Calcium Reactor Service

[sunburst]

From a self confessed and practicing lazy lout, i hate work. However neglect your tank and hardware ; and it will neglect you back. So...

Recently my tank sprung a leak, not major, but enough to keep me wiping floors every morning and arwie. It took me two weeks to eventually trace it. After buckets of cussing and kicking the dog (joke) I found it in most unexpected place.

After popping the cover of the recirc pump on my carx, i found the smoking gun. What a relief. So out it came and the servicing began. Pic first of how my neglected reactor looked after two years of hard labour.

 

[Shaun]

That is disgusting. (the neglect that is)

You mean your media lasts over 2 years.

 

[sunburst]

It was a cold wet miserable weekend. Outside exposed to the death throes of Winter, I started stripping the unit. The feeling of goodwill and masochistic delight i got knowing that this was a good and worthy cause, made me wonder why i avoided it. So often. That was in the morning.
Anyways i stripped the unit down making sure that nothing was misplaced. Ever lost a seal or forgot where you put that spanner. Or lost your car keys, or mind. Thats what i miss the most. What were we/mii discussing again? Now i remember... faulty Carx.

The old pump showing considerable wear at the big end side of the shaft.

The new pump showing what the shaft mounting should look like.

 

[sunburst]

That is disgusting. (the neglect that is)

You mean your media lasts over 2 years.

The beauty with this reactor is that it can be easily topped up. Minimal effort. Done so about every 4-6 months.

 

[sunburst]

Old impellor on the left, showing flattened abused section of the rotor. ie oval shaped indentation. New impeller on the right.

 

[sunburst]

Check out the wear on the Teflon bush

 

[leslie hempel]

glad you found the fault man.. rather that than a crack in the tank...

 

[Shaun]

It was a cold wet miserable weekend. Outside exposed to the death throes of Winter, I started stripping the unit. The feeling of goodwill and masochistic delight i got knowing that this was a good and worthy cause, made me wonder why i avoided it. So often. That was in the morning.
Anyways i stripped the unit down making sure that nothing was misplaced. Ever lost a seal or forgot where you put that spanner. Or lost your car keys, or mind. Thats what i miss the most. What were we/mii discussing again? Now i remember... faulty Carx.

The old pump showing considerable wear at the big end side of the shaft.



The new pump showing what the shaft mounting should look like.

Seriously Sean you need to write a book, you just have a way with words that will make people read it, no matter what the subject it.


I must still come and see you to drop off the frag of the Trumpet coral.

 

[sunburst]

This is what your pipes look like after years of neglect. Build up leading to increased pressure; increased pressure leading to faster build up; more build up more pressure, more pressure more build up. Then your heart stops. Sorry pump. Hell whats the difference.

Burp

 

[sunburst]

Sludge build up on the base plate of chamber 2

Accumulated build up at the base of chamber 2

 

[lIghty]

Sunburst, stupid Q, but maybe you can help, why does a reactor have such a large pump, as it only circulating the water within the chamber? couldn't a small pump do the same job?

 

[sunburst]

On my previous reactor discoloration and brown residue was never evident. Wondering what could have caused this, I poured all the media into a bucket and then swirled around with the old impellor lying in the bottom.

This is what was discovered

 

[lIghty]

what that, GAC

 

[sunburst]

Sunburst, stupid Q, but maybe you can help, why does a reactor have such a large pump, as it only circulating the water within the chamber? couldn't a small pump do the same job?

No idea. Sorry. Maybe the compacting of thinning media would eventually cause a smaller pump to fail. But what i can tell you, is that compared to my last reactor this one dissolves media at an alarming rate.

 

[sunburst]

what that, GAC

Metal fragments

 

[sunburst]

Before warm acid cleaning with non abrasive sponge

After acid cleaning

 

[lIghty]

Metal fragments

 

[sunburst]

What i never mentioned was that the new impellor seemed rather loose in its big end side mounting. Considering the condition of the old mounting i decided to wrap the rubber bush with plumbing tape. The shaft had to be pressed in.

 

[sunburst]

Hmmm forgive me sir for i am slow. To the draw anyway

 

[sunburst]

And finally the pH probe calibration.