Aquarium Engineering-ACR Calcium Reactor

[gdemos]

Ok Dennis:
My acr is a bit away from my co2 tank and outlet where carbon doser is plugged to (apex)

ACR Float switch has two wires
One of each wire nutted to patch wire
2 Patch wires run from acr float nut to vacinity of carbon doser
Each patch wire to + term of 12V DC Connectors
Single patch wire between two 12v DC Connectors at - term as jumper

carbon doser outlet male end to female 12vdc
Male 13v DC connector to power of carbon doser

apex giving power to plug (pH is high)

carbon doser not powered

12v DC connections pass tug test
Im using these connectors for patch wire to ACR Float as nuts and passes tug test

float switch should call for power as acr has very little air im acr.

perhaps my patch cord connectors no good?

 

[gdemos]

Ok Dennis:
My acr is a bit away from my co2 tank and outlet where carbon doser is plugged to (apex)

ACR Float switch has two wires
One of each wire nutted to patch wire
2 Patch wires run from acr float nut to vacinity of carbon doser
Each patch wire to + term of 12V DC Connectors
Single patch wire between two 12v DC Connectors at - term as jumper

carbon doser outlet male end to female 12vdc
Male 13v DC connector to power of carbon doser

apex giving power to plug (pH is high)

carbon doser not powered

12v DC connections pass tug test
Im using these connectors for patch wire to ACR Float as nuts and passes tug test

float switch should call for power as acr has very little air im acr.

perhaps my patch cord connectors no good?
The. Performed touch test no lifht on carbon doser

patch is 12 AWG

 

[gdemos]

Ok check that got it powered (bad nut)
Now moving mflex to pull and manifold feed
Carbon doser set at 8psi & 10 sec per bubble

 

[gdemos]

Ok switched mflex to pulling from ACR effluent and feeding by manifold

carbon doser powered and at 8psi/10 sec per bubble

not seeing much gas go in if any but the co2 is pumping i can test co2 outlet in beaker

should i crank up gas now that im on float switch?

will manifold feed + mflex pull create an issue?
Do i have to meter the manifold feed rate?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Ok switched mflex to pulling from ACR effluent and feeding by manifold

carbon doser powered and at 8psi/10 sec per bubble

not seeing much gas go in if any but the co2 is pumping i can test co2 outlet in beaker

should i crank up gas now that im on float switch?

will manifold feed + mflex pull create an issue?
Do i have to meter the manifold feed rate?

You can increase the bubble rate now as the float switch will modulate the CO2 feed.

It will take a bit to rebuild the gas pocket. You should see bubbles rising through your CaRx media, building until it looks very fizzy. You should never see the CO2 pocket extending down into the reactor body, the CO2 pocket should remain confined to the lid.

Setting it up as manifold feed and Masterflex pull is perfect. This is how the factory controller worked, except it used a pinch valve instead of the Masterflex, and it is how I run mine. You don't have to meter the manifold feed, the small diameter of the feed line (0.170") is doing that for you.

I was tired yesterday and went to bed early and missed your posts and the re-start. Hopefully everything went well and you are running now. Let me know.

 

[gdemos]

Everything is up amd running but im not getting the co2 fizz i would’ve expected. I have ratcheted up gas carbon doser reading 9 psi at 2 sec per bubble. pH in reactor at 7.55 with calibrated probe (system pH is 8.33). Even with gas off ACR pH was lower than system (media buffering?) like 7.8 with gas off.

should i increase gas pressure above 10psi?

is manifold feed pressure making it harder for co2 to saturate?

Mflex set very low at 7ml/min because i dont need to increase system alk at this time

i haven’t tested effluent alk but i would guess 12dkh

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Everything is up amd running but im not getting the co2 fizz i would’ve expected. I have ratcheted up gas carbon doser reading 9 psi at 2 sec per bubble. pH in reactor at 7.55 with calibrated probe (system pH is 8.33). Even with gas off ACR pH was lower than system (media buffering?) like 7.8 with gas off.

should i increase gas pressure above 10psi?

is manifold feed pressure making it harder for co2 to saturate?

Mflex set very low at 7ml/min because i dont need to increase system alk at this time

i haven’t tested effluent alk but i would guess 12dkh

Ok, so your pH in the reactor should be high 5's to low 6's, so 7.55 is probably just a tiny bit of CO2. I would not go above 10 PSI, in fact 8 PSI is all that should be required. We need to figure out where the CO2 issue is. I take it your carbon doser is staying energized? Do you have the carbon doser set to as fast of CO2 addition as possible? You have not made any changes with the check valve? No way it could be reversed?

If you close the feed from the manifold, does the ACR start to have bubbles rising?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Also, are you sure the pH probe fitting is air tight? If it is not able to hold pressure, than the CO2 could be escaping through the lid.

 

[gdemos]

Check valve properly aligned
I can pull co2 line (no water escapes) and insert in beaker of water and its producing bubbles

i had carbon doser at 9 psi and just off max bubble rate at 2 sec per bubble; now maxed it out at 0.1 sec per bubble / 8 psi

i just shut off manifold feed- no fizz

the co2 check valve is the fancy one that comes with carbon doser

 

[gdemos]

Also, are you sure the pH probe fitting is air tight? If it is not able to hold pressure, than the CO2 could be escaping through the lid.

Probe and all fittings tight
I would think water would escape if anything were loose? After all that manifold feeding would push it out since it far exceeds the current effluent of 7 ml/min. I haven’t clocked my manifold feed but surely its up there

 

[gdemos]

 

[gdemos]

 

[gdemos]

 

[gdemos]

 

[gdemos]

Im wondering if the sicce recirc is not working. It’s certainly powered up and vibrating but without air in there hard to tell. Im gonna drain off some water and see if its churning

 

[Dennis Cartier]

How long have you had it running? It will take awhile for the CO2 to rebuild the gas pocket and bubbles will start to rise in the media getting smaller and faster. It should only take a couple of hours.

Ah, yes if the Sicce is not running, you will not get any CO2 being pulled through the venturi, and no bubbles as a result.

 

[gdemos]

yep sicce is churning

 

[gdemos]

How long have you had it running? It will take awhile for the CO2 to rebuild the gas pocket and bubbles will start to rise in the media getting smaller and faster. It should only take a couple of hours.

Ah, yes if the Sicce is not running, you will not get any CO2 being pulled through the venturi, and no bubbles as a result.

Its been a full day+

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Its been a full day+

Ok, well it should have already built a pocket. Does the Carbon Doser ever get de-energized? If the float valve is low enough it should shut it down. If it never shuts down, then the CO2 is not building up.

I am wondering if the carbon doser results in too low of pressure. I use the same model of valve in my controller as the carbon doser uses, but they may be doing something different than the simple on/off that I use.

 

[gdemos]

Ok, well it should have already built a pocket. Does the Carbon Doser ever get de-energized? If the float valve is low enough it should shut it down. If it never shuts down, then the CO2 is not building up.

I am wondering if the carbon doser results in too low of pressure. I use the same model of valve in my controller as the carbon doser uses, but they may be doing something different than the simple on/off that I use.

I have not seem it de-energize yet as the float switch hasnt been air raised

i am not sure if the low pressure gauge on carbon doser is accurate but even at 10 psi its not building a gas pocket… perhaps its not pushing past the check valve? Perhaps 12 psi as a test?

is it possthat the manifold feed tate is preventing the co2 to push through?