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awesomefrog
08/24/2007, 01:33 PM
I want to top-off with kalkwasser. so i'll keep it in a bucket and stir it up with a pump and timer a couple times a day. will a maxi-jet be able to survive just sitting in a bucket full of kalkwasser that like a PH of 12 all the time? does anybody have experience with this?

MalHavoc
08/24/2007, 01:39 PM
If it helps any, the calcium dispenser from Tunze, which works in conjunction with their Osmolator product, has the pump in the bucket of RO/DI water, which then pumps water into the container containing the kalkwasser, and then out to the tank. At no time does the Kalkwasser ever touch the pump. There's probably a *very* good reason for that. Kalk has a pH of 12 or so, and it's probably quite hard on metal and plastic.

michaeljames
08/24/2007, 01:41 PM
I use a mj1200 in a 5 gallon bucket filled with KW for my auto top off been running that way for 7-8 months, after 3-4 fills i always rinse out the bucket and give the mj a good rinse...

awesomefrog
08/24/2007, 01:52 PM
i wondered about that. i was thinking of creating a homemade Nilsen style reactor with a bucket, but i need some way to stir up the undissolved lime once in a while. and i was guessing that kalkwasser would probably mess up a powerhead pretty quickly. i just wondered if anybody had any experience as to how fast PH 12 kalkwasser can destroy :hammer: a powerhead.

MalHavoc
08/24/2007, 01:55 PM
If you know anyone who works for a chemical supply company, you can get magnetic stirrers that sit in the bottom of beakers, and you sit the beaker on a "turntable" that can be controlled with a dial. The stirrer is coated in teflon, so it's inert. You could probably rig one up to a timer to run a few times a day for a minute or so.

awesomefrog
08/24/2007, 02:09 PM
that would be really cool. now i just need to find out if anybody i know has that chemical lab connections. depending on how much i search and how well i know that person i might need to start a thread on how to clean meth residue off aquarium equipment. :hmm4: Then again, maybe i shouldn't search too hard.

der_wille_zur_macht
08/24/2007, 02:11 PM
FWIW, people commonly make kalk reactors that are stirred with powerheads. It's also pretty common for the powerheads to fail every few years or so, though maxijets are probably among the more durable. One common theme is isolating the powerhead so that it isn't in direct contact with the powder. The easiest way to do that is to plumb it externally to the reactor, but then you need to deal with the pluming to/from the powerhead and heat issues.

Lots of people have put lots of effort in to solving this problem. I'd suggest searching the DIY forum.

der_wille_zur_macht
08/24/2007, 02:12 PM
If you do decide to go the magnetic stirrer route, look on eBay. There's usually several available.

MalHavoc
08/24/2007, 02:15 PM
you don't list your location in your profile, but if there are any universities in your area, go talk to the department of chemistry. They have hundreds of these things.

awesomefrog
08/24/2007, 02:31 PM
thnks guys for the great ideas!

IslandCrow
08/24/2007, 02:37 PM
I've used a Maxijet in just the manner you've described. I'd give it a Muriatic Acid bath about once a month, and I never had any problems. I don't think you need to stir it as often as twice a day, though, unless you're automatically adding top-off water to the kalk. I was doing basically what michaeljames talked about, and I only turned on the MJ after I added fresh water.

der_wille_zur_macht
08/24/2007, 02:45 PM
Cleaning the powerhead regularly is a great idea, but ultimately they don't usually fail in kalkreactors because of buildup - no matter how clean you keep it, the plastic parts inside (impeller) will get brittle and crumble apart.

awesomefrog
08/24/2007, 02:58 PM
I really appreciate all the input. that's great stuff to know in advance of putting this together.