Looking for advice on setting up a Kalk/limewater reservoir for dripping

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I’m a bit of an odd duck here and can’t see to decipher pictures or drawings so a written explanation of ideas/corrections for me based on the info below would be of great help. I’ve been dosing Kalk/limewater at my evap limit for about a year using a Kalk stirrer and a doser. While this method is working just fine, it has become a bit of a nuisance for me. The stirrer is in my sump, in the stand under the tank. With my vision and tremors I’ve been breathing in Kalk dust every time I fill and randomly stir things to get the clump to sink. I’m dumb and the shirt pulled up over my nose isn’t much help. I’ve been trying to remember to wear a mask….but again stupid is as stupid does. If it wasn’t in my sump under the tank it wouldn’t be so bad. Also the stir bar has disconnected a few times when moving the motor up and down (like a zeovit reactor) getting the clump to sink. Not having to add Kalk every 5-7 days to maintain potency, will be a big help. Especially not having to do it on the ground bent over a sump, under the stand, around a center brace, and poking my eyes on the door poppers that I can’t see or breaking them off with my ginormous forehead and blindly fishing around for the pieces. I also have a calcium reactor, but that doesn’t create dust and only needs to be topped up every two months or so.

With that, I’ve decided to convert my 25 gallon automated rodi reservoir over to saturated Kalk. The reservoir currently has two float switches (a low at the bottom which tells the controller to open a solenoid for filling, and a high at the top to close the solenoid), there is a float valve above the high level sensor just in case the high level or solenoid fails. There’s a pickup tube at the bottom that goes to the doser feeding the Kalk stirrer (previously just an ato).

In my peanut brain, I’m thinking that the high level float sensor and valve are just fine to remain unchanged and that I will need to raise the low level float up four to six inches or so to keep above any possible slurry accumulation and leave a larger buffer before running dry. I’ll also raise the pickup tube to an inch or two below the low level sensor (again to stay above any possible slurry). The doser setup should remain unchanged as well, with the exception of removing the tubing to the Kalk reactor and placing it back in the original clip for the ato in the return chamber (above the waterline).

Basically, I’m looking for you all to check myself before I wreck myself here. I know it’s not brain surgery but my confidence hasn’t exactly been stellar since running into health issues. I’m also unsure what people are typically running into as far as accumulated slurry depth over time and when it needs to be physically removed. Just to give me some idea as I won’t be able to see it and my arm doesn’t fit all the way into the reservoir. Maybe I’ll need some sort of stick with a base to feel for slurry after a length of time.

I probably gave too much backstory here for a simple project. Thanks in advance.

 

[exnisstech]

So you want to dose saturated kalk and do away with the stirrer?

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

So you want to dose saturated kalk and do away with the stirrer?

Yes. It works fine but is becoming a hassle

 

[exnisstech]

I used to dose saturated kalk in my 180g. I was at 7200 ml a day. All I did was use a small brute container with a float switch and a tube teed off the rodi. I had a shut off valve on that line and left it closed except when refilling just in case I forgot about it. I just added mixed the kalk and full saturation and let it settle. I would ussualy top off every 4 gallons or when I thought to check it. I just added more kalk and water dropped a powerhead in for a few minutes and let it settle. I just had my hose a couple of inches off the bottom so it didn't pull the slurry. I cleaned the slurry every months or so. It was really a simple setup that worked very well. I used a brs 1ml a minute dosing pump on a digital timer but you have the doser covered. I'm not sure how well your level sensors would hold up to kalk but I'm guessing not well so you may have to come up with something else there.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I used to dose saturated kalk in my 180g. I was at 7200 ml a day. All I did was use a small brute container with a float switch and a tube teed off the rodi. I had a shut off valve on that line and left it closed except when refilling just in case I forgot about it. I just added mixed the kalk and full saturation and let it settle. I would ussualy top off every 4 gallons or when I thought to check it. I just added more kalk and water dropped a powerhead in for a few minutes and let it settle. I just had my hose a couple of inches off the bottom so it didn't pull the slurry. I cleaned the slurry every months or so. It was really a simple setup that worked very well. I used a brs 1ml a minute dosing pump on a digital timer but you have the doser covered. I'm not sure how well your level sensors would hold up to kalk but I'm guessing not well so you may have to come up with something else there.

I was a little concerned about the float switches. I can change the code in the apex after I calculate the average run/fill times to provide a warning to be safe. A 10 pack of float switches is dirt cheap on Amazon, but I for sure don’t want to hassle with replacing them every two weeks and will have to figure out another way if that’s the case. I’m just shy of 2 gallons per day as well, although I know the potency starts to taper down on day 5 and I typically top off Kalk once a week. I forgot about throwing a pump in and was just going to stir it a bit but I have pumps laying around I could make use of. I may want to rethink my current container if slurry needs to be cleaned out every couple months. It’s a vertical poly tank with a small screw on lid (maybe 6 or 8 inches diameter) so I can foresee that being a limitation as far an access for cleaning. Although, it does have a drain on the bottom that’s plugged. I have a ball valve on my saltwater reservoir with a hose connection so I can run a drain hose out the front door and flush out the reservoir when needed….probably be pushing my luck with Kalk slurry running down the gutter though.

 

[exnisstech]

If your using good old mechanical float switches I wonder if they may hold up ok as long as the lower one is above the slurry. Not comparing apples to apples but I had a float switch in my sump for an ATO for 6+ years and never cleaned it. I wrapped it up in nylon stocking when I installed it and never touched it after. The nylon was nasty and covered in algae but the switch still worked fine.

EDIT : As to dumping the slurry. I'm not sure of your housing situation but mine all went into my septic system just like all my waste water. Not a recommendation just saying what I do.