Ok I'm gonna try and explain my question easy as I can. I have my tanks in the basement. Upstairs beneath my sink is my ro unit. I do not have di. I also use the ro as drinking water via a tap on the sink. I ran a line thru the floor all the way to my sump. Siliconed in a piece of plexiglas and drilled a hole for my float valve. Connected the line from my ro unit to my float valve and leave the ball valve open. As water evaps my ro auto tops up the water. My question lays herein..... Since my ro is ato already and my water level is maintained, how would I go about dripping kalk since it is recommended that it be dripped with your make up water? Does this make sense? I want to start dosing kalk but I haven't the slightest clue where to begin due to my setup. If I set up a whole diff top off I will be increasing my water level and throwing everything off whack.... Does this make sense?
Kalk-maybe a stupid question
- Thread starter Krazykarl
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Guess you will need an intermediate holding tank where you mix your kalk /top off water up every week. That can be run into the sump via the float valve.. Run a line from your RO unit to the holding tank through a float valve as well... but you will need a shut off valve to keep the RO unit from constanly topping off the holding/kalk tank. Once a week or however long it take to drain.. mix up a new batch and you ar golden for another week.
Also i read that running a RO unit liek that does nto work very well..... When the unit first starts up it takes a little whiel for the TDS to drop. If this thing is constantly turning on and off, as it does in ATO service, then I am not sure if you are geting the best you can... Add a DI and you will get 0 tds.
Or you can mix it up and manully dose it
I have not dont it before but from the little research I have done that is what i would do
Also i read that running a RO unit liek that does nto work very well..... When the unit first starts up it takes a little whiel for the TDS to drop. If this thing is constantly turning on and off, as it does in ATO service, then I am not sure if you are geting the best you can... Add a DI and you will get 0 tds.
Or you can mix it up and manully dose it
I have not dont it before but from the little research I have done that is what i would do
Z
Zakk
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I will say that not having a DI stage could be part of your problems in the tank... it's pretty easy to add-on a DI chamber, I do the same thing as you, I use a tap on the RO side for drinking water, but a spliced line runs to a DI canister that for me operates on a manual valve (I have to manually fill my ato bucket).
teebone110
Distinguished Member
Zakk link said:
Dude.. Get a DI chamber, about $30 bucks with a resin. It will be the best money you spent.
I had the same issue until I added the DI chamber. Do you have a TDS meter?
Blob-79
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U also may want to reconsider how you are topping up your tank. As said previously, you aren't getting the best water running in short intervals. Many of us don't make water untill we have at least 10 gallons to make
My ro unit feeds a 2 gallon reservoir that is under pressure. This came with the system for drinking water. I T'd off the line that feeds my countertop tap and ran directly to the float valve. I've brought my water in for testing from the reservoir and her Tds meter read 0 so I don't know. I'm reAdy to buy a whole new dedicated ro/di unit just for the tank. Leave the ro for drinking. But that'll be my last resort. I'd rather add di resin to my unit. But I'm confused, if a ro/di unit takes minutes of running to produce 0 ppm what is the purpose of ato? Ato maintains the water level in the sump with fresh ro/di water.... So wouldn't that water have traces of crap in it if it's not continuously flushed?
lewis844
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you could drip kalk into your sump first this will maintain your water level untill the drip runs out then it will run on you ATO (water level) untill you refill your kalk drip. your ATO wont run as much but it is still there to help maintain your level.
not sure about the water having traces in it if left alone there are people out there with large holding tanks of fresh water that is left alone i am sure it would be fine. you could also cut the drip way back so the water still evaporates faster then the drip so you will still be circulating your fresh water every so often.
not sure about the water having traces in it if left alone there are people out there with large holding tanks of fresh water that is left alone i am sure it would be fine. you could also cut the drip way back so the water still evaporates faster then the drip so you will still be circulating your fresh water every so often.
use a reservoir for fresh water.... every week let the RO system run for a couple hours to fill it up
Use a float valve in the reservoir just incase you forget about it..when its full close the shut off valve to the resrvoir untill it nees to be filled again.
Ths eliminates the cnstant cycling on and off that you current setup is going through.
Now your system is probably different since it has that storage tank in it. That tank probably has some sort of differential pressure thing happening so the unit will start running once the pressure drops so low and stops when it gets high, thus making a dead band area which will reduce ccyling.
Could be wrong But I am bored this morning
Use a float valve in the reservoir just incase you forget about it..when its full close the shut off valve to the resrvoir untill it nees to be filled again.
Ths eliminates the cnstant cycling on and off that you current setup is going through.
Now your system is probably different since it has that storage tank in it. That tank probably has some sort of differential pressure thing happening so the unit will start running once the pressure drops so low and stops when it gets high, thus making a dead band area which will reduce ccyling.
Could be wrong
But I am bored this morning Ok so I figure I basically evap a gallon a day. So if I made up a gallon of kalk mix and dripped it over 8 hours into the sump I would have to drip 0.12 ml/sec. 0.12 ml/sec x 60 seconds=7.2 ml/min.... 7.2ml/min x 60 mins = 432 ml/hour. X 8 hours = 3456 ml or 3.5 liters (approx 1 gallon leaving sediment to settle). Am I right?
Next question... How the hell do you drip 0.12 ml/sec lol. Paristatic pump? I'd like to get my hands on one my wife uses at the hospital. Alldigital and accurate. Where do I get this? Or is there another way?
I'm completely new to the idea of dripping so... Bear with me
Next question... How the hell do you drip 0.12 ml/sec lol. Paristatic pump? I'd like to get my hands on one my wife uses at the hospital. Alldigital and accurate. Where do I get this? Or is there another way?
I'm completely new to the idea of dripping so... Bear with me
chuckm
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- Aug 21, 2011
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- Windsor, Ontario
In-line Nilsen reactor maybe?
Lol. Noted.
Lewis, I have a 20 gallon jug for fresh water with a float valve already. However I use this jug for my water changes. The whole point of the float valve in my sump was to eliminate manually topping off the evaporated water. I'm all too confused with all this for some reason. Perhaps it's too early...
Lewis, I have a 20 gallon jug for fresh water with a float valve already. However I use this jug for my water changes. The whole point of the float valve in my sump was to eliminate manually topping off the evaporated water. I'm all too confused with all this for some reason. Perhaps it's too early...
P
phi delt reefer
Guest
tear it all down and sell me the entire setup for a $100 or a couple cases of home brew.
that would elimate all phosphate problems... FOR SURE
that would elimate all phosphate problems... FOR SURE
Last question I promise...
Will dripping kalk bring my alk and calc levels to optimum levels and maintain them? Or is requires to raise the levels first and then drip to maintain them?
I'm goin to add di to my ro and hope it helps eliminate po4
Will dripping kalk bring my alk and calc levels to optimum levels and maintain them? Or is requires to raise the levels first and then drip to maintain them?
I'm goin to add di to my ro and hope it helps eliminate po4
Darryl_V
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- Woodstock, Ontario
chuckm link said:
That was my thoughts too. A in line kalk reactor can be simple too....with no pumps. ie http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reactors/kalkwasser-reactor/two-little-fishies-kalkwasser-stirrer-reactor-300.html
How ever kalk will not solve your phosphate problem and may only marginally help. Also this method of calcium and alkalinity replacement is only good for med and low demand on it's own. Also it is also not as accurate as dosing pumps and calcium reactors as kakwasser limited and affected by how much evaporation you are getting....meaning you will dose more when the air is dry and you get more evap and less when the air is humid and you get less evap. It can work perfectly fine for some tanks though. Also some people who run calcium reactors like to use them in conjunction to help offset the effect of low pH from the ca reactor.
what method are you using now to replace calcium and alkalinity?
You should put a pressure gauge on the RO to monitor how often it cycles. Like the other guys mentioned...you dont want it cycling a lot....and while you are at it I always recommend a dual inline tds meter but maybe single inline near your tank ato would be better....that way you can be sure of what is going into the tank. I also recommend adding a DI stage near your tank ATO.
if your ro is cycling on and off...there are ways to prevent this with out adding a storage container. What I used to use was a solenoid on a timer. The timer would only turn on once a day.....so the RO would only cycle once per day. Less cycles on your RO will increase the life on a DI stage and save you $. http://www.autotopoff.com/solenoid/
I don't understand what you mean by cycling. The ro unit only turns on when water is used. It has an auto shut off that stops waste water from being produced. I don't see the difference between using a float valve to maintain water levels or manually opening a valve and allowing ro water to fill the sump to a desired level and then manually turn it off. I actually believed that a float valve would be more beneficial for me rather than waiting for the water to evaporate to fill it bc it maintains a constant sg.
I also thought about taking a 1 gallon jug, adding ro, kalk and a Tiny bit o vinegar to elp dissolve, and drilling a hole in the jug a few inches off the bottom. Add a fitting like a bulkhead type fitting for airline tubing and placing a t on the ro water source line. Since my float valve regulated my evap daily, would the kalk solution mix with my make up water in the line and drip into the tank at the required drip rate? Fuxk I can't stop racking my brain over this. I wanna drip kalk to help maintain calcium and alk levels for growth. Not to eliminate po4. I was using liquid calcium from Kent to maintain levels but it was a pain in the ass testing daily and trying to figure out how much liquid cal to add...
I also thought about taking a 1 gallon jug, adding ro, kalk and a Tiny bit o vinegar to elp dissolve, and drilling a hole in the jug a few inches off the bottom. Add a fitting like a bulkhead type fitting for airline tubing and placing a t on the ro water source line. Since my float valve regulated my evap daily, would the kalk solution mix with my make up water in the line and drip into the tank at the required drip rate? Fuxk I can't stop racking my brain over this. I wanna drip kalk to help maintain calcium and alk levels for growth. Not to eliminate po4. I was using liquid calcium from Kent to maintain levels but it was a pain in the ass testing daily and trying to figure out how much liquid cal to add...
Darryl_V
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- Woodstock, Ontario
I think you are over thinking this.
By cycling on and off I mean just that. The RO unit turning on and off multiple times a day. Its hard on the membrane. If you had an inline tds meter you would see that it takes a few minutes for an ro membrane to reach peak efficiency.
Did you understand my comments on the solenoid valve?
By cycling on and off I mean just that. The RO unit turning on and off multiple times a day. Its hard on the membrane. If you had an inline tds meter you would see that it takes a few minutes for an ro membrane to reach peak efficiency.
Did you understand my comments on the solenoid valve?
by cycling turning on and off... And yes a float valve is no different than the ATO
Ro unit ---- Shut off Valve------Float A ------- Kalk container/Top Off reservoir ------- Float B ------ Sump
You fill the Kalk container once a week, or however big it is, with kalk and RODI water. You then shut the shut off valve for the week and let the Reservoir drip into the sump to maintain water level using float B in the sump. Once the reservoir is empty, or close to it, open the shut off valve and let the reservoir fill back up using Float A to prevent an overflow , mix in your Kalk. Once full shut the shutoff valve for another week... Repeat forever
A Shut off valve between the sump and the reservoir would not be a bad idea to have.. You can shut it while mixing up the kalk and prevent high strength stuff from getting in to the system.
In theory
Ro unit ---- Shut off Valve------Float A ------- Kalk container/Top Off reservoir ------- Float B ------ Sump
You fill the Kalk container once a week, or however big it is, with kalk and RODI water. You then shut the shut off valve for the week and let the Reservoir drip into the sump to maintain water level using float B in the sump. Once the reservoir is empty, or close to it, open the shut off valve and let the reservoir fill back up using Float A to prevent an overflow , mix in your Kalk. Once full shut the shutoff valve for another week... Repeat forever
A Shut off valve between the sump and the reservoir would not be a bad idea to have.. You can shut it while mixing up the kalk and prevent high strength stuff from getting in to the system.
In theory
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