Dripping Kalk

[OIIIIIO]

What's everyone doing for dripping Kalk? I have a half-gallon container with an airline coming out of the bottom and a small valve to adjust the drip rate. Problem is, the kalk seems to quickly clog the valve so I have to keep opening it. Eventually, it gets clogged to the point where it has to be cleaned out every day. There must be a better way. Should I get a dosing pump and if so, what is a good one? I'd like to eventually drip two part.

[Hop]

When I set mine up again I will use a Kalk reactor with a dosing pump. Just be careful which pump you get. The ones with 2 rollers can fail ( a buddy of mine had that happen) and allow a siphon. I'm looking at a 4 roller set up right now.

Right now I just do a kalk slurry one day and two part the next.

[DarthOcellaris]

That clogging is why most people don't drip anymore. I agree a dosing pump is the way to go.

If you have room, get a small container...1 to 5 gallons maybe....and a float switch or a timer to control a pump to push the kalk from the container to your system water. I used a float switch and replaced my evaporation with kalk.

If you have the space and money, get a kalk reactor like hop suggested. I plan on going this route next time.

[OIIIIIO]

Originally Posted by DarthOcellaris

If you have the space and money, get a kalk reactor like hop suggested. I plan on going this route next time.

I have neither of those .

I didn't see any 4 roller dosers at MD, so I'm wondering if I can drip into the overflow box so that the reservoir is lower to prevent siphon.

[crvz]

I foolishly have my kalk reactor hooked up directly to my RO/DI (gasp!). I have many fail-safes designed into the setup, but I probably wouldnt recommend it to anyone. Regardless, I use water pressure from the unit to dose kalk.

[Hop]

Originally Posted by OIIIIIO

I have neither of those .

I didn't see any 4 roller dosers at MD, so I'm wondering if I can drip into the overflow box so that the reservoir is lower to prevent siphon.

Two part solutions sells a nice 4 roller set up for about $80. It's the one I'm looking at.

[Hop]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Dosers...duct_info.html

[OIIIIIO]

Originally Posted by Hop

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Dosers...duct_info.html

SWEET! That's exactly what I need! Thanks!

[Hop]

Originally Posted by OIIIIIO

SWEET! That's exactly what I need! Thanks!

No problem... It's the one I'm going to get here soon.

[OIIIIIO]

How much do you make at a time? I've been making a single gallon for topping off at night because I'm afraid of it going bad. From what I understand, it losses effectiveness if it's older than a week.

[Hop]

Originally Posted by OIIIIIO

How much do you make at a time? I've been making a single gallon for topping off at night because I'm afraid of it going bad. From what I understand, it losses effectiveness if it's older than a week.

In an open system that may be true, but with a kalk reactor you can load up quite a bit and let it go and just add more kalk every so often. For my last tank I added 4 tbs a week to the reactor and it handled all top off for the week. Right now I'm just doing a slurry every other day and I don't really recommend that, but I dissolve 1 tsp in 16oz RO/DI every other day and let it sit for 20-60 minutes, then pour it into the overflow of my 37 gallon fuge/display in the wetroom so it disperses to the 300 total gallons. I then use 2 part on the opposite days.

So it may be better so see how other people are doing it. I will have it set up soon on a 70 gallon RO/DI storage tank that tops off my sump. I will add another line to a GEO kalk reactor, hooked to the doser on a timer, tied to an Neptune to dose based on time and pH.

[luvmylo]

this is why I stopped using kalk altogether. I just dose my 2 part once per day and VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! works like a charm=)

[Hop]

Originally Posted by luvmylo

this is why I stopped using kalk altogether. I just dose my 2 part once per day and VOILA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! works like a charm=)

I would, but using strictly 2 part lowered my pH to 7.9. Doing the kalk keeps it up at 8.18. Last month I was doing it exclusively to keep pH above 8.3 in order to ward off dinos. Since they went away, I'm back to the swapping routine

[luvmylo]

o i c

[Loverotties]

I add it to my top-off container.