new kalk reactor design :)

[cantseered]

http://etrinitee.com/personal/kalkreactor.jpg

got it down to very simple parts. Made it extremely clean. Works great too :)

[easttn]

Where's the input from your topoff? I like your idea on the top.

[eameres]

Can you go into more detail on how you built it? what kind of pump is that and what kind of bulkheads are those connecting the pump to the body?

[cantseered]

Hmm.... I'll do my best :)

the tube is 5" clear acrylic tube.
base and top are 1/4" think 6" circles with the top having a hole that is a bit smaller than the radius of a 2" pvc pipe (outside demention).

The bulk head on top is 2" s40 reduced to 1/2" reduced to 1/4" to fit a jaco male threaded elbow barb. The 2" union is glued using weld on multi-purpose 2790 (only glue I found that can bond acrylic to pvc) safely.

all the piping is 1/4" s80, as are the elbows.

bulkheads are 1/4" s80 normal.

pump is a maxijet 600 with modified head to take the piping.

the only hard part is forming the joint between the bulkheads and the acrylic tube because of the curved surface.

first cut out the circle pattern on the tube and cut it out. this might be difficult because the hole is quite big. even using a forcener bit (spelling) it might crack because of the uneven surface. The best way I did this was to use a dremel. each hole should take about a minute.

I filled in the open joint between the bulk head and the tube with clear 2 part apoxy. This took a while because I wanted to make it look really clean. If it gets a bit messy, its ok, it will wipe away easy from the acrylic because it isn't a solvent. Of course, you need to make it square and level or your pump will sit funny.

I joined the bulk head links and the pump with black vinel tubing and some black tubing clips. I believe it was 3/8".

the bottom is drilled and tapped with a 10/32" and threaded with a barb.

Soooooo.. basically... fresh water goes in from the top off into the bottom (you might want to put a needle valve there just incase you want to move the unit around when it's full). The top goes to the float valve or float switch into your sump. When you need to add kalk, you just unscrew the union on top and add it in there.

In this thread:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=598447

you can see the smaller unit i made a while back that has been on my tank. It worked great. The larger unit i made so I don't have to fill it as often.

hope this helps

[Electrobes]

man I wanted to build a reactor, but since I do not have the RO/DI close by.. it wouldn't of been much use. But I didn;t know how I was going to cap it off.. I like that idea.. was it water tight from the start?

[cantseered]

not sure what you mean by "water tight from the start" but it is now. it can actually handle a good amount of pressure. when you attach the top off unit and open the float valve, you can actually here the blow off of trapped air.

[Osler@thesea]

Very nice design. A suggestion for the top union that you are using. Remove the top part of the union and use it as a template to cut an acrylic disk. Drill and tap this piece of acrylic for your fittings and use it in place of the top piece of PVC from the union. The locking ring will capture the disk and pull it snug against the o-ring on the union, making the water-tight seal. Just make sure the o-ring seats in the bottom part of the union or else this won't work. This will reduce the height of the reactor and give it a cleaner look. You also may want to consider cutting the union down a bit on the bottom piece to reduce the height further and flush up the locking ring to the top of the reactor (aesthetics more than anything).

[cantseered]

hmm interesting. I think I will have to try that :)