DIY Kalkwasser dispenser - suggestion, please share your thoughts

[MikeCRK]

Hi,

As I had too much time and some spare parts available, I have created kalkwasser dispenser for my 48G AIO.
I decided to use this method of dosing kalkwasser as using it in ATO can damage pump, any potential failure and overflow when not in the area can end up tragically. I do not want to spend extra money at this stage
The container is 2.4 litre (2.2 US qt), it has vacuum sealed lid and is acrylic.
There are two ports inside one out, L-shape to avoid sucking in slurry. It is then linked to medical drip bag valve and drop counter which can be placed on the mesh above the wavemaker/filter outlet for better distribution. The other one is with the air valve in case of too much subpressure stopping the dripping.
The whole thing is standing on acrylic supports and can be easily unplugged/refilled/cleaned etc.

The total cost was basically the container (for food in local shop), the other bits were just in my drawers. A friend of my working in the hospital brought me a drip valve and a drip counter
(those are clean obviously, dirt cheap if you need to buy one).

What do you think?

and this is how it looks:

link to my log: HERE

 

[Peace River]

I've seen kalk dosing end up wrong too many times over the years (thankfully for me it was learning from others mistakes and not my own), so I appreciate your concerns for the related risks. Have you tested how well this design keeps the Kalk in suspension?

 

[bushdoc]

As an anesthesiologist I adjust IV drips rate for living.
If I infuse certain drugs, like Epinephrine, which if overdosed, can have dire consequences, I use medical dosing pump. Drip may work and I am sure many people use it for Kalkwasser dosing, but there is always a possibility of failure and dumping accidentally large amount of Kalk into DT.
Just a reminder, that rate of flow if using a drip line is dependent upon gravity, so higher the bag/container-higher flow rate and also as level of fluid drops, so does rate of infusion.

 

[MikeCRK]

I've seen kalk dosing end up wrong too many times over the years (thankfully for me it was learning from others mistakes and not my own), so I appreciate your concerns for the related risks. Have you tested how well this design keeps the Kalk in suspension?

Hi and thanks!

My tank evaporates around 4-5 litres a week. The container hold 2.4 -air -slurry. So 2 litres tops. That means I should be replacing it max twice a week. I'd say I would not need any mixer etc. plus mixing lime water adds atmospheric carbon (CO2) to it, making the lime water less potent due to reaction, so generally speaking I did not even check that it is also made the way that I can give it a gentle shake too without risking a disaster.

I ordered kalk and it should arrive Monday-Tuesday. I will do one test run to ensure and we will see if I will have to make any corrections. My biggest concern would be the top seal as the food containers are not really good holding pressure build up. The drip valve should solve this issue. The plan is to dose 1 drop every 2 seconds approx. straight to the tank where the return pump outlet is to mix it.

I will check and post it here.

Cool thing is in the drip counter, medical ones have injection port on the side with a separate dripper (side by side), so I am thinking I can use it to adding some additional compounds if needed with much less pipes/wiring/mess you name it.

 

[MikeCRK]

As an anesthesiologist I adjust IV drips rate for living.
If I infuse certain drugs, like Epinephrine, which if overdosed, can have dire consequences, I use medical dosing pump. Drip may work and I am sure many people use it for Kalkwasser dosing, but there is always a possibility of failure and dumping accidentally large amount of Kalk into DT.
Just a reminder, that rate of flow if using a drip line is dependent upon gravity, so higher the bag/container-higher flow rate and also as level of fluid drops, so does rate of infusion.

Ha! Good call out with the liquid height! All is good few inches above and I can move the dripper lower if needed, using the cutout in the corner of the mesh. To protect for unlike (but always possible!) failure of the drip valve I will mount some sort of a block to the wheel so!

I made also the supports the way I can add any sort of height extension to put it a bit higher if the gravity be not strong enough.

edit: luckily even if the rate drops it would not be a big drama, as I am (at least at a start) willing to check how is it going overall (new to salt water here!).

 

[MikeCRK]

I think it was a last call! I checked kH and it turned it was 6.5! Started slowly, one drop per second.
I am using Rowa Kalk, One teaspoon per 2 litres.

 

[Indymann99]

I prefer to use a dosing pump. I have it set to dose BELOW evaporation rate and ATO provides any needed makeup. No changes in salinity. APEX control monitoring PH will stop Kalk dosing pump if PH gets to 8.4

 

[MikeCRK]

I prefer to use a dosing pump. I have it set to dose BELOW evaporation rate and ATO provides any needed makeup. No changes in salinity. APEX control monitoring PH will stop Kalk dosing pump if PH gets to 8.4

Sure, maybe one day. The whole thing costed me under $10. How much was your setup Do not have ATO yet. It evaporates much more than I plan to add kalk to replace it. It is only 2 litre set to drip for max three days. We will see if I would need adjusting it

The whole idea of my setup is to try to be as cheap as possible, but the same time not lose the quality where it is needed.

Cheers!

edit:
pH is currently at 8.1-2 (late afternoon in my time zone)

 

[workhz]

I have dripped it previously. This time around i just got a cheap dose pump. No wifi no this no that and a pain to program but it was cheap and still going strong. Got a 3 port figuring if one fails I’ll move over to the other. Think it was around $70 or so. Jebao dp3

 

[MikeCRK]

I have dripped it previously. This time around i just got a cheap dose pump. No wifi no this no that and a pain to program but it was cheap and still going strong. Got a 3 port figuring if one fails I’ll move over to the other. Think it was around $70 or so. Jebao dp3

Luv you mate! Look what promo is now running!

edit:
but I am still proud of my DIY under $10 drip dosing system which so far is working magic

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Luv you mate! Look what promo is now running!

edit:
but Ii am still proud of my DIY under $10 drip dosing system which so far is working magic

Get something like this instead. This will last you 50-60 years unlike jebao. You can schedule it to dose at night with a simple timer ($5) to keep Ph from going down at night. You cal also dial it in to approximately match your evaporation rate, so you won’t have to manually topoff as often. Put kalk in a 5 gallon jug and save yourself a bunch of time. The DIY you’ve made is great but kalk tends to settle on the side of the tubing and tends to crack containers like that. Not everything can handle kalk. So you’ll find yourself messing with this setup far more than you initially expect. With a doser you also won’t be running a risk of overdosing and killing your entire( or portion ) of your tank, which also has monetary value . if you take all those things into account, including your time spent, you end up spending a lot more with $10 than with $50. Just my .02.

 

[workhz]

The jebao is a pita to program as it’s pretty manual but once it’s done it’s done. I have mine go off every hour for I think around 100 seconds from 10pm to 8am or so.

 

[MikeCRK]

The jebao is a pita to program as it’s pretty manual but once it’s done it’s done. I have mine go off every hour for I think around 100 seconds from 10pm to 8am or so.

I have jebao wavemaker, working good but I failed pairing it via WiFi, so had to set it up manually. And I work in hi tech company hahaha

 

[WeberKettleGuy]

Your drip counter is inverted, and not intended to work that way. I’m a paramedic by trade, and use these drip sets every day. The “port” on the drip chamber is for adding medications. The drip chamber pierces into a bag, generally saline. They do make drip sets that have lurelok wyes that you can connect additional drip sets to. While the control valve regulates your flow, the proper way to figure your administration rate is by counting the drops in the drip chamber over a given time. (This is dependent on the size of drop set). While it may work inverted for you, I don’t know how accurate it “drips”, for lack of a better term. Interesting DIY!

 

[MikeCRK]

Your drip counter is inverted, and not intended to work that way. I’m a paramedic by trade, and use these drip sets every day. The “port” on the drip chamber is for adding medications. The drip chamber pierces into a bag, generally saline. They do make drip sets that have lurelok wyes that you can connect additional drip sets to. While the control valve regulates your flow, the proper way to figure your administration rate is by counting the drops in the drip chamber over a given time. (This is dependent on the size of drop set). While it may work inverted for you, I don’t know how accurate it “drips”, for lack of a better term. Interesting DIY!

Hi mate,

thank you for your comment, I'd rather stick to Archimedes when it comes to the position of the valve

Sorry for being sarcastic. It does not matter at all how the valve here is positioned as long as the gravity can do the job (what some colleagues here mentioned already, it matters how high the fluid is positioned against how low the dripping point is, the rest is done by the gravity). It is a syphon after all.

The drip works perfect (running 24 hours now), I was wondering if slow the rate for drip would block it due to suspension in the fluid but nah, all is fine so far. Also the air valve does the job and the subpressure build up is non existent. I am increasing slightly the rate now.

 

[Dpatron77]

Psh... bag for the win! Can shake to mix, keeps air out and from depleting the mix. Cnoc water bag, water bottle flip cap. The iv spike fits the hole. Leave it long (intact) it will lay above the sediment and not allow it in the line. I am not on a drip anymore, hooked up to a doser now, Kamoer X1.

 

[Mikeltee]

Not sure where you heard the kalkwasser can damage pump from but I've had a geo 816 gen1 kalkwasser reactor with the OG MaxiJet 600 cycling 1min 4x a day for 10 years. I lube the oring once a year. A replacement is 20$.