Need Aqua Lifter pump info

johnnstacy · 09/15/2006, 11:42 PM

I need some info about this pump. I want to do a couple of things. First, kalk at night. It is rated at 3 1/2 gallons per hour so what are you using to control the rate. I think I read somewhere that someone tied a knot in the tubing but that doesn't seem very reliable. If you suggest a time then tell me what kind and how you would set it up. The point of dosing kalk at night is for a steady ph so I don't want to just turn it on once at 2am and dump a gallon in.

I was also thinking about using this pump to dose 2 part or other additives. Probably in a dilluted solution with water. Does anyone use the aqualifter for additives?

I need any and all methods for dosing either of the above. This, until I can afford the $600 to run a Litermeter III with 3 channels. (I should have been a doctor!)

drummereef · 09/16/2006, 01:32 AM

There are more inexpensive dosing pumps for 2 part. Check out http://www.reefdosingpumps.com/ Melev employs the aqualifter. Check out his setup on his site - http://www.melevsreef.com/

Cody Ray · 09/16/2006, 03:32 AM

I'm thinking of using one to run a constant water change setup I have in mind.

johnnstacy · 09/16/2006, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drummereef
There are more inexpensive dosing pumps for 2 part. Check out http://www.reefdosingpumps.com/ Melev employs the aqualifter. Check out his setup on his site - http://www.melevsreef.com/

Not sure if I follow your post. There are more inexpensive ways then an aqualifter? An aqualifter is around $10.....

BLockamon · 09/16/2006, 10:32 AM

Put the Aqualifter on a timer. The digital timers can be set for a 1 min run time (~220 mL at full flow). With a valve on the end, I have an Aqualifter dosing alcohol to my denitrator four time a day. With the valve, it pumps about 20--40 mL per minute.

johnnstacy · 09/16/2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BLockamon
Put the Aqualifter on a timer. The digital timers can be set for a 1 min run time (~220 mL at full flow). With a valve on the end, I have an Aqualifter dosing alcohol to my denitrator four time a day. With the valve, it pumps about 20--40 mL per minute.

What kind of valve did you use for something like this?

sjm817 · 09/16/2006, 11:27 AM

I use an Aqualifter to replace all evaporated water with limewater topoff 24/7. A float switch controls it.

bskiba · 09/16/2006, 01:50 PM

Same as above. just dont always use kalkwasser.

-TS-Vash · 09/16/2006, 11:51 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=828542

drummereef · 09/17/2006, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by johnnstacy
Not sure if I follow your post. There are more inexpensive ways then an aqualifter? An aqualifter is around $10.....

You mentioned that you can't buy a Litermeter III because it's $600. I was recommending a 2-part doser for less than $200.
Yes the aqualifter is $10, but it's an aqualifter.

thedogofwar · 09/17/2006, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Yes the aqualifter is $10, but it's an aqualifter. [/B]

Hmm, I don't know how to take that, I have 2 of them they have been abused constantly over many uses for 4-5 years now.

Back to the question at hand, a valve would work better than a knot but you will find it inconsistent. The buildup of kalk always slows the flow. I have never pumped kalk through either of mine in fear of damage. Instead I dosed using a method like that of the bionic doser. Using a Peanut Butter jar I was able to construct a vessel like the bionic one only larger. Placing the pump on a timer allowed me to dose that volume up to 14 times with the electronic timer. Even a regular air pump can be used for this.

-TS-Vash · 09/17/2006, 10:57 AM

Plz look at the link i posted a few post back Many people use these pumps to dose kalkwasser for years. You can pump water or any thing 4 feet straight up and it will have a drip rate of 1 drop per second. Its just a air pump that has been moded there are even post in the DIY forum on how to make one from a air pump. Since its a air pump when it runs dry it just pumps air and will not burn up and if you dose kalk or any calcium additive you will only have to run vinegar through it to clean it. Dont buy a $200 dollar pump you can run these into the ground and they still work its all on the link i posted a few back. I use this pump on a timer for my top off with limewater and all i do is fill a 5 gallon bucket once a week with rodi water. I set my $10 dollar timer to run 15 minutes 3 times a day and my ph stays at 8.1 to 8.2 all day and night. Even with my calcium reactor.

johnnstacy · 09/17/2006, 02:32 PM

Here is a diagram of what I am thinking about:

What we have here is essentially 2 independent systems. One will use a float switch. The other will dose during the 12 hour, lights off period.

I have one problem that I could use your help on. Notice how both systems tie into one line before entering the kalk reactor? I know they make an RODI tubing tee, but I don't think that tee prevents water from backfilling. So if for example, the Aqualifter is pushing water towards the kalk reactor, I would not want it to start moving down the osmolator tube. I have never seen a check valve for the hard RODI tubing. Any suggestions? Drilling a second hole in the kalk reactor is not an option....

danbo · 09/17/2006, 05:25 PM

I had tried using an aqualifter as a top off but ran into a problem. When the timer turned the aqualifter off, the aqualifter continued to drip. I tried mounting the output hose up high thinking that this would break the siphon when the aqualifter shut off, but the dripping continued. How do you guys get the dripping to stop after the aqualifter turns off?

sjm817 · 09/17/2006, 05:39 PM

johnnstacy ,why not just dose the Kalk 24/7? If you have a decent float switch setup, only a small amount is added at a time. What are your PH levels?

If you are borderline high PH, you can also just have you reactor mix at night. With no mixing during the day, the strength of the Kalk will be much lower.

johnnstacy · 09/17/2006, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sjm817
johnnstacy ,why not just dose the Kalk 24/7? If you have a decent float switch setup, only a small amount is added at a time. What are your PH levels?

If you are borderline high PH, you can also just have you reactor mix at night. With no mixing during the day, the strength of the Kalk will be much lower.

I don't feel it would be neccessary to dose kalk 24/7 because the float switch in the sump is already replenishing water with kalk during the day. Without fans and lights at night, evaporation is greatly reduced. This is why I want to dose the kalk at night. The dosing by the aqualifter would not be on a float switch. The sump level may rise a bit over night but should quickly evaporate extra water once the lights kick in.

My main question still has to do with that tee situation and how to keep the water flowing in the right direction.

BLockamon · 09/17/2006, 08:37 PM

Very odd about the dripping when the pump shuts off. Mine stops immediately. I do have a airline valve on the end, but it's wide open. It does add a little restriction though. Maybe that would help?

johnnstacy · 09/17/2006, 09:31 PM

I found the answer to my problem for the diagram above. Two of these will make it work:

http://www.johnguest.com/part_spec.asp?s=SCVI_D1

danbo · 09/18/2006, 03:39 AM

Thanks Blockamon, I will try that tonite and see what happens.

dingdong03 · 09/18/2006, 04:43 AM

Put a Terta plastic air check valve at the input side
the output is located at the overflow bow lift about 26 inches high
pump,rating at 1gal/h ,will not drip back if pump from low to high and just make sure the output hose didn't soak in water.Also i put a small power head inside the tank start with the Aqua lifter so stirr the kalk.

danbo · 09/18/2006, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dingdong03
Put a Terta plastic air check valve at the input side
the output is located at the overflow bow lift about 26 inches high
pump,rating at 1gal/h ,will not drip back if pump from low to high and just make sure the output hose didn't soak in water.Also i put a small power head inside the tank start with the Aqua lifter so stirr the kalk. [/B]

Is this for my problem of dripping continuing into the sump? Mine does not drip back into the reservoir, so I do not think a air check valve would work?

johnnstacy · 09/23/2006, 04:29 PM

Well, I got my aqualifter from marinedepot and also the check valves for the tubing. It is not complete and setup:

So a quick rundown on what I did in case anyone ever wants to do something similar.

Purpose
I already had the osmolator hooked up to replenish water. Basically, there is a float switch(part of the osmolator system) in the sump. When the water level in the sump fell below the switch the pump turns on and pumps RODI water into the Kalk Reactor. The flow of water continues through the kalk reactor and into the sump. This was giving me kalk water top off. Problem is that this system relied completely on evaporation and replenishment for dosing kalk. During the day it works great. Halides are on, ambient temp is a little warmer so its pushing a good amount of kalk saturated water into the sump. But what about at night? No lights, much less evaporation. At the time when kalk is most needed to maintain ph, it's not pushing hardly anything.

Parts Needed
aqualifter pump
RO plastic water line
2 ro check valves
1 ro ball valve
1 ro tee
1 timer

Procedure
So in a nutshell, the aqualifter pump pulls clean RODI water from the brute can and pushes it through the kalk reactor and into the sump. Very similar to what the osmolator does only the aqualifter is on a timer. I have it set up to run for 11 hours. By default the aqualifter pumps 3 1/2 gallons per hour at no head pressure. So, first thing is to pipe it all where you want it and include the check valves. These check valves for ro line are a little pricey at about 8.00 ea but they were necessary to prevent kalk water from back syphoning into the RODI brute can. The also add a little head pressure but not much. So once I had it all plumbed where I wanted it, I turned on the aqualifter to see how much water was coming out at the end. There was a steady drip. Probably 5 drops per second which is more then I wanted so I installed an inline ro ball valve (home depot). This allowed me to fine tune how much flow I going into the tank. I set it for about 1 drop per second. The problem some have reported is that kalk can get into the aqualifter, etc. With this plumbing scheme, that will not happen and the adjustment on the ball valve should be a one time thing.

It is not complicated and a very cheap way to dose kalk. Especially at night.

09/15/2006, 11:42 PM	#1
johnnstacy Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,043	Need Aqua Lifter pump info I need some info about this pump. I want to do a couple of things. First, kalk at night. It is rated at 3 1/2 gallons per hour so what are you using to control the rate. I think I read somewhere that someone tied a knot in the tubing but that doesn't seem very reliable. If you suggest a time then tell me what kind and how you would set it up. The point of dosing kalk at night is for a steady ph so I don't want to just turn it on once at 2am and dump a gallon in. I was also thinking about using this pump to dose 2 part or other additives. Probably in a dilluted solution with water. Does anyone use the aqualifter for additives? I need any and all methods for dosing either of the above. This, until I can afford the $600 to run a Litermeter III with 3 channels. (I should have been a doctor!)

09/16/2006, 03:32 AM	#3
Cody Ray Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 5,101	I'm thinking of using one to run a constant water change setup I have in mind. __________________ Limit 1 stupid question per day Current Tank Info: Mr. Aqua 7.5g bowfront

09/16/2006, 11:27 AM	#7
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	I use an Aqualifter to replace all evaporated water with limewater topoff 24/7. A float switch controls it. __________________ - Scott

09/16/2006, 01:50 PM	#8
bskiba Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: La Mesa Posts: 794	Same as above. just dont always use kalkwasser. __________________ AKA: BRADREEF Current Tank Info: Started new cube 05-2012

09/16/2006, 11:51 PM	#9
-TS-Vash Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Lawrenceville Posts: 882	http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=828542 __________________ Only The Strong Survive!!! Current Tank Info: BB 120 sps/clam tank closed Current tank 27 gallon cube

09/16/2006, 01:32 AM	#2
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	There are more inexpensive dosing pumps for 2 part. Check out http://www.reefdosingpumps.com/ Melev employs the aqualifter. Check out his setup on his site - http://www.melevsreef.com/

09/16/2006, 10:32 AM	#5
BLockamon Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,104	Put the Aqualifter on a timer. The digital timers can be set for a 1 min run time (~220 mL at full flow). With a valve on the end, I have an Aqualifter dosing alcohol to my denitrator four time a day. With the valve, it pumps about 20--40 mL per minute.

09/17/2006, 10:57 AM	#12
-TS-Vash Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Lawrenceville Posts: 882	Plz look at the link i posted a few post back Many people use these pumps to dose kalkwasser for years. You can pump water or any thing 4 feet straight up and it will have a drip rate of 1 drop per second. Its just a air pump that has been moded there are even post in the DIY forum on how to make one from a air pump. Since its a air pump when it runs dry it just pumps air and will not burn up and if you dose kalk or any calcium additive you will only have to run vinegar through it to clean it. Dont buy a $200 dollar pump you can run these into the ground and they still work its all on the link i posted a few back. I use this pump on a timer for my top off with limewater and all i do is fill a 5 gallon bucket once a week with rodi water. I set my $10 dollar timer to run 15 minutes 3 times a day and my ph stays at 8.1 to 8.2 all day and night. Even with my calcium reactor. __________________ Only The Strong Survive!!! Current Tank Info: BB 120 sps/clam tank closed Current tank 27 gallon cube

09/17/2006, 02:32 PM	#13
johnnstacy Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,043	Can I show you a diagram? Here is a diagram of what I am thinking about: What we have here is essentially 2 independent systems. One will use a float switch. The other will dose during the 12 hour, lights off period. I have one problem that I could use your help on. Notice how both systems tie into one line before entering the kalk reactor? I know they make an RODI tubing tee, but I don't think that tee prevents water from backfilling. So if for example, the Aqualifter is pushing water towards the kalk reactor, I would not want it to start moving down the osmolator tube. I have never seen a check valve for the hard RODI tubing. Any suggestions? Drilling a second hole in the kalk reactor is not an option....

09/17/2006, 05:25 PM	#14
danbo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island Posts: 20	I had tried using an aqualifter as a top off but ran into a problem. When the timer turned the aqualifter off, the aqualifter continued to drip. I tried mounting the output hose up high thinking that this would break the siphon when the aqualifter shut off, but the dripping continued. How do you guys get the dripping to stop after the aqualifter turns off?

09/17/2006, 05:39 PM	#15
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	johnnstacy ,why not just dose the Kalk 24/7? If you have a decent float switch setup, only a small amount is added at a time. What are your PH levels? If you are borderline high PH, you can also just have you reactor mix at night. With no mixing during the day, the strength of the Kalk will be much lower. __________________ - Scott

09/17/2006, 08:37 PM	#17
BLockamon Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,104	Very odd about the dripping when the pump shuts off. Mine stops immediately. I do have a airline valve on the end, but it's wide open. It does add a little restriction though. Maybe that would help?

09/17/2006, 09:31 PM	#18
johnnstacy Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,043	I found the answer to my problem for the diagram above. Two of these will make it work: http://www.johnguest.com/part_spec.asp?s=SCVI_D1

09/18/2006, 03:39 AM	#19
danbo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island Posts: 20	Thanks Blockamon, I will try that tonite and see what happens.

09/18/2006, 04:43 AM	#20
dingdong03 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chino hills Los angeles Posts: 688	Put a Terta plastic air check valve at the input side the output is located at the overflow bow lift about 26 inches high pump,rating at 1gal/h ,will not drip back if pump from low to high and just make sure the output hose didn't soak in water.Also i put a small power head inside the tank start with the Aqua lifter so stirr the kalk.

09/23/2006, 04:29 PM	#22
johnnstacy Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,043	Well, I got my aqualifter from marinedepot and also the check valves for the tubing. It is not complete and setup: So a quick rundown on what I did in case anyone ever wants to do something similar. Purpose I already had the osmolator hooked up to replenish water. Basically, there is a float switch(part of the osmolator system) in the sump. When the water level in the sump fell below the switch the pump turns on and pumps RODI water into the Kalk Reactor. The flow of water continues through the kalk reactor and into the sump. This was giving me kalk water top off. Problem is that this system relied completely on evaporation and replenishment for dosing kalk. During the day it works great. Halides are on, ambient temp is a little warmer so its pushing a good amount of kalk saturated water into the sump. But what about at night? No lights, much less evaporation. At the time when kalk is most needed to maintain ph, it's not pushing hardly anything. Parts Needed aqualifter pump RO plastic water line 2 ro check valves 1 ro ball valve 1 ro tee 1 timer Procedure So in a nutshell, the aqualifter pump pulls clean RODI water from the brute can and pushes it through the kalk reactor and into the sump. Very similar to what the osmolator does only the aqualifter is on a timer. I have it set up to run for 11 hours. By default the aqualifter pumps 3 1/2 gallons per hour at no head pressure. So, first thing is to pipe it all where you want it and include the check valves. These check valves for ro line are a little pricey at about 8.00 ea but they were necessary to prevent kalk water from back syphoning into the RODI brute can. The also add a little head pressure but not much. So once I had it all plumbed where I wanted it, I turned on the aqualifter to see how much water was coming out at the end. There was a steady drip. Probably 5 drops per second which is more then I wanted so I installed an inline ro ball valve (home depot). This allowed me to fine tune how much flow I going into the tank. I set it for about 1 drop per second. The problem some have reported is that kalk can get into the aqualifter, etc. With this plumbing scheme, that will not happen and the adjustment on the ball valve should be a one time thing. It is not complicated and a very cheap way to dose kalk. Especially at night.