Kalk Stirrer

[dandy7200]

Well after spending some time looking at differant designs, I decided to go with the Deltec style bar stirrer.

 

Chamber is 6" extruded 1/8" wall acrylic tube 24" tall. Based on Deltecs tank size specs for their reactors this one should be good for 750 gallons.

 

First step for me was to bend the stirring rod:

 

First I made a templete board jig:

 

Then bent with a heat gun:

 

Sand and polish:

[ReeferMan]

Your craftsmanship is insane! I say you need to hold a group build!

[dandy7200]

Next I made a twist lock lid which is what the similar Aquamedic unit uses. This is really not needed but, I wanted to learn how to do it so there you go:

 

 

Base:

 

The bottom flange on the lid fits the ID of the tube so it sits clean and reinforces the extruded tube (same with base)

 

The next step was to drill and tap the tube for 1/2" mpt JG fittings. Taper threading thinwall tube is not for the faint hearted

 

 

 

Everything is dry fitted right now. I need to get new applicators for weldon before glue up. The motor I am using is a 30 rpm DC gearmotor with a ton of torque. I am also putting a potentiometer controlled dc power supply in the lid to control the motor speed. For the shaft through the lid, I have a 1/2" probe holder that lets the rod spin nicely with the compression washer removed so I will just tap the lid and put that in.

 

Dan

[Gatortailale]

That looks dandy dan. Shape reminds me of the fallout shelter symbol.

 

Please PM me with your suggested retail price for one of your units. I think my system needs one of them.

 

Folks, if you think this craftsmanship is good, you should see what he can do with some flour, water, and few other ingredients at Fireflies.

[zoozilla]

Awesome craftsmanship!!!!

[dandy7200]

Thanks guys. I did get a few PM's regarding selling these. Let me get the motor assembly attached and running smooth first and tested on my system then I could get a price for a completed unit. I can however say that it would be considerably cheaper than one of these. This one is sized inbetween the km500 rated for 450gallons and the km500s rated for 1000 gallons.

[Leishman]

Thanks guys. I did get a few PM's regarding selling these. Let me get the motor assembly attached and running smooth first and tested on my system then I could get a price for a completed unit. I can however say that it would be considerably cheaper than one of these. This one is sized inbetween the km500 rated for 450gallons and the km500s rated for 1000 gallons.

 

I run the KR1220 from here check the rating difference to Deltec for the ~same size tube.....

 

KR1220: 6" tube, 23" high x 6.5" x 6.5", 2.2 gallon capacity (50-200 gallon systems)

 

Deltec KM500: Length: 6" Width: 6" Height: 19" Max. H2O Volume: 450g

[dandy7200]

I am guessing the rating differance has to do with the volume of clear saturated water that can be pumped through the system. Since this unit is a 24/7 constant stir there is no danger in dosing undisolved kalk. This is ultimately why I ended up using this design over others. It will be virtually impossible for me to cook the tank using this method. I know John at BRK uses the smaller km on his display tank and I "believe" NAGA uses the smaller one on his 750 since in a earlier post he mentioned that the tube opening was 4".

[dbartco]

That looks dandy dan. Shape reminds me of the fallout shelter symbol.

 

Please PM me with your suggested retail price for one of your units. I think my system needs one of them.

 

 

sorry craig, I am slow!! ( I was supposed to finish one for him)

 

 

Thought about using a stepper motor? I found the gearmotors noisy.

 

One suggestion- on the new deltec's they put a 90 elbow on the inside of the exit. Puts the water level above the "entrance to the exit". Keeps any surface kalk crusties from entering the tank. Maybe you did this but can't tell from the pics.

[dandy7200]

Doug, the problem with using a stepper motor is that it adds considerable cost with a controller for speed control. With the gearmotor all I have to do is regulate the voltage via potentiometer to get speed control. I actually just got the MOLON motors today and running 12v at 20rpm they are about loud as a clean maxijet. I am building a enclosed motor housing for the top so that should pretty much make this dead silent.

 

There is a 1/2" fpt to barb 90 on the threaded to the other side of the JG fittings on both the top for the crust issue and the bottom to direct incoming water into the kalk. The thing I love about Deltec is the VERY detailed PDF's they have for their products

[dbartco]

sent ya a pm

[ErikS]

Nice to see we have DIYs for the three major reactor designs

 

Now we just need a few more CA reactor designs...................

Edited January 4, 2007 by ErikS

[ReeferMan]

AMEN! ERIK

[dandy7200]

Motor housing

 

 

Motor Mount

 

 

Bar attachment detail

 

 

Assembled minus the lid

 

 

 

 

Basically the motor is attached to a disc that has been drilled and tapped for #10 32 bolts. Then that disc is glued to the top part of the flange. The center is drilled for 1/2" id rod so it turns smooth. The rod is attached by a through set screw. Top of the motor housing is another inside flange to accept a lid that has been drilled and tapped. The whole assembly is servicable this way.

[ErikS]

Thanks for laying it all out - have to try this one next. Had it all done except the rod.......for some reason bending the rod didn't occur to my gump arse

 

Gotta love those Deltec PDF's - every bit of the design is there

 

Taper threading thinwall tube is not for the faint hearted

Be insterested to hear how this works out in the end. The drilling & tapping wasn't an issue but given thinness of the tube & arc gave me a good seal about 60% of the time. NPT seals with the material in the threads & 1/8 didn't give a lot of wall to seal against.

[dbartco]

I did the exact same rod, but made out of PVC 1/2" rod the first time. - Yeah, don't do that. Keeping it straight was impossible after heating, even if it cooled in a stright line. The acrylic rod seems like it would work/hold its shape much better.

 

 

I thought about cutting a 2" square peice of acrylic, heating till pliable, and forming around the larger tube. Letting it cool, then gluing where the hole is to be drilled and then tapped. Might make the 1/8 problem go away. Thoughts?

[dandy7200]

Well the JG fittings don't glue well so I ended up using electrical pvc fittings which are npt but, not tapered. Weldon 16 locked them in place. I will do a water test tonight.

[dbartco]

I was just thinking teflon taping, not glueing the jg fittings.

[ErikS]

I thought about cutting a 2" square peice of acrylic, heating till pliable, and forming around the larger tube. Letting it cool, then gluing where the hole is to be drilled and then tapped. Might make the 1/8 problem go away. Thoughts?

Should work well, I've seen that done one quite a few pro stuff. The issue I had with sealing is the thickness of the material & the "patch" should alleviate that nicely. I did get a few to work fine, others had tiny leaks (a bit OCD on that issue - it's either right or wrong, not big on "good enough").

 

Of course there's always a uniseal or glue/union.

Edited January 5, 2007 by ErikS

[dandy7200]

Build finished. Letting the last bit of weldon dry right now and then I will run a live test and upload finished pictures. Here is a parts/cut list:

 

1/4" Cast acrylic Black, all can be cut from 24" x 24" sheet:

 

Bottom:

plate- 7x10

inside flange- 5 3/4" od

 

Twist Flange Female:

bottom- 5 3/4" od

spacer- 6" od 5 1/2" id

female key- 6" od then cut flanges

 

Twist Flange Male:

male key- 5 1/2" od then cut flanges

top- 4 3/8" od

 

Motor Housing:

bottom- 5 3/4" od

top flange- 5 3/4" od 4 1/4" id

lid- 6" od

 

6" Tube

body- 24"

housing 3 1/4"

 

Assorted acrylic:

stir rod- 1/2" rod 36"

1/2 tube 4"

3/4" tube 4"

assorted vinyl tube 5/16"-1/2" id

Weldon #16

 

Mechanical:

DC gearmotor

Variable output DC adapter

SPST switch

 

Hardware:

4 #10-32 x 1"

4 #10-32 x 1/2"

8 #10 washers

1 #8-32 nylon bolt

 

Plumbing:

2 1/2" mpt adapter

2 1/2" fpt adapter

1/2" pvc 3"

2 1/2" mpt to 1/4 JG fittings

2 fpt schedule 80 ell's

1/2" mpt to barb adapter

 

Tools:

router with 1/4 straight and flush trim bits

router table with radius pin jig

tablesaw with crosscut sled

drill with many bits

1/2 npt tap

#10-32 tap

#8-32 tap

dremel with sanding drums

flat file

round file

sandpaper grits 80 through 400 wetsand

000 steel wool

 

Time- 8hrs YMMV

[dandy7200]

Alright, I decided for the test run to put a years worth of Kalk in the reactor in one shot. After blah, blah, blah math I figure that I use right around a pound in a year. So the reactor was filled with 2 1/2 gallons of water and then I dumped a # of Mrs. Wages finest in.....

 

 

Here is the top closeup so you can see the motor housing in a little more detail. SPST switch on top.

 

 

 

After 2 hours...

 

 

Right now I have 4.5 vdc powering the motor at a stir rate of 12rpm. The motor is quieter running clockwise that counter even though it is meant to be run both ways. I think if I were dosing this I would wait 24 hours for the liquid to clear, as it is I will just let this run for a week (or until my wife makes me move it from the kitchen) and make sure nothing funny happens, then I will hook it up to my system. I think I am going to treat myself to a jar of Rowakalk for the christening :D

[flowerseller]

You planning to put 1# in for the christening and not add for a year?

 

My understanding is you'd want to replenish every couple weeks for best results.

[dandy7200]

You planning to put 1# in for the christening and not add for a year?

 

My understanding is you'd want to replenish every couple weeks for best results.

 

No, I am actually probably going to start with 10 tablespoons and add 5 more each month on the same day I change carbon. I will just periodically monitor the ph and adjust accordingly. I wanted to test it though with a absurd amount of kalk just to see if there were any kinks in the design. If by volume this thing should keep up with the demands of a 750 gallon tank, I thought a # was a decent starting point for that size. I am sizing equipment for a not so distant project in mind Next on the board is a pair of grande Fluidized Reactors. These will be a new design that I have not ever seen but, have some really good ideas for them.

 

Since you ask the question though, why would it make any differance if I did add a years worth of kalk to the reactor and just let it be? If the motor could churn it and it never solidified, I was using a very high grade kalk, and the only liquid dosed was clear and saturated? I know why I wouldn't do it but, curious.......

[Leishman]

Next on the board is a pair of grande Fluidized Reactors.

 

Make a trio, I'll take one!

[flowerseller]

No, I am actually probably going to start with 10 tablespoons and add 5 more each month on the same day I change carbon. I will just periodically monitor the ph and adjust accordingly. I wanted to test it though with a absurd amount of kalk just to see if there were any kinks in the design. If by volume this thing should keep up with the demands of a 750 gallon tank, I thought a # was a decent starting point for that size. I am sizing equipment for a not so distant project in mind Next on the board is a pair of grande Fluidized Reactors. These will be a new design that I have not ever seen but, have some really good ideas for them.

 

Since you ask the question though, why would it make any differance if I did add a years worth of kalk to the reactor and just let it be? If the motor could churn it and it never solidified, I was using a very high grade kalk, and the only liquid dosed was clear and saturated? I know why I wouldn't do it but, curious.......

Not a knok on a knock off design of deltecs but,

It's known that mixing calcium hydroxide (kalk) in the presence of air can form calcium carbonate. (the crust that tends to form on the surface of a highly saturated mix of kalk as it's allowed to settle) even though you plan to run you stirer 24/7, it will form some calcium carbonate and that will fall to the bottom and not mix back in. After time, you will not reach the highest possible PH which means you also won't get the whole benifit of the ALK and CA. Fine but I added gobs and gobs of kalk so that should compensate and always have plenty available but, it doesn't.

Even in the reactors we made that are airtight, they still need to be added to and changed on a regular basis. You'll experience what I mean after you got a routine down and you've been using it for a few years. Time will tell.

Great stuff you made there.

My question, why will you run it 24/7, or is that what they recommend?