Official: Masterflex Calcium Reactor Setup Thread

[oshanickreef]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

This shimming is a good idea! i will be doing this tonight. i reversed the flow in my reactor last night and i didnt find any leaks... in order for this to expose a leak, do i have to swithc out the tubing? or would just putting both effluent and feed lines in the water and hitting the reverse flow button work?

i reversed the flow and I did not find any leaks... but air still accumulates in the chamber really badly.

im stumped.

[Sparky0028]

It took me several tries to get the MF pump to pull through the CaRx reactor without issues. I let the MF pump run without CO2 and the recirc pump on till I was sure all the air/gas was purged. Here are pictures of my set up, hth.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/pi...ictureid=69627
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/pi...ictureid=69626

[herring_fish]

That is a nice clean setup. It looks like you have a Kalk reactor. Can you comment on it? Do you think that you will be keeping it in operation once everything else stabilizes or do you think that it will help smooth things out, long term?

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

i reversed the flow and I did not find any leaks... but air still accumulates in the chamber really badly.

im stumped.

Pull effluent from the lid.

[Sparky0028]

Herring, I plan on keeping the Kalk reactor. I had to relocate last year so the tank is still young plus I had to go fallow because of Brook or Velvet. Just started putting in frags late 2014. It helps off set the lower ph the CaRx would give me if I used that alone.
Thanks for the kind words.
Rich

[oshanickreef]

I switched the flow and the tubing so my masterflex pushes through the reactor and it pushed out all of the bubbles... so i think this will work... but my question is: will this make a difference since i know it was recommended that the effluent be pulled vs pushed?

[Krazie4Acans]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

I switched the flow and the tubing so my masterflex pushes through the reactor and it pushed out all of the bubbles... so i think this will work... but my question is: will this make a difference since i know it was recommended that the effluent be pulled vs pushed?

Either way will work just make sure you check the effluent line for any blockages periodically because if it gets plugged the MF pump will keep pushing water in and it will usually push it past the O-rings and cause the reactor to leak. That is the benefit of pulling is that if there is a blockage it just creates a vacuum in the reactor. It doesn't mean the pushing won't work, it just means that maintenance must be performed to make sure there are no blockages.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Krazie4Acans

Either way will work just make sure you check the effluent line for any blockages periodically because if it gets plugged the MF pump will keep pushing water in and it will usually push it past the O-rings and cause the reactor to leak. That is the benefit of pulling is that if there is a blockage it just creates a vacuum in the reactor. It doesn't mean the pushing won't work, it just means that maintenance must be performed to make sure there are no blockages.

+1

As Krazie said, it works fine either way. The downside of pushing is that if the effluent line gets blocked, the Masterflex will pressurize the reactor and can cause a leak.

[oshanickreef]

Originally Posted by slief

+1

As Krazie said, it works fine either way. The downside of pushing is that if the effluent line gets blocked, the Masterflex will pressurize the reactor and can cause a leak.

okay so i assume the blockage would be at the end of the effluent line? i can just use a needle or something to unplug it weekly. i will write it down to do every time i water change.

[Krazie4Acans]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

okay so i assume the blockage would be at the end of the effluent line? i can just use a needle or something to unplug it weekly. i will write it down to do every time i water change.

Mine has always been at the output end where the high Ca/Alk effluent is exposed to air and can build up deposits. Just clean the end, inspect the rest of the line and you should be good. Ca Reactors have been used in push mode for years so it's not anything new.

[machodik]

Originally Posted by Krazie4Acans

Either way will work just make sure you check the effluent line for any blockages periodically because if it gets plugged the MF pump will keep pushing water in and it will usually push it past the O-rings and cause the reactor to leak. That is the benefit of pulling is that if there is a blockage it just creates a vacuum in the reactor. It doesn't mean the pushing won't work, it just means that maintenance must be performed to make sure there are no blockages.

I agree on this ! Last weekend when I trying to re arranged my pump I make a mistakes of interchange the tube of inlet to outlet and that makes like pushing it back but I have a check valve in one of the tube and this cause blockage and water leaking out from the lid with o ring as well as the circulating pump of my second chamber and water all over .

I wonder it will cause any damage to my reactor ( will it ?) although now it is not leaking after I corrected the connection .

Cheers,


MD

[Emmanuel75]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Most of the reactors currently use is the 1/4" John Guest tubing. For longer runs or commercial units use 3/8 JG tubing. These are my suggestions for LS17 tubing. Each situation might require something different but for most of us this first group will be the one. The best tubing I am aware of right now is Pharmed Tygon supplied by US Plastics. It has a long life exposed to this environment. I change the tube once every quarter. It will last longer but... its cheep to be proactive. The qty suggested is good for about 2.5 years if kept away from radiation.

**** For 1/4" OD John Guest to LS/17 ****
(QTY3)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=36204

(QTY3)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=42009

(QTY4)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=34082

(QTY10)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25534



**** For 3/8" OD John Guest to LS/17 ****
(QTY3)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=34898

(QTY3)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=42012

(QTY4)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=34082

(QTY10)http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25534

Hope this is not a stupid question but will these fittings work for LS/24 tubing too?

[tkeracer619]

Machodic, it should be fine.

Yes, those fittings will work however, you will want a different clamp.
I think this is probably the one to go with.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...4083&catid=858

but would probably order 2 of these just in case those didn't fit right.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...7614&catid=858

[slief]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel75

Hope this is not a stupid question but will these fittings work for LS/24 tubing too?

FWIW, if you have a Do It Center near you, I was able to find the barbed fittings along with the 1/4" OD John Guest style fittings to mate to the barbed fittings there. Home Depot may also have them. I saw pretty much the same selection of John Guest to female threaded fittings and male threaded to 1/8 fittings at HD to fit the LS17 tubing.

[EvMiBo]

Hi guys,
I haven't really been keeping up with the thread lately. Seems like it's still on fire though.

Just a couple days ago my Masterflex 7523-70 with easy-load LS head started to click every second or so. The noise is coming from the easy-load head. Any thoughts? I'm going to take the head apart today to see if I can find anything out of the ordinary. My pH in the calcium reactor has slowly started to drop since I started to hear the noise (I believe that it isn't pushing as much as it says it is).

EDIT: I took off the easy-load head and it was pretty obvious what the issue was. Somehow a very thin shaving of metal was stuck right around the head and gear assembly connection. I have no idea how this happened though, or which part it exactly came from..?? My wife and I recently moved some electronics (including the masterflex pump) into a new cabinet that I built, that must have been it? Do you think this is anything to worry about guys? Also, the pH in the reactor has already gone up 0.02 since moving the metal shaving out 10 minutes ago.

[oshanickreef]

I pin pointed the leak on my reactor. it is where the air barb meets the airline right before the bubble counter. the threads on that fitting are stripped so it is constantly pulling air in the reactor. I have been talking to Geo to hopefully get replacement plumbing but i think i am going to have to rebuild it myself. I may put the effluent line on the top of the plumbing vs the side too so i can be pulling effluent from the highest point. any other recommendations?

[oshanickreef]

I think i am gong to just sell my geo and go with a new one that actually works. any recommendations on dual stage that is relatively similar in media size to the geo 618?

[slief]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

I think i am gong to just sell my geo and go with a new one that actually works. any recommendations on dual stage that is relatively similar in media size to the geo 618?

You found your leak/problem source.. Fix your Geo as there is nothing wrong with that reactor. I as well as most others that use them think they are a pretty good reactors and they certainly work just fine regardless of where the air draws from. That is assuming they are setup right and aren't leaking which as you have just discovered is pretty easy to figure out and resolve.

I mentioned it before and I will mention it again. My Geo runs flawlessly and I have the effluent line in the stock location and not the lid. I don't get air/gas buildup in my reactor at all and it's very consistent as far as pH goes.

[oshanickreef]

Originally Posted by slief

You found your leak/problem source.. Fix your Geo as there is nothing wrong with that reactor. I as well as most others that use them think they are a pretty good reactors and they certainly work just fine regardless of where the air draws from. That is assuming they are setup right and aren't leaking which as you have just discovered is pretty easy to figure out and resolve.

I mentioned it before and I will mention it again. My Geo runs flawlessly and I have the effluent line in the stock location and not the lid. I don't get air/gas buildup in my reactor at all and it's very consistent as far as pH goes.

well my issue is i cannot fix this without replacing the plumbing and i cant get it from geo. I could tap a new thread but if i do all of that and it doesnt work i am probably going to explode. my frustration is starting to expose itself

[slief]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

well my issue is i cannot fix this without replacing the plumbing and i cant get it from geo. I could tap a new thread but if i do all of that and it doesnt work i am probably going to explode. my frustration is starting to expose itself

Get your part in route from Geo. They have great support. If you still have some threads there, remove the fitting, use some teflon paste on the male threads and reinstall the fitting. That should get you by until you get the new part. The teflon paste should stop any leaks in the interim. FWIW, I removed all my fittings when I got my reactor and used teflon paste to seal them properly. The teflon paste is much more "fool proof" IMO than teflon tape when it come to insuring leak free fittings.

[EvMiBo]

Originally Posted by slief

FWIW, I removed all my fittings when I got my reactor and used teflon paste to seal them properly.

I reeaally wish I had done this before getting everything going. I have a tiny air leak somewhere. It hasn't really been a problem besides noise when I'm working in the cabinet (pH has been stable). GEO said this is normal though (to have some air build up), so I just purge out the air/gas once a weak. I had mentioned this somewhere earlier in the thread.

[oshanickreef]

Originally Posted by slief

Get your part in route from Geo. They have great support. If you still have some threads there, remove the fitting, use some teflon paste on the male threads and reinstall the fitting. That should get you by until you get the new part. The teflon paste should stop any leaks in the interim. FWIW, I removed all my fittings when I got my reactor and used teflon paste to seal them properly. The teflon paste is much more "fool proof" IMO than teflon tape when it come to insuring leak free fittings.

Okay i will do this tonight. if it doesnt work... I may hulk out and throw the reactor through the wall lol

[slief]

Originally Posted by oshanickreef

Okay i will do this tonight. if it doesnt work... I may hulk out and throw the reactor through the wall lol

I usually fill the male threads well with the teflon paste. The stuff is kind of messy so make sure you have plenty of paper towels on hand to clean the excess off when you thread the fittings back together and also clean your fingers. As much as I hate that stuff, I love it because it never leaks and it also doesn't harden to the point where you can't remove the fittings. While you are at it, remove the rubber uniseal from the bottom of the reactor where the recirculation pipe it goes into the reactor. You will obviously have to slide the pipe out of the seal first. If you tip the reactor on it's side, you can pull the seal without getting much air in the reactor. Boil the uniseal for a few minutes, cool it off and then apply a liberal amount of silicone lubricant to both surfaces of the uniseal before you put it back in. That way you have a good seal between the uniseal and the acrylic reactor body as well as where the pipe goes into the uniseal. Boiling it should return the seal to it's original form and softness and make the seal like new.

[oshanickreef]

Originally Posted by slief

I usually fill the male threads well with the teflon paste. The stuff is kind of messy so make sure you have plenty of paper towels on hand to clean the excess off when you thread the fittings back together and also clean your fingers. As much as I hate that stuff, I love it because it never leaks and it also doesn't harden to the point where you can't remove the fittings. While you are at it, remove the uniseal from the bottom of the reactor the recirculation pipe it goes into the reactor. Boil it for a few minutes, cool it off and then apply a liberal amount of silicone lubricant to both surfaces of the uniseal before you put it back in. That way you have a good seal between the uniseal and the acrylic reactor body as well as the pipe that goes into the uniseal. Boiling it should return the seal to it's original form and softness and make the seal like new.

okay i had to google what a uniseal was lol but i will do all of this tonight and pray that it works............ I just cant believe it to be a normal thing to have air in the chamber being recirculated and then backing up the recirculation pump... this is not normal because it makes the reactor annoying and inefficient.

[tkeracer619]

It's a feature. It's also a fluid power problem as well as a design flaw. Many things run fine with flaws, the ones that don't expose said flaw.

The lid is where you should be pulling effluent from not the plumbing. Not sure why so many folks insist on fighting it. It takes literally 10 minutes at a sign shop to get a hole drilled and tapped in the lid .

Originally Posted by EvMiBo

Do you think this is anything to worry about guys?

Yes, it is likely the dust shield on the bearing from either the pump head or the gearbox. Find and replace the bearing that is damaged before it comes apart and does damage to surrounding components.

Originally Posted by slief

I usually fill the male threads well with the teflon paste.

You can also use silicone when the threads are damaged, don't over tighten and often you end up with a leak free fitting. Threaded acrylic is very sharp and tends to cut teflon tape to shreds. Paste and silicone work best for tapped acrylic.