday to pick up a birdnest (S. hystrix) I've been waiting for since a year. They have a Schuran in operation there. I'll give you my beginner's impression after that.

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10733746#post10733746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricimer
........That would lead me to think that if the bubbles dont come in through the pump it would help (?)


you would have to inject about 3x the CO2 to make it as effective, the impeller chops and completely dissolves the bubble of CO2 into the recirc water, injecting it after the pump just pushes the bubble through the reactor and it dissolves very slowly, you'll end up with allot more accumulation inside the reactor so if you go that route make sure you take ALL effluent from the top of the reactor to keep the bubble evacuated from the reactor, otherwise it'll break the recirc loop and the pump will stop flowing.

[Ricimer]

Hi!
Is it true that the effluent's pH can't drop below 6.5 The instructions say saltwater cannot get below 6.5 But my pH probe has been calibrated a week ago and at some point for some reason (trying to make a short story here...) a lot of CO2 got injected in the reactor and the pH dropped to 6.30. Can you give me your insight on this please? Is it my probe or can the inside of the reactor drop below 6.5?
Thanks!
Ricimer

[SDguy]

The inside of the reactor can go below 6.5 no problem. The problem is that this can get close to the point at which small media like ARM can turn to mud.

[Ricimer]

I wander why they say that in the instructions?!

[OceansWonders]

Salt water reaches it's maximum CO2 absorption at a ph of 6.5 lowering the ph under 6.5 is pointless that is what they are trying to tell you in the manual.

[Ricimer]

Mmmm... Maybe. But they do say that one should not worry about the pH getting too low in the reactor and consequently taking down the pH of the tank down because (so they say) the pH of saltwater CANNOT drop below 6,5. They also mention that if the probe in the reactor reads below 6,5 it means it's wrong and should be recalibrated.

I went to my LFS Friday and saw the Schuran reactor. It was not in operation. However I could see big differences in the design and one of these was that CO2 does not enter the reactor through the pump. So I tend to believe the seller when he says that this model wont produce the noise the Korallin reactor is producing.