Remote Calcium Reactor

[Gtinnel]

For a few years now I have wanted to get a calcium reactor and I recently bought one because I couldn’t pass up the price. My issue is that I don’t have space around the tank to set it up. I am wanting to put it in a different room of my house, where my mixing station is which would be about 25 feet away. I have already ran tubing through my ceiling for my AWC so I would just run a few extra lines with them for the calcium reactor.
I have found a few threads where people have done similar setups but the thing that worries me is that the lines will have to run in a cavity of the ceiling that contains a hvac duct. I am not worried about the temperature difference in regards to tank temp, but could the extra heat (or cold) cause any kind of precipitation in the effluent line, or would swings in the temperature of the reactor effect what pH is needed to dissolve the media?

 

[Borat]

For a few years now I have wanted to get a calcium reactor and I recently bought one because I couldn’t pass up the price. My issue is that I don’t have space around the tank to set it up. I am wanting to put it in a different room of my house, where my mixing station is which would be about 25 feet away. I have already ran tubing through my ceiling for my AWC so I would just run a few extra lines with them for the calcium reactor.
I have found a few threads where people have done similar setups but the thing that worries me is that the lines will have to run in a cavity of the ceiling that contains a hvac duct. I am not worried about the temperature difference in regards to tank temp, but could the extra heat (or cold) cause any kind of precipitation in the effluent line, or would swings in the temperature of the reactor effect what pH is needed to dissolve the media?

I don't think your concerns are founded. The effluent should not be affected by the temperature swings. You will need 2 lines - one for water intake and another for discharge of effluent back. The fact that the line is long may mean you would have to run the reactor at a higher pressure. Before you decide to proceed - I would first test that such setup works as intended (by using a long run of tubing). Best tubing for this kind of setup is probably rigid RO tubing without any connectors - to avoid the risk of leaks and even larger diameter tubing is obviously better for flow and subsequent reactor pressure requirements.

 

[PeterC99]

Moved my calcium reactor from living room, next to the aquarium, to downstairs in my basement. Wife much happier too!

Now thinking about moving the sump to the basement as well.

 

[Gtinnel]

I did read about running calcium reactors at higher pressures and I don’t think it will be an issue. The reactor and tank will be on the same level of the house and I can put the reactor at any height that I need.
The lines in the ceiling would be continuous lines so a leak in the ceiling shouldn’t be an issue. I also plan on putting the reactor in a shallow container with leak sensors so I can have my apex shut off the pump if a leak is detected.

 

[Gtinnel]

Moved my calcium reactor from living room, next to the aquarium, to downstairs in my basement. Wife much happier too!

Now thinking about moving the sump to the basement as well.

Having it in the tote is exactly what I was thinking about doing. Mine would be in a unfinished room of the house so the occasional drip in the floor isn’t a big deal, but I want something to make sure a leak detector would be able to shut the pump off if I had some kind of failure.

 

[PeterC99]

Having it in the tote is exactly what I was thinking about doing. Mine would be in a unfinished room of the house so the occasional drip in the floor isn’t a big deal, but I want something to make sure a leak detector would be able to shut the pump off if I had some kind of failure.

I’ve had my calcium reactor in the basement for over 2 years now with no issues. Recommend putting in a number of quick shutoff valves for easy maintenance.

 

[Gtinnel]

I’ve had my calcium reactor in the basement for over 2 years now with no issues. Recommend putting in a number of quick shutoff valves for easy maintenance.

I plan on having the reactor higher than my sump so hopefully if I disconnect the feed or effluent line it will just drain back to the tank. I may still install some valves anyway.

 

[Snoopy 67]

You could always run the RO tubing inside 1/2" pvc pipe.

 

[Gtinnel]

You could always run the RO tubing inside 1/2" pvc pipe.

If needed I could probably run it through conduit although I’m not sure how much it would help with temperature changes in the lines. Plus with the way I am having to run it getting 10 foot sticks of pipe into the cavity would be a challenge. If temperature becomes an issue I have also considering blocking off that register so that air won’t be traveling down it. I’m sure it would still heat up or cool down some but it would have to help.
Hopefully the temperature of the effluent is not an issue like mentioned earlier in the thread.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Any chance to run it along your baseboard?
They make white RO tubing so it would not stand out too much.

 

[Gtinnel]

Any chance to run it along your baseboard?
They make white RO tubing so it would not stand out too much.

Cool idea, but probably wouldn’t be easy to do with where the tank is. Thanks for the suggestion though.