Easy way to clean Carbon and GFO for a reactor change.

[Sacohen]

I used to put the Carbon or GFO in a filter bag and then wash it, then try to get all of it into the tubes for the reactors.
I realized that I had a spare BRS reactor and 2 spare tubes so I connected the reactor to the water source in my garage and the drain goes into a bucket.

Now I can just turn on the water and let it run through the spare reactor and tube until it's clear then take it out and do the same for the other tube now just swap them out of the reactors under my stand.

Much faster.

 

[CoralHut]

Make sure you use RO/DI water for rinsing GFO (and also carbon to a lesser extent) because the phosphates in the water will exhaust the GFO much faster. Additionally, chloramines in tap water can exhaust carbon. :thumb:

 

[Slm222]

i put them fresh in my reactors and move the return hose over to a 5 gallon buckwt and turn on my pump and then refill the tankwith new salt water. serves dual purpose "mini water change" and cleaning the carbon or gfo.

 

[Jimbo662]

Slm, I like that idea! I've been pulling the pump out of the sump and into a bucket of ro/di. I'm going to try this next time!

 

[jgraz]

i put them fresh in my reactors and move the return hose over to a 5 gallon buckwt and turn on my pump and then refill the tankwith new salt water. serves dual purpose "mini water change" and cleaning the carbon or gfo.

This is exactly what I do. Usually by the time I hit the 5 gal mark the GFO is running perfectly clear and I have the flow right where I want it.

 

[ReeferEric]

I'm still trying to figure out something myself. Good job!

 

[hawkinsrgk]

i put them fresh in my reactors and move the return hose over to a 5 gallon buckwt and turn on my pump and then refill the tankwith new salt water. serves dual purpose "mini water change" and cleaning the carbon or gfo.

I use the same method

 

[SloppyJ]

I use our typical kitchen strainer for my carbon. I used a small fish net for my GFO last time and it worked well.

 

[Sacohen]

I was using mess bags, but that was a pain so I thought of this.