Calcium Reactor Help

[Shameless_Dood]

Good morning, the demand on my tank finally got to the point of where I needed a calcium reactor. It's been a struggle bus, the first co2 tank ended up venting all it's contents in short order in the middle of the night. I refilled the tank (2 weeks ago) and I seem to be burning through it way faster than I should, I will probably have to get a refill today or it will run out sometime next week when I am out of town.

I don't *think* I have a leak, my co2 monitor isn't showing anything abnormal. But something doesn't seem right.

Looking at the bubble counter, it seems to be having way more bubbles come through than what I have the Carbon Doser set for.

Take a look at the vid, any ideas?

 

[reeflife3]

get a spray bottle with soapy water and spray it around the CO2 fittings and look for bubbles. When i had a calcium reactor, had a similar issue with burning through CO2 and found a leak by the regulator

 

[Shirak]

Yes something not right.. 2 weeks is fast. Should last a lot longer.

Turn the carbon doser off. Open the valve on the tank and let the high pressure side and the low pressure side get to their set pressure and then close the tank valve. Take a photo of the pressure gauges. In a few hours take another photo. If the either gauge has lost pressure then there is a leak somewhere.

As far as the bubbles go.. pressure setting on the low side will determine bubble size. It should be around 8-10psi. You should see one bubble every time the carbon doser clicks and opens the solenoid. So for your setting about every 8 seconds. It's possible everything is working fine but you have too much pressure going into the low pressure side. Do you have a photo of the pressure gauges?

 

[Shameless_Dood]

Ok so there is a leak, there is an extra port on the bottom of the regulator and as soon as I touched it, it purged some co 2. Seems like the gasket on that port is really soft and doesn't stay seated. Contacted the company, turns out they have had problems with those ports leaking. They are sending me a new one.

In the mean time, I bought a new bottle, and some high pressure thread sealant. Gonna tighten it down and see if I can make it work until the new one comes in.

 

[El_reverde]

Hey there Shameless. Any update?

 

[Shameless_Dood]

Only thing I got, is the replacement came in and didn't have the extra port. No issues since then, so far so good.

 

[Jamie814]

Only thing I got, is the replacement came in and didn't have the extra port.

I had the same issue with the bottom port leaking on the regulator. Over tightening it shredded the oring seal and under tightening it still leaks. As expensive as the thing is you would think they would use a better regulator. With the 1/8" non standard co2 line it's hard to find a replacement that the fittings will fit onto correctly.

Can you add a picture of the regulator they sent you?

 

[Shameless_Dood]

I had the same issue with the bottom port leaking on the regulator. Over tightening it shredded the oring seal and under tightening it still leaks. As expensive as the thing is you would think they would use a better regulator. With the 1/8" non standard co2 line it's hard to find a replacement that the fittings will fit onto correctly.

Can you add a picture of the regulator they sent you?

I had the same issue, once I figured out (to be fair with the help of carbon doser folks) the bottom port was the problem, I was able to tighten it some and hold the gasket in as I tightened it, but at a certain point that gasket just tore. I used some high pressure thread sealant on it while I was waiting for the replacement. It seemed to hold, though I don't know I would want to go that route long term.

Replacement regulator looks just like the old one, just minus the extra port.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I had the same issue, once I figured out (to be fair with the help of carbon doser folks) the bottom port was the problem, I was able to tighten it some and hold the gasket in as I tightened it, but at a certain point that gasket just tore. I used some high pressure thread sealant on it while I was waiting for the replacement. It seemed to hold, though I don't know I would want to go that route long term.

Replacement regulator looks just like the old one, just minus the extra port.

I have the same unit. The last two days I am smelling rotten eggs in my fishroom. At the same time I have an Dino outbreak in a frag tank. Doesn’t leaking CO2 bottle smell like somethin?

 

[Shirak]

I have the same unit. The last two days I am smelling rotten eggs in my fishroom. At the same time I have an Dino outbreak in a frag tank. Doesn’t leaking CO2 bottle smell like somethin?

CO2 is odorless

rotten egg smell would most likely be hydrogen sulfide. Often get that in skimmer cups and collection containers. Low oxygen decomposition of organic matter. Can happen in sand beds too that don't get stirred up enough and oxygen drops within the sand layer.