Securely mounting a kalk reactor?

Ocelaris · Jul 26, 2020

So I just got an avast marine k1 and I'm looking for a way to secure it so it doesn't get bumped or spilled. Ideally it would be able to be removed. It's a 4" pvc equivalent pipe and I know they make a pvc pipe clamp at bulk reef supply. But I just can't bring myself to spend $40 on a clamp!

There's not really enough meat to screw the base through anything, and it needs to go up about 6" off the pan under the sump to drain properly. Anyone have any good ideas?

Mastiffsrule · Jul 26, 2020

Hey,

That thing is the bomb. I put mine in my sump. Kept it safe in case of overflow. But I also had it external at one point. The water kept it weighed down enough it didn’t tip over. Should not be a problem unless it is in an area where you are always going in and out a lot.

Ocelaris · Jul 26, 2020

Thanks, that's what the wife said also, but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. I do have a spot that probably has room behind the skimmer, but don't you have to clean it out every so often? I guess not sure big deal, just one more thing in the sump. Thanks!

DSEKULA · Jul 26, 2020

I wouldnt be real concerned but you can always just put a plumbing strap around it for good measure maybe a piece of rubber on the strap so it didn't scratch. I'd tap the holes and use thumb bolts though so you can remove it easily.

Mastiffsrule · Jul 26, 2020

You do need to clean it out every so often.

About every 2 weeks you may need to add a few tablespoons of kalk to the stirrer . So you will want access to the lid to pour a little ro water mixed with the kalk in. And then every so often access to pull out the unit to clean. Not all the kalk will alwas dissolve, so the bottom should be cleaned out once a month or so. When you clean it out get the gray pvc elbow and the little breather hole real good to avoid clogging.

Ocelaris · Jul 26, 2020

Thanks, I put it in the sump hooked up to a peristaltic pump. It's pretty stable being squeezed in besides the skimmer now that it's full. I am mixing it for 5 minutes at the beginning of the hour and dosing at 15 after the hour. Starting off at just 10ml an hour to make sure it works for the first few days and then move it up from there. Mixer is a tad noisy sometimes, but I can barely hear it now that it's been in use for a while. We'll see how we do! Thanks!

Mastiffsrule · Jul 26, 2020

The stirrer should be quite. I left mine running constantly and never heard it. If you just got yours and it is noisy I would call Avast.

Forshurley · Jul 26, 2020

I had to raise mine about 6 inches to get a gravity feed into my sump and used a stand for a plant I got it at home depot and worked well.

Ocelaris · Jul 27, 2020

So I realized that the cheapo Jabao Dosing pump wasn't going to cut it for volume. I decided to employ another Avast product, their Diaphragm pump. My ATO reservoir is about 30' away in a boiler room, so I've been using a float switch and remote EB8 in there to control the ATO successfully for the past ~4 years. I bought a replacement Diaphragm pump from Avast, just to be safe, but since I hadn't replace it yet, I put to use to power the K1 stirrer. It's pretty fast, but running it for 10 seconds yielded 110mL, so I cut that in half to do about 50-60mL every hour giving me about 1300mL roughly a day. At some point I'll pony up for a more constant flow Peristaltic pump like the FX-STP, but for now that should suit. The Reeftronics calculator helped out quite a bit with the Oscillate command; I figure it does about 660mL/minute. They always seem to be out, but the pump has done awesome for me.

Diaphragm Pump

This Product has been discontinued. This little diaphragm pump is an excellent choice for automatic top-off duty. Unlike other diaphragm pumps available, this little powerhouse can push water to 30psi. Please be aware this is not a silent pump, it does vibrate and makes a similar amount of noise...

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