Vertex Bio Pellet Reactor RX-U 1.5 Modification

[benzzz]

Picked up a reactor and found someone who modified it to a recirculating style reactor.

Just waiting on my Mag 3 which should be delivered tomorrow.

Whole idea of this mod is to recirculate the fluid in reactor with a 1/4" inlet and a 1/4" valved outlet for controlled flow directly to the skimmer intake.

Pictures to come.

 

[nexusnight]

i think ive checked this out on utube, looks cool,looking forward to seeing ur results

 

[benzzz]

There is just something about red and white..  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D





Mj 1200 was a waste of time...... 




will update tomorrow

 

[TORX]

There is just something about red and white..  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I agree. I have seen that red piping in a few builds and I love it.

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[davesolo29]

I love all my red and white.


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[spyd]

That is a great unit. I love my UF15 as I never have any issues with it whatsoever.

I should caution you about moding the unit to a recirculating reactor. All most all pellet reactor issues I read about lately are caused by recirculating designs where the small tubing gets clogged and causing some serious tank issues. Honestly, I would just run the reactor the way it comes and have the output close to the skimmer intake. It has worked for me for years and many others so I guess I just don't see the point of taking a risk...

 

[benzzz]

So here are my thought as to why I want to mod this reactor. The MJ1200 didn't do much as to tumble the pellets, could be the head pressure as an issue pushing up..... I saw a mod for this on utube and thought what a good idea.
1. the way my sumps are setup, I had the reactor sucking in from sump 1 and returning near the skimmer which is in the second sump.
2. Problem with that was it was sucking too much water from sump 1 and return couldn't keep up with the flow.
3. Thinking of making it into a recir mod would slow down the flow into second sump and resolve the issue.
4. I read also the return tube will clog after awhile. something to keep an eye on i guess
Chime in if you want on opinions.

 

[benzzz]

BTW Spyd, What pump are you using to tumble pellets?

Thanks!

 

[benzzz]

Also another thought..... could I choke back the return out of the reactor?

;D  Sorry my brain is working overtime right now.....

 

[nexusnight]

I have a uf20 not pretty red and white but it's great. I use one for Gfo and one for pellets. I have it plumbed of a manifold but I run a dart pump. I can tumble this sucker full of pellets if I needed to lol. I just removed the bottom plate and use the screen plate on the top. I found I get a much more even tumble. With plate in the bottom there would be dead spots for some reason and I didn't like that


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[nexusnight]

I have a uf20 not pretty red and white but it's great. I use one for Gfo and one for pellets. I have it plumbed of a manifold but I run a dart pump. I can tumble this sucker full of pellets if I needed to lol. I just removed the bottom plate and use the screen plate on the top. I found I get a much more even tumble. With plate in the bottom there would be dead spots for some reason and I didn't like that


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[nexusnight]

If u choke the return line it's like choking thin the input.


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[benzzz]

Yes I noticed the bottom plate is crap... pellets jam in along the sides and ones that make it below the plate bounce around like Mexican jumping beans..... 

 

[benzzz]

found the video I was talking about


http://youtu.be/f3V46NCJBbY

 

[curiousphil]

Keeping an eye on this thread as this is the same reactor I use for my biopellets!  There is definitely something about the red and white.... lol!

So far the Vertex reactor has been performing MUCH better than the TLF 550 I initially tried.  I've been running the reactor T'd off of my Mag18 return.  Tumbling 500 ml of pellets no problemo.  I recently put a ball valve on my return line just after the T so that I can dial back the amount of water sent to my display and increase the amount of pressure seen at the reactors.  After this plumbing mod I also had less head pressure as I removed a bit of hosing... and that change alone made a significant difference in how the pellets tumble, I haven't even needed to dial back the return via the new ball valve.  But I suspect I will need to dial back the ball valve once I put the second reactor back online.  (Was running GFO in it, turned it off to let my PO4 climb a little and hopefully allow the pellets to work better.)

 

[benzzz]

Hey Phil any issue with the bottom plate? pellets sticking along the side trapped in between the rim.... just wondering? Perhaps its not a big deal.

 

[curiousphil]

Hey Phil any issue with the bottom plate? pellets sticking along the side trapped in between the rim.... just wondering? Perhaps its not a big deal.

Yeah I've got a few that are trapped under the plate and between the plate/side wall.  I haven't been too concerned with it as 99% of the pellets are staying in suspension very nicely... there's just a few stuck at the edge of the plate and beneath so it's not enough to create an anoxic zone.  If anything those pellets will just degrade faster.  Not experiencing any clumping so I'm quite happy!

 

[davesolo29]

I have problems with pellets getting stock and clogging up the plate.  Gonna try a different pellet. 


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[benzzz]

Mag 3 showed up at the door this morning.... now I am contiplating what to do. I think if I did the mod and used the next size up from 1/4 inch line will I be ok for clogging...... ? I just know feeding aline straight to the skimmer the way it is now aint gonna work. I tried choking the output and it basically stopped the pellets from tumbling.....

 

[curiousphil]

Yeah as is if you choke the output it will choke the total flow inside the reactor, but if you do the recirc mod then you should be able to choke the output and still have flow inside the reactor.