Deltec Kalk reactor

4foot · 07/14/2008, 05:44 AM

Hi Everyone

Just wondering how much kalk people are adding to their Deltec reactors. I have a KM500 and it says to fill Kalk to about 1.5 inches of the chamber, which I think may be a bit excessive.

Is it possible to put in too much Kalk at one time or will the water only disolve as much as possible.

Does anyone dump a heap of kalk in their reactor and let it dissolve overtime?

Thanks for your help.

OliverM3 · 07/14/2008, 07:19 AM

Not sure about the Deltec but my Aqua medic 1000 Stirrer calls for two coffee cups full of Kalk (funny that it says coffee cups, that really confuses me, is that more or less then a measuring cup? )

Anyway the incoming water can only saturate so much so there's no chance of over saturating the mixture regardless of how much you add.

I may reduce mine because I only dose 1000/ml per night to maintain my levels which I estimate the 2 cups lasting 4 weeks or more before a refill.
I think I'm going to go down to one cup just so I can clean the reactor more often.

He's a pic it's about 2 1/2 inches of Kalk at the bottom:

4foot · 07/15/2008, 05:59 AM

Thanks for the prompt reply Oliver.

2 coffee cups full does sound a bit excessive.

Do you ever have issues when there is too much kalk sitting at the bottom and the incoming water's pressure is not strong enough to flow through it.

On my Deltec the water comes through an inlet from under the kalk in the reactor and I have noticed that sometimes the pressure is not strong enough to push through the kalk....maybe i am putting too much in.

I sometimes have to stir it manually to get the drops coming out, this causes issues as my osmolator stops pumping after 10 mins if the water level has touched the sensors.

OliverM3 · 07/15/2008, 07:03 AM

No Problem,

The Aqua medic is the same the fresh water goes through the bottom.
My dosing pump hasn't had any problems pushing through.
You see a puff of kalk every time it doses.

My stirrer has a check valve on the inlet side you may want to check to see if its causing a restriction because it shouldn't have any issue pushing through the kalk.
Mine was actually assembled with the check valve pointing in the wrong direction.
It popped one of my dosing lines before I realized it.

Do you have the stirrer on all the time?
I e-mailed Aqua Medic and they recommended to stir non stop so the Kalk doesn't get hard.
I always thought you should stir it occasionally not constantly but I guess I was wrong.

4foot · 07/15/2008, 05:22 PM

Yeah I have mine stirring 24/7.

I think I may have too much kalk as if I compare the kalk showing in the clear chamber on your pic, I have nearly double as much, unless your kalk sits further down in the black plastic.

The valve on my inlet is leaking also. I will change that and see if that fixes the problem.

OliverM3 · 07/15/2008, 07:49 PM

It does I have at least one to one and a half inches/ 3.81cm of Kalk below the black plastic that you can't see.

07/14/2008, 05:44 AM	#1
4foot Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 3	Deltec Kalk reactor Hi Everyone Just wondering how much kalk people are adding to their Deltec reactors. I have a KM500 and it says to fill Kalk to about 1.5 inches of the chamber, which I think may be a bit excessive. Is it possible to put in too much Kalk at one time or will the water only disolve as much as possible. Does anyone dump a heap of kalk in their reactor and let it dissolve overtime? Thanks for your help.

07/15/2008, 07:03 AM	#4
OliverM3 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: PA Posts: 616	No Problem, The Aqua medic is the same the fresh water goes through the bottom. My dosing pump hasn't had any problems pushing through. You see a puff of kalk every time it doses. My stirrer has a check valve on the inlet side you may want to check to see if its causing a restriction because it shouldn't have any issue pushing through the kalk. Mine was actually assembled with the check valve pointing in the wrong direction. It popped one of my dosing lines before I realized it. Do you have the stirrer on all the time? I e-mailed Aqua Medic and they recommended to stir non stop so the Kalk doesn't get hard. I always thought you should stir it occasionally not constantly but I guess I was wrong. Last edited by OliverM3; 07/15/2008 at 07:17 AM.

07/14/2008, 07:19 AM	#2
OliverM3 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: PA Posts: 616	Not sure about the Deltec but my Aqua medic 1000 Stirrer calls for two coffee cups full of Kalk (funny that it says coffee cups, that really confuses me, is that more or less then a measuring cup? ) Anyway the incoming water can only saturate so much so there's no chance of over saturating the mixture regardless of how much you add. I may reduce mine because I only dose 1000/ml per night to maintain my levels which I estimate the 2 cups lasting 4 weeks or more before a refill. I think I'm going to go down to one cup just so I can clean the reactor more often. He's a pic it's about 2 1/2 inches of Kalk at the bottom:

07/15/2008, 05:59 AM	#3
4foot Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 3	Thanks for the prompt reply Oliver. 2 coffee cups full does sound a bit excessive. Do you ever have issues when there is too much kalk sitting at the bottom and the incoming water's pressure is not strong enough to flow through it. On my Deltec the water comes through an inlet from under the kalk in the reactor and I have noticed that sometimes the pressure is not strong enough to push through the kalk....maybe i am putting too much in. I sometimes have to stir it manually to get the drops coming out, this causes issues as my osmolator stops pumping after 10 mins if the water level has touched the sensors.

07/15/2008, 05:22 PM	#5
4foot Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 3	Yeah I have mine stirring 24/7. I think I may have too much kalk as if I compare the kalk showing in the clear chamber on your pic, I have nearly double as much, unless your kalk sits further down in the black plastic. The valve on my inlet is leaking also. I will change that and see if that fixes the problem.

07/15/2008, 07:49 PM	#6
OliverM3 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: PA Posts: 616	It does I have at least one to one and a half inches/ 3.81cm of Kalk below the black plastic that you can't see.