Xp3 hoses getting covered in black/brown spots?

[Lonewolfblue]

about hijacking this thread is perfectly alright, now reading all your post I have a question that I didnt know about, you need to keep the inline heater perfectly vertical? my is a bit slanted

The instructions say to keep it vertical. I assume that this is because the inner structure isn't just a simple tube, and air bubbles can accumulate in there, which can screw up the heater.

I just give mine a good shake whenever I get air in the system, and will be rearranging things next week so that it is oriented straight up.

I don't think it's to stop air bubbles, but to keep the inner part of the heater from getting crud built-up in it. I think that's the primary reason for placing it verticle.

 

[src]

As for the auto priming, if you have a drip line effect in the hose, the air going from the cannister to the output will get caught in the trap, and possibly cause a little back-pressure. the air should freely go to the output. But I've never tried it. You can always experiment with it and let us know your results.

I just wanted to update the information regarding priming. When the hoses are empty of water, the system primes perfectly. However, when there is water in the output lines, the cannister won't do a full prime. What I have found is that after cleaning the cannister, I need to refill it with water before I put it back into the system. If I do that, then the remaining air bubbles out well, and the system starts right up with no trouble.

So the answer is yes, this configuration does cause issues with priming, but nothing insurmountable.

Here's a picture of the final layout, after rearranging things so that the heater is veritcal. The output line from the XP3 goes to the top of the reactor, then out the bottom to the heater, and up to the tank.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Next time, try this. Instead of filling the filter, just hook back up like you are going to prime it, then take the refilling cap off and add water to make sure the intake hose is completely filled. Put the cap on, and then try priming.

 

[src]

Next time, try this. Instead of filling the filter, just hook back up like you are going to prime it, then take the refilling cap off and add water to make sure the intake hose is completely filled. Put the cap on, and then try priming.

I did that, but the amount of water in the priming charge isn't enough to clear the return line. Unless the return line is clear, all that happens is the priming charge drips into the cannister, and you are left without a siphon to finish the prime.

Also, a quick tip to anyone who wants to try it. Don't try to fill the cannister through the refilling cap on the intake line (i.e. connect up the quick disconnect and pour water in the refill cap until the cannister is full). After you get about 5-6 cups of water in, the system regurgitates all over the walls. I literally had a 2 foot fountain of water coming out of the refilling hole. If you can't put the cannister back full of water, you will have to unhook the quick disconnect, fill the tube through the refill hole, cap it, hook up the quick disconnect, then rinse and repeat until you fill the cannister. That takes a LONG time.

Of course, all of this applies only if you have put a "trap" into the system by running the return water flow down, instead of just going up to the tank.