dosing kalk / aqualifter

[steve r]

can kalk be dosed in top off water via a float switch or should it be slowly dripped all day. i was thinking of using a aqua lifter pump ( used for CPR overflows ) and a float switch to top off with kalk. the pump is 3.5 gallon per hour. i was thinking of even putting a valve to slow the pump down.
here is a link to the pump
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KTALP

steve r

 

[midiman]

Save a few $$ on that pump here:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=27339;category_id=3297

If you know: is this a float switch that can be used?

http://www.floatswitches.net/floatswitch.html

 

[Brad]

My water replenish system uses one of those float switches. Works fine. The float switches are cheap and reliable. The issue with those floats is that you need to rig up some correct electrical work around them. DO NOT just wire the 110v pump through the float switch.

The correct way is to have the float switch wired through a low voltage relay. The relay, in turn, switches the 110v. That's what relays do, and why the exist.

Since I've already tried what you are thinking, I'll give you my experience. Kalk has to be accurately dosed, or it will drive your Ca/Alk all over the place. Tying it to automatic evaporation replacement is troublesome because evaporation isn't consistent. Have a cool, rainy day and you won't deliver enough Kalk...hot dry days and your Ca/Alk/Ph go nuts!

 

[foma2000]

brad took the words out of my mouth. i think that you would have big doeses of kalk going all at once if you did an automatic top off system. could mean trubble. better to just do a drip for the kalk water

 

[Brad]

You'll have to control the total amount of Kalk that goes in over a certain amount of time.

My system is just a bit larger than yours, and my system needs 500ml of full strength kalk every 24 hours...Actually, it's 528ml because it goes in at exactly 22ml/min.

For lack of any other information, that gives you some estimate to start from.

 

[steve r]

that helps.thanks guys. is there a way to drip kalk with out having it gravity fed? i cant hang anything over my tank.

steve r

 

[foma2000]

i found a solution that might work. so at DR. fosters and smith there is an electronic doser. (i dont have a link) it pumps a presice does of anything when its turned on. so if you connected it to you top off water pump, every time it does a top off it would also put in the nessasary kalk. this might work, might not.