OMG!! Kalk overdose!

[flowerseller]

it finally happened to me. woo hoo

 

I'm still assessing the situation but my main safety precaution appears to have worked.

 

More later ..................

 

 

 

 

You can bet your fanny I won't be changing any water right away!

[jason the filter freak]

Good to hear that your safety measures worked. What were they and how does the system look.

[Leishman]

You have my number if you need anything

[Rascal]

Yikes!

 

Let me know if you know if you need any help, or even a place to keep things if the Ph doesn't settle down soon.

[flowerseller]

Thanks for the calls and PM's

 

I can tell you I will never ignore repeated ACIII text messages to my phone,

even though I was with my largest client during a consultation.

I can tell you 99.9% it was a stuck float switch.

I can tell you it added as much as 20g but likely not much if any more, all of which went through my kalk reactor.

I can tell you it dumped anything over 11g onto the floor.

I can also tell you I will likely not get laid tonight.

 

The good news is it appears from ACIII graphs and the 8 text messages that the pH never went above, or stayed above 8.49 for any period longer than about 20 mins.

Based upon my ACIII and the graph - and the text messages, it all took place in just over 1 hr ish and I was home within 1.5 hrs.

 

I'm back at work, but I could see well into the tank and had drained 5g from the sump before returning.

I'll likely let the rest evaporate to return my SG to 1.026 or may siphon it down to my operating level via vacuuming later this evening.

All this after our "discussion".

[lanman]

Thanks for the calls and PM's

 

I can tell you I will never ignore repeated ACIII text messages to my phone,

even though I was with my largest client during a consultation.

I can tell you 99.9% it was a stuck float switch.

I can tell you it added as much as 20g but likely not much if any more, all of which went through my kalk reactor.

I can tell you it dumped anything over 11g onto the floor.

I can also tell you I will likely not get laid tonight.

 

The good news is it appears from ACIII graphs and the 8 text messages that the pH never went above, or stayed above 8.49 for any period longer than about 20 mins.

Based upon my ACIII and the graph - and the text messages, it all took place in just over 1 hr ish and I was home within 1.5 hrs.

 

I'm back at work, but I could see well into the tank and had drained 5g from the sump before returning.

I'll likely let the rest evaporate to return my SG to 1.026 or may siphon it down to my operating level via vacuuming later this evening.

All this after our "discussion".

 

What's to discuss - colors for the new carpets?

 

bob

[Valeria]

Chip,

I'm just down the road if you need any help.

 

Carla

[DDiver]

sorry that happened to you Chip..please keep us updated on the aftermath...

[MisterTang]

I will hold on to your anemones forever.

 

At least you have data and a good backup plan.

[YBeNormal]

Another reason that I limit the size of my ATO reservoir--float valves/switches and just about everything else will fail or stick eventually and it always, always, always when you are out of town or otherwise unable to respond immediately.

 

Hopefully everything makes it through this OK. Let me know if I can do anything to help.

[flowerseller]

Looks like it will end up with a happy ending at this point.

The system pH is down to 8.20 and I turned the main lights back on about 8:00p.

I turned them off from my shop as soon as I realized an issue was brewing and slipped home to check it out.

The tank was cloudy, but not like most of the pics we've seen of typical kalk OD's.

Polyps are mostly out on most of those that open fuzzy.

 

Good to hear that your safety measures worked. What were they and how does the system look.

 

I've never been a big believer of adding several cups of kalk to my reactor at a time.

It's nothing more than a time bomb waiting to happen.

Instead, I prefer to add about enough kalk to go along with what I expect to evaporate over the course of a week. This way, I'm recharging it weekly which keeps it strong and I'm reducing the risk of a major kalk OD.

 

This time of year and over the summer, I expect to evaporate about 22 gallons per week on my 400g system. I increase that guesstimate during the winter with the heat running and fires in our fire places.

I believe you can not keep much more than an 1/8 - 1/4 tbsp of kalk per gallon "in solution" with the remainder falling out as precipitant. Since 16 tbsp = 1 cup according to Betty Crocker, I tend to only add a light 1/2cup per week to my reactor. I'm still a little over on the dose but this allows me to add some cloudy mix if the reactor is in a mix mode should the system call for water.

 

I found a limpet that had crawled into the tube housing for the top off float, crawled down the float shaft and either pushed the float down or became stuck between the float and shaft as it rose from filling from a low period.

Bet that will never happen again.

I still using the same float switch set up I've had for almost 20 years.

[sde219]

Glad to hear that despite the problems - it's not ending terribly.

 

Sounds like you had good safety/preventative procedures in place.

[Smoothtriqueter]

Bet that will never happen again.

 

Better knock on wood fast

[johnnybv]

ANother save from an aquacontroller!!! How much did that investment save you chip???

[flowerseller]

ANother save from an aquacontroller!!! How much did that investment save you chip???

 

A bunch I'm sure but it's not really about the money, it's the heartache.

 

I can tell you that what really saved the day was "bub", our youngest son Jesse.

By the time I got home, he had unplugged the top off pump, drained a bit of water from the sump, and thrown towels under the stand.

He had also thrown towels down in the laundry room since that's the way the inside of the stand was designed to flow any leaks towards it.

Lucky for me, everyone then pitched in to mop up and look for other causes even though I was sure I knew what we would find, just not the reason the top off would stick.

[lanman]

A bunch I'm sure but it's not really about the money, it's the heartache.

 

I can tell you that what really saved the day was "bub", our youngest son Jesse.

By the time I got home, he had unplugged the top off pump, drained a bit of water from the sump, and thrown towels under the stand.

He had also thrown towels down in the laundry room since that's the way the inside of the stand was designed to flow any leaks towards it.

Lucky for me, everyone then pitched in to mop up and look for other causes even though I was sure I knew what we would find, just not the reason the top off would stick.

 

Good going, bub!!

 

bob