REACTORS- Filtration for stingrays

[DB junkie]

I'm not familiar with internal parts of water softeners, but if I was going to try to build one in to a reactor first thing I'd do is gut it?

Personally, I wouldn't trust that much water in such a flimsy container. Kind of like peope building sumps out of cheap totes. I've looked at softeners for wet/dries and skimmers, but they simply seem too thin for me to be able to trust long term holding water. Wet/dry sure, but as a reactor I personally wouldn't. That does NOT mean it won't work, doesn't mean you can't get it to work, but all my systems are in a basement with a floor drain, and I still wouldn't.

IF I had to guess..... Might be tough to get a good boil in such small surface area. Not gonna be able to see what's going on in there either. I think you could get better results using an old tank.

 

[burbon44s]

Thank you
Just trying to get some more ideas

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[T1KARMANN]

Manufacturers will tell you slower flowrate is best, but this holds true with all media. Flip side is the more it's ran through the filter every hour the more contact time you're achieving. So if you're running 3K as opposed to 500 gph, sure you have longer contact time with the 500, but with 3K you have more frequent times of contact with this much turnover.

I tried both ways and know that it works either way. Main reason the higher flow is more difficult to deal with is the tendancy for the media to stick to strainers in high flow applications.

IF using IN sump where subjected to full turnover I think K3 would be a much wiser choice here then K1 as it's so much bigger. It's designed for higher flow rates.

Im sure this is what i said 5 pages ago k3 is much better in a sump than k1 as k3 can be contained


you do need hyflo to move the media no point in having a small amount of k3 in a large sump space

its best to pack it in and use a more powerfull pump to move it around

trust me i also tried lots of different things air and pump with air it may all move nive at first but chances are it will all lock up at some point

i would recomend making sure you can see the media moving as if you cant you will have no idea that its stopped which it does often without the right flow

if you are not using a sump then i recommend using k3 with flow from the bottom then put a lid of egg crate on top of the media to contain it then have the drain or over flow back to sump or main tank
k3 is to large to past throw egg crate so the drain over flow will be kep free from media

but hey what do i know as i must not tried different thing and just stated they are not great for the fun of it

 

[DB junkie]

And like I said in a previous discussion, and as Trev pointed out, obviously your design was flawed. Especially if you have K3 stuck in pipes. Mine locked up all the time at first. That's why I ended up with 2 reactors. Change media to water ratio and try again.

K1 still works fine in a sump. Just have to be creative to contain it.

I've already said we agree on a lot of stuff T1. You seem to like tried and true, and went back to it. I won't be going back. I'll be improving my design again.

Reactors aren't fun to dial in. They aren't easy to get right. IF you enjoy filter tinkering they are a lot of fun. If you're the set it and forget kind that doesn't like toying with things they can be a nightmare........ But once right, I'm not sure how you could build a filter easier to maintain then cracking a few valves and doing a load of laundry.

 

[T1KARMANN]

And like I said in a previous discussion, and as Trev pointed out, obviously your design was flawed. Especially if you have K3 stuck in pipes. Mine locked up all the time at first. That's why I ended up with 2 reactors. Change media to water ratio and try again.

K1 still works fine in a sump. Just have to be creative to contain it.

I've already said we agree on a lot of stuff T1. You seem to like tried and true, and went back to it. I won't be going back. I'll be improving my design again.

Reactors aren't fun to dial in. They aren't easy to get right. IF you enjoy filter tinkering they are a lot of fun. If you're the set it and forget kind that doesn't like toying with things they can be a nightmare........ But once right, I'm not sure how you could build a filter easier to maintain then cracking a few valves and doing a load of laundry.

not flawed it stops moving with low flow yes you can use less media to make it move more freely but whats the point in that even less media means even less surface area

for you to be bigging it up so much i take it you have been running it for years and years with great results or is it something new to you that you are just playing around with

 

[DB junkie]

Been using it since my 750 went up. Probably a year and a half....... And I have had far less issues in that time then any 6 month span prior. Used to fight bacterial infections on a regular basis. Seemed coincidental that everytime I had a bad bacterial outbreak I also had a filter full of mum and crap. NOT saying they are directly related, but it is definetly a strange coincidence wouldn't you agree? I bet I even have double the stock now that I used to.

 

[Energy]

K1 floats and will always naturally rise to the top. So.... water goes in the top and out a bottom drain-this alone will not move the media enough so to really make it move -add an air pump-a big one. My reactor looks like I am boiling noodles it moves so much. The eggcrate or any cover goes over the bottom drain- Since K1 naturally floats this will help to keep it clear from the media and plugging up. T1- right idea-just the wrong order. Do it that way and you will not have any issues.

 

[DB junkie]

I'm curious of how your bottom drain works? Does it go out the bottom and back up over the water level with a standpipe? Or are you doing it via baffles? Doesn't K1 sail right past egg grate?

 

[T1KARMANN]

K1 floats and will always naturally rise to the top. So.... water goes in the top and out a bottom drain-this alone will not move the media enough so to really make it move -add an air pump-a big one. My reactor looks like I am boiling noodles it moves so much. The eggcrate or any cover goes over the bottom drain- Since K1 naturally floats this will help to keep it clear from the media and plugging up. T1- right idea-just the wrong order. Do it that way and you will not have any issues.

I think you will find most reactors are designed to pump what from the bottom and exit from the top or top side

If you come in at the top then its working just like a wet and dry

I have run a shuran nitrate reactor than can also be used for other media and that pushed water in from the bottom

I have used 4 different types of sand filter which is still a reactor they also all pushed air in from the bottom

As sand sinks normally water pumps in to the reactor from the bottom
It's pressurised you then turn a valve and the sand level will rise you stop adding flow ones the sand level stops 6" away from the return whole

If you think they work great then carry on using them buy from using both sand and k1 k3 sand will give you better results

And yes I do think the way my tank is set up is best or I would change what needs to be changed

If you think you need moving bed go for it as long as you think your tank is set up best then go for it


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[Energy]

I have 2 fluidized sand bed filters rated for 900 gallons each. They are compact,convenient but still problematic. I quit using both of them because one power outage or temporary problem with a pump and the sand stops moving-then the bacteria suffocate and die. The K-1 Reactor takes up twice the space but I can power it down for days and just let the water flow through it without an issue or shut off the water completely and keep the air going inside the chamber and again no issues. The design of the media protects the bacteria cultures and the fact that it floats keeps it from compacting/suffocating during a power or pump problem. That's an extra level of safety you can't get from a sand filter.

But in the end they both do the exact same thing! Culture bacteria to break down ammonia and Nitrite. Either one will work fine - I just choose the simplest and safest one long term. I have ran both- I know which one I like.