Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[zachts]

Originally Posted by janey

Its a LS 17 Tubing

If memory serves from a couple pages back LS 24 will have the same inner diameter so you could use the same connections you have now. Just need the correct tubing. You could try Ebay, or talk to Cole Parmer and request a sample, they might be nice and send you a couple feet rather than a whole roll...........Likewise there's been a number of people as of late that have that same pump head perhaps a group buy is in order and you all could split the cost of a full role?

[janey]

Actually its a 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD x 1/16" Wall PharMed® Tubing
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25534
This what " tkeracer619" recommended..


Question my MRC dual reactor do i have to fill it with water first before i start the pump too it?? I turn it on and nothing..I,m running a hose into the sump.coming out the input of the blueline pump 0f the reactor..

[janey]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
This Hobby is killing me...Mind you i've been at for 27years..
The new Cole-Parmer Masterflex Easy-Load II Pump Head Model 77200-62 had a sample tubing Duuuuu....Yeah Big difference..
Its the one in the right...thats correct. It says Masterflex 96410-15

[slief]

Originally Posted by janey

Actually its a 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD x 1/16" Wall PharMed® Tubing
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25534
This what " tkeracer619" recommended..

LS17 tubing is what's recommended by Tk as well as most others and is what most of us use but we bought heads that were designed for LS17 (3/8OD x 1/4ID) tubing. Your head is not designed for LS17 tubing. It's designed for LS15, 24, 35 & 36 tubing which are different that LS17. If the correct tubing isn't used, the rollers may not fully compress the tubing and allow it to siphon or prevent priming. Worse, you could damage your head. In looking at some specs I could find on LS15 tubing, that appears to be smaller ID but the tubing but I am not sure how the OD as well as tubing wall thickness compares to LS17 to be sure if your siphon issue could be the result of using the wrong head for your tubing size or the wrong tubing for your head size.

[slief]

Originally Posted by janey

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
This Hobby is killing me...Mind you i've been at for 27years..
The new Cole-Parmer Masterflex Easy-Load II Pump Head Model 77200-62 had a sample tubing Duuuuu....Yeah Big difference..
Its the one in the right...thats correct. It says Masterflex 96410-15

I just replied and see you figured out what I and D2 mini were trying to point out. Now that said, the material wall is thinner on the one on the right. That I think is the LS15 tubing. The one of the left shouldn't be preventing a proper priming (although I could be wrong) but it could damage the head assuming it's the LS17 tubing.

[herring_fish]

I think that I want to eventually build a calcium reactor but I don’t know enough about them yet and I would like to get some help in planning. I want to build a reactor that will be out in the garage so height is not an issue. Let’s say that I will make a dual chamber system with the flow running from bottom to top. I might use 6 inch diameter tubes for the chambers because I already use them for another project.

Will having tall chambers allow the fine powder to settle out before going to the recirculating pump and therefore potentially increase its life? If so, when would it be over kill?

[janey]

Slief you are right .. and D2 mini.
At least i got a sample that should work.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by herring_fish

I think that I want to eventually build a calcium reactor but I don’t know enough about them yet and I would like to get some help in planning. I want to build a reactor that will be out in the garage so height is not an issue. Let’s say that I will make a dual chamber system with the flow running from bottom to top. I might use 6 inch diameter tubes for the chambers because I already use them for another project.

Will having tall chambers allow the fine powder to settle out before going to the recirculating pump and therefore potentially increase its life? If so, when would it be over kill?

You should start a thread in the DIY forum, where you should get more answers to your questions.
This thread is specifically about the Masterflex pumps.

[herring_fish]

Yes I will when I get closer to building one. I was just thinking that this group is working with a particular flow rate and therefore I might get a different answer to that question over there.

[guc32]

Originally Posted by janey

Actually its a 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD x 1/16" Wall PharMed® Tubing
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25534
This what " tkeracer619" recommended..


Question my MRC dual reactor do i have to fill it with water first before i start the pump too it?? I turn it on and nothing..I,m running a hose into the sump.coming out the input of the blueline pump 0f the reactor..

Yes fill your reactor up with water because that recirculating pump needs water to run.

Fill it up, run the recirc pump, if you have a feed pump run that, then run your cole pump pulling from the effluent port.

[herring_fish]

I also read a few other threads on the subject and didn't see much on that. Construction yes, but not much on flow.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by herring_fish

I was just thinking that this group is working with a particular flow rate

Nope. The flow rate is specific to your reactor and tank.
These Masterflex pumps we are using are just replacing whatever cheap feed pump you may have been using before. Same exact flow rate, it's just rock steady with the Masterflex pumps.

[hkgar]

Link to Cole Parmer discription of that head. Nope, no LS 17

http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Ma...hTerm=77200-62

[GatorAlum05]

dennis, I believe I bought the same model you have. I got it brand new for 250 on ebay. Got it in yesterday and turned it on. Very fluid. But it's loud. The pump isn't loud but there's a humming. Is yours like that?

[kuyatwo]

how do i tell if my Masterflex is brushless?

model is 7523-37 i did not see it on the list from earlier posts

[slief]

Originally Posted by kuyatwo

how do i tell if my Masterflex is brushless?

model is 7523-37 i did not see it on the list from earlier posts

That is not a brushless motor.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by GatorAlum05

dennis, I believe I bought the same model you have. I got it brand new for 250 on ebay. Got it in yesterday and turned it on. Very fluid. But it's loud. The pump isn't loud but there's a humming. Is yours like that?

Yes, the brushed motors will have a hum that increases in decibel as you increase the speed.

[tkeracer619]

Thanks for the kind words . Everyone involved has added to the discussion, it doesn't always go smooth but the community has really come together on this one. I just want to thank you all for being patient and helping others out. The collaboration in this thread is great as well as the communication most of you have. Many people have messaged me and not taken the time to come back to the thread or update it, so for those of you that do (it's not too late if you haven't ). Not all has gone smoothly behind the scenes so if you got burned on ebay or I forgot about you I hope you come back to continue progressing the thread with the rest of us.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by d2mini

My AWC and ATO setup.

Awesome!

Originally Posted by janey

Ok Here we go . I got the MASTERFLEX L/S COLE-PARMER DIGITAL STANDARD DRIVE 7523-70 PUMP CONTROLLER and then had too purchase a New Cole-Parmer Masterflex Easy-Load II Pump Head Model 77200-62 Cause it didn't come with it..

I Have a MRC Dual Calcium Reactor w/ Blueline 10

Very nice setup! This thing is going to be solid.

Originally Posted by Piper27

Picked this up recently. Will it be OK to use? The head is a little loud though.
Heck yeah it's ok. Made when stuff was built to last!

Is there any way to clean or service it myself without messing up the unit?
Yes, somewhere in here we discuss it but you strip it down, replace the bearings and grease the rollers with a food grade synthetic penetrating grease

Do I have the tubing clamped down right?
Try it with the head off and see if it spins freely. It does look like the tube is stretched too tight. Some of the older drives have a hard time going slow, if the drive runs better at higher speed and you can tolerate the noise you can use a smaller tubing. The reason I recomend the ls17 pharmed bpt tube is at the avg speed for a calcium reactor they are rated at 10,000+ hours. The rep told me a year continuous use. The small tubing would have a shorter but still very acceptable life. I change the tubing quarterly anyways...

[janey]

OK Got the masterflex going.. But Now , after 2-3 min. I get a noise like the motor needs Oil and it stops , I get an error code 3 ...

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by janey

This is what " tkeracer619" recommended..

Originally Posted by slief

LS17 tubing is what's recommended by Tk as well as most others and is what most of us use but we bought heads that were designed for LS17 (3/8OD x 1/4ID) tubing. Your head is not designed for LS17 tubing. It's designed for LS15, 24, 35 & 36 tubing which are different that LS17.

Let me just say that I am very sorry, it slipped by me, I did in fact recommend Janey buys that stuff... you can toss it in a flat rate and one of us or I will buy it. Most of us use it.

Originally Posted by janey

OK Got the masterflex going.. But Now , after 2-3 min. I get a noise like the motor needs Oil and it stops , I get an error code 3 ...

Take the head off and run it. What happens? That doesn't sound healthy but error 3 is usually an obstruction.

[janey]

Ok Seems like it holding steady I got it running at 15.Also could it be that i didnt have reactor running.. I got it recirculating now and the masterflex is doing its thing..




tkeracer619" Gonna hold on too it. (tubing). If all goes well , Gonna buy another masterflex for my 2nd tank..

I took the head off, which is brand new. Its the Motor where the noise coimg from ..

[tkeracer619]

Is it quiet? These drives have a massive amount of torque. Consider anything with the reactor as a non factor in the peristaltic's operation.

Thin wall tubing is the ls17 (precision). The thicker tubing is performance tubing.

[janey]

So good so far...Just gonna let it run for 24 hrs.. The Noise stop. just Regular sound of the motor turning.Not loud.

Thank You Everyone for Helping.. tkeracer619, slief , d2mini, and all others..

[slief]

Originally Posted by janey

So good so far...Just gonna let it run for 24 hrs.. The Noise stop. just Regular sound of the motor turning.Not loud.

Thank You Everyone for Helping.. tkeracer619, slief , d2mini, and all others..

Great to hear. I was checking your calcium reactor thread and didn't see an update so I had been wondering if you got it working. What was the issue with not being able to prime?