DIY (Schuran) Jetstream stlye automatic Calcium Reactor

[Dennis Cartier]

I have always been interested by the Schuran Jetstream CalRx units. Over the years I had seen them mentioned on multiple occasions and is was always in terms about how small they were compared to their capabilities. I would see them come up on the used forums infrequently and even toyed with buying a used one to play with. Being 100% acrylic and being known for being fragile, they do not ship well. Often the units I would see on the used equipment forum, would already have existing damage to the acrylic body, and that was just through everyday use (not shipping damage). They still sell these units new, but they are very expensive and only available from Europe.

So rather than buying a used Schuran unit, I have decided to build a Schuran inspired DIY version of a CalRx that uses the same basic flow. The one change that is going to deviate from the Schuran design, is that I will be integrating a float switch into the lid area for automatic control of the gas bubble. The Schuran's use a PH probe and suggest a target PH of 6.1 which is pretty much the saturation point of CO2 anyway. As far as I can tell, the hardest part about tuning the Schuran version is to get the bubble count right to get close to the saturation point, but not too high as to build up too big of a gas bubble and have CO2 escape the reactor. The addition of the float switch should make this a non-issue.

I wanted to do this out of cheap commodity PVC available at the big box stores. But I figured for the first attempt, I should try to use clear PVC piping to allow visual confirmation of the bubble activity inside the media chamber. Like the Jetstreams, this reactor will be an upflow with a venturi valve to re-circulate the CO2. I located some affordable 4" SCH 40 PVC pipes on Ebay and ordered in 2 24" lengths. My intention is to make the unit fairly easy to disassemble for maintenance. I will be using a 1.5" Lifeguard low profile intake fitting as the bottom of the media chamber. My idea is to have the fitting mounted into a 1.5" bulkhead with a smaller 3/4" union on the bottom of the reactor (after the bulkhead). Removing the union and undoing the bulkhead retaining nut should allow the bulkhead to slide out, up through the media chamber for maintenance. I will be using a Sicce pump as the circulation pump and a CPR venturi valve. For float switches, I will be using Madison 1/8" NPT ones so that I can tap the lid for direct insertion.

So some of the parts started started to arrive.

The first issue that became very apparent, was that the end caps and threaded lids I had sourced from the local HD/Lowes was not in fact SCH 40 PVC dimensions. It is 4" sewer pipe, which apparently is only 1/2 as thick of a wall. So it will not fit the clear PVC piping that is meant to be the body of the reactor. I can still use these fittings, but only if the body is the 4" sewer pipe as well. Unfortunately I have a bunch of other fittings on the way that will fit the clear PVC body, but I will no longer have a bottom and removable lid solution. So back to the online site to order more parts to re-engineer the bottom and top for the clear PVC version. I decided to go full SCH 80 flanges and tees for the clear PVC version. Ouch, very expensive fittings, so the clear PVC version will not be 'affordable', but the sewer pipe version will be. I have also ordered in some 3/4" CPR venturi valves as the 1/2" ones shown in the photo look very small internally.

I will keep this thread updated as more parts arrive for the build.

Dennis

 

[crny1]

following

 

[AlexG]

I will be interested to see how this build works. Can you share any diagrams that show the reactors final design? If you are looking for hard to find PVC parts you might want to look at https://flexpvc.com/

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I will be interested to see how this build works. Can you share any diagrams that show the reactors final design? If you are looking for hard to find PVC parts you might want to look at https://flexpvc.com/

Lol, you are going to think this is the laziest, but rather than doing a design, I just laid out some of the parts to represent the different parts of the reactor. It is pretty simple design. It has a water exit from the side of the reactor, going through a tee that will have a push fit connector in it ( the feed to the reactor), then the pump with the intake connected to the tee and the pumps output going through a venturi valve. Finally the piping bends down past the bottom with a tee to connect to the strainer that the media sits on and a drain hooked to the other leg of the tee. The strainer will be connected through a bulkhead and will have a union (not shown in the parts layout) and will allow the whole assembly to lift out up through the media chamber once the bulkhead nut is removed. The lid of the reactor will contain 2 push connectors for the CO2 input and the CO2 re-circulation to the venturi valve. There will also be a float switch and a pipe that extends below the surface for the effluent output. In the photo the pipe is standing on the lid, but it would really extend from the bottom of the lid.

Dennis

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Phew, the bulk of my PVC parts arrived and I got to confirm that my determination that the existing fittings from HD/Lowes were in fact sewer pipe and that a 'proper' SCH 40 PVC fitting would in fact fit the pricey clear PVC pipes that I had purchased. I had pretty much already decided this 100%, but it was nice to confirm it physically.

I sure did order a lot of parts. I have enough reducing tee's with 3/4" to make 4 reactors. However, once I realized that my HD fittings were not going to fit, I ordered a set of blind flanges and top and bottom flanges for 2 reactors. Those will be in grey SCH 80, so I went ahead and ordered some SCH 80 tees as well. I did not order the rest of the fittings in SCH 80, but I can always do a custom Krylon colour. What this means though is that I have enough fittings for 6 reactors and can't use sewer pipe for any of those. I thought about ordering in more clear PVC pipes, but those are so expensive that it will probably be easier and far cheaper to source some SCH 40 4" PVC piping locally. I also need to source some 4" SCH 40 end caps. All the ones I have are sewer pipe dimensions.

Here is a mockup sitting on the sewer pipe end cap.

I have to remember to make a couple of these to fit the dimensions of the RS250 cabinet as 2 will be used in some I have to yet setup.

The next order that will be arriving will be all the flanges and bits. That is the expensive one. The parts I got in today cost about $200 and consisted of 200 or so fittings of various sizes along with unions and anything else I could think of needing for the foreseeable. The next order will be less than 20 parts and cost ~$700. Ouch. Of course once I see the unit mocked up in SCH 80 grey, I will be inclined to go back and order the rest of the 3/4" fittings in SCH 80 grey ...

Dennis

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I did a dry fit mock up of how a reactor will work. Still a few items missing in this mock up (a CO2 input in the lid, a float switch in the lid and the effluent pipe and drain in the lid). For the first 2 reactors I will not be using these lids and caps as I have proper SCH 80 flanges and blind flanges on the way. I wanted to see how it would look with these components anyway. I have larger venturi's on order as well.

The red hose is the CO2 re-circulation from the CO2 bubble in the lid to the venturi valve. The blue hose is the feed for the reactor. The green hose is the maintenance drain. As mentioned there is a missing CO2 input, effulent drain, and float switch missing in the lid.

The SCH 40 cap turned out to be a bit of a pain to drill and it has too much of a convex and concave shape for the o-ring to sit flat. I "think" the o-ring is making enough contact on the inside for a good seal, but time will tell once I start trying to utilize these types of SCH 40 fittings.

On the other hand, the sewer pipe version is almost completely flat as it is not pressure rated and the o-ring sits perfect. The only problem is that the walls of this type of piping are a lot thinner, so it will not be as robust with 12 lbs of media in it, and there are no tees with a 3/4" branch, so a Uni-seal will be needed. Ya, not as robust

The unit will be mounted vertically of course. The pipe clamps are slipping currently, but once the fittings are glued, I will add some non slip material to the inside of the clamps so they can get a grip.

Dennis

 

[Gools]

following! I have both 1 & 2 jetstreams and love them. The gas buildup does drive me nuts though!

 

[Dennis Cartier]

following! I have both 1 & 2 jetstreams and love them. The gas buildup does drive me nuts though!

Your experience, and challenges, with your Jetstreams interests me very much! Both because my project attempts to replicate the basic design elements of a Jetstream and because I originally became interested in them while wondering about automating them.

The gas that is building up, does it appear to be CO2 from too high of bubble count as compared to flow through the reactor? If it is this, I have some ideas on what could be done to address this condition. Or is it other non-CO2 gases that are being released and collecting in the top of the reactor, interfering with the operation and raising the PH inside the reactor? Again I have some ideas on how to deal with this possibility.

So please do share what your thoughts are about the circumstances for the build up of gases.

Dennis

 

[Gools]

If its gas build up, I cant say for sure but my guess would lean towards no. I only have the JS2 running, but have recently hooked up my JS1 and just have water running through it, and the water level inside is dropping, and I have no leaks and see no salt creep anywhere so has me wondering! I should add that I am pushing water threw and not pulling, I don't know if that would make a difference. I have also played around with the output height, and have my JS2 on a waterslide type output from reactor to return to sump. JS2 on peristatic pump, and JS1 on Kamoer pump
I also don't use a ph probe in them anymore as I found myself chasing that number instead of concentrating on the Alk of the tank

 

[Gools]

Couple pics, hopefully they work!

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Ok, here is my idea on how to automate the Jetstream type of reactors. As you have already discontinued using PH to drive them, you are already part way there.

These reactors use a venturi to re-inject the CO2 that collects at the top of the unit, and the effluent tube extends down vertically to pull from below the bubble of CO2 at the top. This bubble of CO2 is the gas that is not able to be absorbed into the water as it is already at the saturation point and is excess CO2. As fresh saltwater enters the reactor, some of this reserve of CO2 will be absorbed and reduce the reserve of CO2. So the flow through the reactor is directly tied to how much CO2 can be absorbed, and how quickly.

The tuning that you are doing would be setting the CO2 bubble count to be fast enough to provide for an excess of CO2 to form a reserve to keep the CO2 within the water at saturation, but not too fast to cause the CO2 reserve to grow and extend below the effluent tube and escape the reactor.

Ok, the way I see it is that you need to automate the addition of the CO2 that will add CO2 when the reserve decreases, but stop adding it once the reserve has been replenished. The way I am doing this with my version of this design is with a float switch in the lid that triggers a solenoid to toggle the CO2 on and off based on the CO2 bubble that is collected under the lid. However on the Jetstreams, adding a float switch would be difficult and damaging the reactor is highly likely. What I would suggest in this case is a capacitive non contact water level sensor that can be mounted to the side of the neck near the top and can control the CO2 relay to keep the CO2 reserve from shrinking too small and growing too large. Something like this Non-Contact Liquid Level Sensor should be able to do it. This would need to drive a relay and then drive the CO2 solenoid using the relay. These sensors cannot carry enough current to drive the solenoid directly.

Using a sensor to control the CO2 solenoid means that the addition of CO2 will be linked to the speed you set your peristaltic pump to. The faster you pass water through the reactor, the more CO2 gets absorbed and the more the sensor toggles the solenoid to add more CO2 (but never too much).

Running the reactor in pull mode and having the input hooked to the return pump, will pressurize the reactor and help with the CO2 reaching saturation. Adding the PH probe back into place for a bit can also be helpful. You should be at saturation and have a very low PH, but if after a few days you notice the PH rising, then that would be a sign that non-CO2 gas is collecting in the reserve bubble and will need to be bled off. My suggestion for that is to have a tee in the CO2 input line that is hooked to a peristaltic pump (like a cheap masterflex single speed drive off Ebay), and have a timer that toggles off the level sensor and toggles on the peristaltic pump to bleed off the collected CO2 reserve and then shuts down after the timed period which re-enables the level sensor and re-fills the CO2 reserve. Again this may not be needed, and would only be required if the reactor starts to lose efficiency after running for long periods.

Anyway, those are my ideas on how to remove some of the tuning that the Jetstream needs to be efficient and make it automatic and always efficient. My DIY version will be using these techniques (bleeding the CO2 reserve will be added once I know if it is required).

Dennis

 

[Gools]

Have read it about 20 times and trying to piece together what your saying, Hard for me to read it and comprehend. As I watch your build parts may make more sense to me !

What do you mean buy pulling effluent through and having the input hooked to return pump?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Have read it about 20 times and trying to piece together what your saying, Hard for me to read it and comprehend. As I watch your build parts may make more sense to me !

What do you mean buy pulling effluent through and having the input hooked to return pump?

I will try to point out the contrast of how my DIY version works (especially around the automation) and compare it to the OEM Schuran Jetstream as I am building it.

I just reviewed your post, and you mention you are pushing water through the reactor (peristaltic pump on the input side) rather than pulling (peristaltic on effluent line). The point I was making was that if you pull through the reactor with your peristaltic pump, and hook the input side to a pressure pump (E.g. like your return pump), you can raise the pressure inside the reactor above atmospheric (slightly) and make is easier to reach saturation.

I guess the important difference that I am suggesting, and what you are likely already doing, is to run the Jetstream at saturation, and use the volume of trapped CO2 to modulate the addition of more CO2. Your doing that now, except you are the automation and your adjustments to the bubble count are the modulation. Too low of bubble count and your trapped CO2 disapppears, your reactor starts to run below saturation, and if left long enough like this, your DKH in the effulelnt will drift downward. Too high of bubble count and you waste CO2 by the trapped CO2 growing until it reaches the effluent pipe and it escapes the reactor.

Dennis

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Sigh. This is what happens when you order parts over the internet. The parts may not appear exactly as shown, or in this case, be huge! I was expecting something a bit more industrial than the 4" PVC parts I had been mocking up with, but these SCH 80 flange fittings are on a another level entirely.

Here is the 4" PVC fitting as compared to one of the sets of flanges.

When you add the rest of the flanges to the body, my simple little DIY project is starting to look a bit too extreme. Maybe I can use it to defend myself in case of home invasion? Perhaps more unions and quick disconnects to leave this option open, lol.

Hmm, perhaps I will go back an order some 'regular' SCH 40 spigot plugs to allow me to make the smaller format versions (without the curved end caps), that will be a better fit in my Red sea 250 cabinets.

On the bright side, these blind flanges have lots of room for drilling and tapping the CO2, float switch and effluent fittings. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

Dennis

 

[Gools]

Just for fun I threw a PH probe in the reactor (made sure it was calibrated) and it is sitting at 6.9, not what I was expecting
Also played around with my JS1 as its not up and running just putting tank water through it and I can't pull water threw it. It goes up the output tube before I can get the large air gap out of it. Using the return pump as a feed like you suggested would probably fix that issue however that would require a bunch of plumbing which I might attempt when I have more time

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Just for fun I threw a PH probe in the reactor (made sure it was calibrated) and it is sitting at 6.9, not what I was expecting
Also played around with my JS1 as its not up and running just putting tank water through it and I can't pull water threw it. It goes up the output tube before I can get the large air gap out of it. Using the return pump as a feed like you suggested would probably fix that issue however that would require a bunch of plumbing which I might attempt when I have more time

Hmm, that PH is a lot higher than I would have expected. I would expect it should be around 6.0 if it is running in saturation mode.

For your JS1, that behaviour is what is expected for normal operation. The effluent is supposed to exit up the tube while leaving the gas pocket there. The gas pocket should be the collected excess CO2 that is being recirculated to the venturi. However for startup, the gas pocket will be mostly air, so bleeding it is needed. Having the return pump feeding the reactor and then removing the CO2 input line temporarily will bleed the gas pocket and get it ready to be refilled with CO2.

For the JS2, did you bleed off the air when you started it? Because at that PH, it sounds like the collected gas is not entirely CO2. Perhaps bleed it again, but be ready for a jump in the DKH of the effluent after putting it back into operation.

Dennis

 

[NeverlosT]

I need to read through it all, but with the float switch, I believe you are building a Aquarium Engineering ACR. Link here.

Should work great! Excited to see your work.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I need to read through it all, but with the float switch, I believe you are building a Aquarium Engineering ACR. Link here.

Should work great! Excited to see your work.

Lol, I already have an ACR! In fact, the reason I bought the ACR, other than it is built like a tank, is that it works similar to a Jetstream, only with a float switch. I was debating buying a used Jetstream when I stumbled on the ACR when it was just announced late last year and ordered one right away. My ACR is intended for my 500 G build, but this project is for building smaller units more inline with the Jetstream dimensions. I am curious to see how my design compares to the original Jetstream just based on the sizing. When I compare the dimensions, my DIY version should be a bit larger than the JS2, and they spec the JS2 for tanks up to 2500G?! Aquarium Engineering specs the my size of ACR for 1800G, so something is not adding up. Though the Jetstreams are all tall and skinny (like my DIY) and the ACR's are short and fat, so that may play a role in the different spec's, or Schuran is just overly optimistic about theirs. Time will tell.

I was leak testing my ACR in the photo below.

 

[NeverlosT]

Lol, I already have an ACR! In fact, the reason I bought the ACR, other than it is built like a tank, is that it works similar to a Jetstream, only with a float switch. I was debating buying a used Jetstream when I stumbled on the ACR when it was just announced late last year and ordered one right away. My ACR is intended for my 500 G build, but this project is for building smaller units more inline with the Jetstream dimensions. I am curious to see how my design compares to the original Jetstream just based on the sizing. When I compare the dimensions, my DIY version should be a bit larger than the JS2, and they spec the JS2 for tanks up to 2500G?! Aquarium Engineering specs the my size of ACR for 1800G, so something is not adding up. Though the Jetstreams are all tall and skinny (like my DIY) and the ACR's are short and fat, so that may play a role in the different spec's, or Schuran is just overly optimistic about theirs. Time will tell.

I was leak testing my ACR in the photo below.

Nice! My ACR is on the way

Honestly, working with a full saturation system, the effluent is strong and it will burn through media as fast as you run water through there. So there isn't really a limit until your system is using a firehose and either the CO2 supply or the solenoids cannot keep up. I have no doubt that my ACR will do great on my 500g build even when it is all grown in.

Great pic, let me know how you like your ACR in the long run. Hope you got the new solenoid setup, looks like you did? Do you have their tank switcher too? I also got a skimmer and sump from them, will see how they work!

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Nice! My ACR is on the way

Honestly, working with a full saturation system, the effluent is strong and it will burn through media as fast as you run water through there. So there isn't really a limit until your system is using a firehose and either the CO2 supply or the solenoids cannot keep up. I have no doubt that my ACR will do great on my 500g build even when it is all grown in.

Great pic, let me know how you like your ACR in the long run. Hope you got the new solenoid setup, looks like you did? Do you have their tank switcher too? I also got a skimmer and sump from them, will see how they work!

Yup, mine came with the external valve box with the new solenoid and pinch valve arrangement. No, I don't have the tank switcher as he had not yet come out with it when I ordered the ACR. I did not realize he made sumps as well. I may need to have a look.

It will be awhile before I have my ACR running. My 500G is still dry until I get my sump and facade in place. Hopefully this spring.

Dennis