K1 Kalk Stirrer Clogging - Prevents ATO from Working

[-Logzor]

Hi Guys,

I have your K1 Kalk Stirrer, love it, but I have one major issue with it, the tube going down into the kalk solution that feeds from my ATO pump tends to clog about every month or so. This means my ATO stops working and no water is feeding into my sump. I have to clean it out with a bamboo skewer for my ATO to keep working. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? Maybe a wider tube?

Thanks!

 

[AVAST Marine]

I don't think we have ever heard of that happening before. Can you post a couple pictures of the setup with as much detail as possible so we can see if something is off? How long have you had it?

 

[-Logzor]

I bought it used, I've had it about 6 months. Will get some pictures for you.

1. ATO is supplied via the LM-UPLC-II ATO system from Spectrapure via 1/4" OD tubing that is inserted into the top of the stirrer. This ATO actually has pretty incredible head pressure (can pump from below 25' and send water over 50') so I'm really surprised the tubing in the reactor gets clogged!

2. The tube running down into the stirrer which is connected to the ATO tubing is what gets clogged.

3. Typical setup I think? There is maybe 2" of sediment in the stirrer. Stirrer is stirring 24/7. System is 150g so mabye 1-2 gallons per day is topped off.

4. Kalk I'm using is pretty old, probably 5-6 years, supplied by BRS in a 5g bucket. Could this be an issue?

 

[AVAST Marine]

All that sounds normal, pictures will definitely help us here to make sure that nothing is missing or abnormal. What does the clog consist of?

 

[-Logzor]

I think it's just kalk solution that has solidified within the tube. I'll see if I can remove the tube to get a picture of the clog.

 

[AVAST Marine]

That would only happen if it were exposed to air after it had been saturated which is pretty much impossible by design. The only thing I can think of is that the internal tube or the bulkhead fitting seal may be damaged, allowing saturated kalkwasser to backflow into the tube and then somehow being exposed to air. You can try removing the internal rigid tubing and replacing it with 12" of regular RODI tubing. When you install the tubing, try blowing back towards the pump, you should not be able to do this. If you have a tight seal there, try putting it back in service for a month or two like that and see if it solves the problem.

 

[mjt82]

I assembled my K1 stirrer and put it online yesterday... I was having back-siphoning, because I chose to use the Tunze ATO pump supplied with my osmolator. I can see how this could possibly cause the issue you’re describing, as kalk saturated water would siphon back into my reservoir until the levels matched. I remedied this by adding a push-connect T fitting above the water line, which results in a siphon break. @AVAST Marine, this may be something worth considering to prevent people from having siphoning issues!

 

[3mm3]

I bought it used, I've had it about 6 months. Will get some pictures for you.

1. ATO is supplied via the LM-UPLC-II ATO system from Spectrapure via 1/4" OD tubing that is inserted into the top of the stirrer. This ATO actually has pretty incredible head pressure (can pump from below 25' and send water over 50') so I'm really surprised the tubing in the reactor gets clogged!

2. The tube running down into the stirrer which is connected to the ATO tubing is what gets clogged.

3. Typical setup I think? There is maybe 2" of sediment in the stirrer. Stirrer is stirring 24/7. System is 150g so mabye 1-2 gallons per day is topped off.

4. Kalk I'm using is pretty old, probably 5-6 years, supplied by BRS in a 5g bucket. Could this be an issue?

I don't have that brand kalk stirrer but I think your issue may be stirring 24/7. For my kalk stirrer I have it set to make sure there is an hour gap from last stir time to ato running water through it. I believe your dosing kalk slurry if I understood your post correctly and that will cause it to clog

 

[AVAST Marine]

I assembled my K1 stirrer and put it online yesterday... I was having back-siphoning, because I chose to use the Tunze ATO pump supplied with my osmolator. I can see how this could possibly cause the issue you’re describing, as kalk saturated water would siphon back into my reservoir until the levels matched. I remedied this by adding a push-connect T fitting above the water line, which results in a siphon break. @AVAST Marine, this may be something worth considering to prevent people from having siphoning issues!

We do cover this exact topic in the instruction manual, our recommendation is exactly what you have done .

 

[AVAST Marine]

I don't have that brand kalk stirrer but I think your issue may be stirring 24/7. For my kalk stirrer I have it set to make sure there is an hour gap from last stir time to ato running water through it. I believe your dosing kalk slurry if I understood your post correctly and that will cause it to clog

Ours is designed to stir 24/7 and does so very gently so no slurry is dosed. If a very powerful pump was used to dose with it could cause some slurry to get up to the output though, thanks for thinking of that.

 

[mjt82]

We do cover this exact topic in the instruction manual, our recommendation is exactly what you have done .

Oh perfect! I just followed the video to assemble mine!! Great minds think alike... My great mind should have just read the instructions... [emoji23]

 

[Yam]

I assembled my K1 stirrer and put it online yesterday... I was having back-siphoning, because I chose to use the Tunze ATO pump supplied with my osmolator. I can see how this could possibly cause the issue you’re describing, as kalk saturated water would siphon back into my reservoir until the levels matched. I remedied this by adding a push-connect T fitting above the water line, which results in a siphon break. @AVAST Marine, this may be something worth considering to prevent people from having siphoning issues!

This may not be effective depending on the setup. I initially had a syphon break using a aqualifter feeding the kalk reactor. ATO reservoir is approximately 4' away and dosing kalk every hour. I also have a pH probe in the K1.

Every time the pump turned on, it would need to clear the 4' of air in the tubing before water would enter the reactor. With hourly dosing and long tubing, the kalk did not stay fully saturated very long (as measured by pH) due to the amount of air entering the system.

I now dose a fixed 2L/day of kalk (peristaltic pump) and make up the rest with topoff straight from the reservoir. I make up the remainder of my Ca/Alk requirements via 2 part dosing. I can now go weeks before adding kalk, and Ca/Alk is more stable due to the fixed kalk dosing. YMMV.

 

[mjt82]

This may not be effective depending on the setup. I initially had a syphon break using a aqualifter feeding the kalk reactor. ATO reservoir is approximately 4' away and dosing kalk every hour. I also have a pH probe in the K1.

Every time the pump turned on, it would need to clear the 4' of air in the tubing before water would enter the reactor. With hourly dosing and long tubing, the kalk did not stay fully saturated very long (as measured by pH) due to the amount of air entering the system.

I now dose a fixed 2L/day of kalk (peristaltic pump) and make up the rest with topoff straight from the reservoir. I make up the remainder of my Ca/Alk requirements via 2 part dosing. I can now go weeks before adding kalk, and Ca/Alk is more stable due to the fixed kalk dosing. YMMV.

Been effective for over a month now! Working without failure [emoji16]

 

[mjt82]

I just had an epiphany... I’ve noticed that my kalk isn’t depleting as fast as it should, and I realized that my siphon break is likely diverting a lot of the water away from going down the down tube... I happened to have a 1/4” check valve and two 1/4” barbed fittings, which I spliced into the line from my pump and VOILA... I got water down lower into my reactor where the good stuff is! Gonna try this out for a little bit and see how it helps!!

 

[mjt82]

Here’s what I’m going with...

 

[mjt82]

@AVAST Marine - Why not just include a check valve like the one I installed above? Am I missing something?

 

[AVAST Marine]

We offer two pumps that work with the kalk stirrer, a peristaltic that is best and doesn't require a check valve or siphon break and a diaphragm pump that does require those. We include the check valve, flow valve and tee with the diaphragm pump rather than the reactor for that reason. In my experience it is more reliable to put a valve on your tee to restrict the siphon break flow than it is to use the inline check valve method but both will work.

 

[mjt82]

We offer two pumps that work with the kalk stirrer, a peristaltic that is best and doesn't require a check valve or siphon break and a diaphragm pump that does require those. We include the check valve, flow valve and tee with the diaphragm pump rather than the reactor for that reason. In my experience it is more reliable to put a valve on your tee to restrict the siphon break flow than it is to use the inline check valve method but both will work.

I’ve integrated the kalk stirrer with my Tunze Osmolator, so my best bet is the check valve it seems. Either way, I think I’ve found a solution, and I’m a huge fan of Avast products! I’ll always recommend you guys!

 

[kevin.st]

We offer two pumps that work with the kalk stirrer, a peristaltic that is best and doesn't require a check valve or siphon break and a diaphragm pump that does require those. We include the check valve, flow valve and tee with the diaphragm pump rather than the reactor for that reason. In my experience it is more reliable to put a valve on your tee to restrict the siphon break flow than it is to use the inline check valve method but both will work.

Can you please post a photo of this? The check valve with the Tee.

 

[AVAST Marine]

Can you please post a photo of this? The check valve with the Tee.

Tee plus flow control valve, not tee plus check valve. Tee off in your water bucket, run one side to stirrer, run other side back to water bucket with valve closed 90%. Water will flow mainly to stirrer with a little bled off into bucket and will break siphon 100% reliably.