Aqualifter for Kalk Addition?

[Salamander]

Anyone have any experience they can share with use of and Aqualifter pump for dosing Kalk?

I'll be using it with a JBJ ATO and I'm curious about:
1. If it gets easily clogged with kalk,
2. If its easy to clean with vinegar etc,
3. Does it doses at an adequate (or excessive) rate. I will try to increase the sensitivity of my ATO to reduce dose amount but increase frequency.

And if you have any bad experiences please post those too and help me out.

Thanks again,

Mark

[lilchris]

I started out using one for my Kalk. The only thing I was the only way to control it was to have a valve inline somewhere to control the flow. It was only in my system for a week or so. Also I had to make sure the hose that is in the fresh tank was completely submerged at all times. It worked pretty good but I only had i on for a short time.

[JetCat USA]

an AL only has the capability to pump 3gph at 1' of head and if any particles got into the diaphragm from the Kalk it would cease to function, not a good idea. it would work well for feeding RO/DI to a Kalk reactor though.

[tvu]

i've used a aqualifter for 3 yrs for topoff water with mrs wages pickling lime no problems.

[Salamander]

Thanks for the replies.

So I understand that it won't work well for dosing Kalk?

I'm willing to clean it weekly if needed to ensure it functions. Is it possible or do I just need a peristaltic pump?

[Salamander]

Thanks tvu for sharing your experiences. That's what I'm looking for. So you have had no problems but what is your cleaning regimen?

[JetCat USA]

go with a peristaltic pump and save the headache if you're not going to use it to feed a Kalk reactor.

[CyclistMT]

Or go with the Aqualifter and save yourself a couple of hundred bucks. I've been using one for several weeks now with no problem. If you reservoir is set up correctly that you're only drawing in clear kalk, there shouldn't be any concern of clogging. I'm sure you can run vinegar through it every few weeks if you feel the need.

I use an old Tetra air valve (one of the good ones they made) to control the flow to a fast drip rather then the full stream of 3 gal/hr.

[Salamander]

Yeah maybe I'll try the Aqualifter but I'm interested in other's experiences in this application. Especially cleaning regimens which I'm sure are crucial.

And I have a new peristaltic pump, $4 on ebay but it has an internal timer that stops after 30 seconds that I have to figure out how to outwit.

[KyleO]

The aqualifter has a little $5 prefilter that really helps extend the life of that pump when dosing with Kalk.

Been using that setup to dose my Nano several times a day for almost a year now with no problems.

[Freed]

I've been using one exclusively for kalk addition to one of my tanks for quite some time now. I have it running off of a pH controller and have had no problems with it. Tubing will clog every once in a while just like with any other pump so just have to keep an eye on the drip rate to see if it slows down at all and then just clean it out then.

[Salamander]

So is the Aqualifter pre-filter necessary or beneficial?

Is it harmful to put a valve on the output to reduce the flow? I'm not familiar with aqualifters and don't know if that'd be ok.

So does anyone run vinegar through their AL to clean it?

[muzz]

I do not think you will need to drip the kalk, you can just let it top of. I use the JBJ ATO also, and the floats are sensitive enough that only about 1 to 2 cups of kalk water go into the sump. I have it run into an area of high flow, so it gets mixed right away. my total volume of water in my system is roughly 175g or so, and even if it puts in a third of a gallon, it is not enough that it will harm anything. I have been doing it this way for about 9 months with no problems. I use an old powerhead basically as my pump, not the aqua lifter though. I am not familiar with that pump.

some small pumps do not like to be constricted that much, so be careful how much backpressure you are creating if you are going to drip the kalk through a valve of some sort. Just my experience and opinions..........

[muzz]

oh, and I have yet to clean my pump..........I know that I should, I just havent yet. I tinker with so many things with the tank and such, that I always forget to clean my top off pump. It is slowing down a bit though, but that is after 9 months of running kalk through it. Like someone said above, you are only running the clear water through into the tank/sump, so it does not really clog up quickly.

[Salamander]

The AL is just a lil bit unusual and does not operate like a normal pump or powerhead. From the above posts I gather it only pumps 3 gallons per hour.

My floats are pretty sensitive and only evaporation of a few cups triggers the ATO. I just think I want to add the kalk as slow as possible. IMO instantly dumping 1-2 cups may cause too drastic of a fluctuation, but I've not tested what that would in my 160g total water volume.

[JetCat USA]

it works just like a diaphragm air pump but pumps either air or water.

[cayars]

I've been using one for 6 months now. I'm controlling it off an ACIII based on pH. My reactor consists of a 5 gallon IO salt bucket, small MaxiJet inside bucket. I used an IO bucket because I liked the screw on lid to keep it air tight.

I punched two holes in the lid, one for the tubing and one for the MaxiJet cord. I siliconed the holes to make them airtight. I turn the pump on for 2 minutes once a day about an hour after my lights come on to stir the kalk but then make sure the reactor is given two hours to settle before being used. This lets the solution settle to the bottom allowing only clear kalk water to be used or sucked up by the aqualifter. I have a plastic adjustable restrictor on the hose at the end of the aqualifter pump to slow the stream down to a drip a second/two second type thing. Everything is controlled (including mixing pump) from the ACIII.

I normally add a good portion of kalk to the bucket and then only add water fill ups since there is plenty of kalk powder in the bucket. After about 10 water fill ups I run the pump with water only to flush it out, dump and clean the bucket and start over. The cleanup process takes all of 5 minutes if that. When flushing the aqualifter I pull the restrictor and just let it flow. I also run the maxijet for a minute or two to flush that out.

I think the periodic cleaning every so often goes a long way to avoiding buildup and keeps things running smoothly.

Carlo

[trmiv]

If you aren't pumping a long distance it will work fine. I bought two and used them to dose kalk for over a year. If it stopped working I could just swap in the spare and clean the other one. They are so cheap who cares if they break? The only reason I switched to a peristaltic is because I'm pumping water 15 feet now and the Aqualifter can't handle that.

[sjm817]

I've been using Aqualifters for Kalk ATO for 2 years now. I've never had a failure yet, and dont even clean them. I dont use the prefilter either. I have to pump ~ 5', so I use 2 of them in series.

[chris4869]

I've been using the Aqualifter to dose kalk for a while, and it's still going strong. I haven't clean it yet. Once in a while, I would check the output tube to make sure it's not clogged. I usually pinch the tube (airline) until the dried kalk falls out from the tip. It's connected to a float switch.

I think the pre-filter is a waste if you're using it to dose kalk.

[aninjaatemyshoe]

The Aqualifters are awesome if you set them up correctly. It does have two major disadvantages when compared to GOOD peristaltic pumps. One, it will back siphon when it is turned off. A check valve can be used to help prevent this, but I don't like trusting check valves. Two, you don't get the control and the ability to dose at very slow rates like you do with a GOOD peristaltic pump. I emphasize "good" as some peristaltic pumps used in this hobby will not have these advantages. The major one that comes to mind is the Aqua Medic dosing pump. I have never been more disappointed with a piece of equipment in this hobby before. Not only does it fail to prevent back-siphoning, but you can barely draw liquid from any height, not to mention trying to have a controlled flow-rate. What is the point? I'm sure there are other peristaltic pumps that fail for our purposes. The really good ones are gonna cost quite a bit more than an aqualifter. So if you are fine with its limitations it is a great device.