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Oil in Ca Reactor Bubble Counter?
- Thread starter smcnally
- Start date
OP
OP
smcnally
Tankless
I found this so far online:
"Ed,
I use plain-old mineral oil which is, I suspect, the same thing these fluids are.
Since the mineral oil is more viscous, the bubbles seem to be more consistent
which makes adjustments easier.
One potential problem would be that the fluid could somehow get into your tank.
I'm not sure what the consequences would be but it has never happened to me.
Lyndle Schenck"
"Ed,
I use plain-old mineral oil which is, I suspect, the same thing these fluids are.
Since the mineral oil is more viscous, the bubbles seem to be more consistent
which makes adjustments easier.
One potential problem would be that the fluid could somehow get into your tank.
I'm not sure what the consequences would be but it has never happened to me.
Lyndle Schenck"
OP
OP
smcnally
Tankless
The only thing that is preventing me from doing it is I haven't found much on it. For all I know the CO2 going through it could make some other gas that would leach into the tank. I doubt it, but I suppose it could happen. I may just try it though. The people that I've found that have tried it say they haven't seen any side effects.
I have heard of using glycerin as well. You can get it at any pharmacy.
Reef Central thread for reference
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5798942#post5798942
Reef Central thread for reference
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5798942#post5798942
this is what I use... very visible bubbles that move slowly through the liquid so they are easy to count.
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KL3311
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=KL3311
I've made all my own bubble counters, so I don't know how much of a problem this is with the commercial units. If you are making your own you can modify them to help make it easier to see the bubbles depending upon whether you want to use the counter on a system with a high or low bubble rate.
For a low rate you can get smaller bubbles (therefore more to count at a low flowrate) by making the opening in the tube that dispenses the bubbles smaller. Or at least making the opening smaller. Making the opening larger will yield larger bubbles, making a fast flow rate easier to count. The other thing you can do is make the tube for counting a lot longer, even 6-12 inches if you like. That way it's easier to see the bubble rise.
A final option is to check the gas flowrate off line. Run the CO2 from the needle valve into a pipet with a tiny bit of soap and water in it. Bubbles will form and rise through the pipet in a very controlled way. Use a larger pipet for measuring a higher flowrate. The only problem with this approach is that the flow into your reactor, which is likely under a bit of pressure, will not be identical to that used in your flowrate measurement. Still, you will be able to get a relative flowrate, which might be good enough.
There is yet another way of measuring gas flows. You take a container of know volume that is full of water, and invert it in a bath of water. Then you direct your gas flow into it and measure how long it takes to fill with gas. Problem with CO2 is though that it is so soluble in water you won't get an accurate measurement until the water becomes saturated in CO2.
For a low rate you can get smaller bubbles (therefore more to count at a low flowrate) by making the opening in the tube that dispenses the bubbles smaller. Or at least making the opening smaller. Making the opening larger will yield larger bubbles, making a fast flow rate easier to count. The other thing you can do is make the tube for counting a lot longer, even 6-12 inches if you like. That way it's easier to see the bubble rise.
A final option is to check the gas flowrate off line. Run the CO2 from the needle valve into a pipet with a tiny bit of soap and water in it. Bubbles will form and rise through the pipet in a very controlled way. Use a larger pipet for measuring a higher flowrate. The only problem with this approach is that the flow into your reactor, which is likely under a bit of pressure, will not be identical to that used in your flowrate measurement. Still, you will be able to get a relative flowrate, which might be good enough.
There is yet another way of measuring gas flows. You take a container of know volume that is full of water, and invert it in a bath of water. Then you direct your gas flow into it and measure how long it takes to fill with gas. Problem with CO2 is though that it is so soluble in water you won't get an accurate measurement until the water becomes saturated in CO2.
OP
OP
smcnally
Tankless
Thanks for that info, Greg. I didn't even see it until just now. Today when I got home I filled my chamber 3/4 of the way with mineral oil. The bubbles that form are a little larger than before but much easier to count. The weird thing though is that I don't think I changed my rate much if at all (I thought maybe a little more gas if anything), but my PH has climbed some (this is a good thing). I haven't been able to get my Ph above 8.20 and now it is at 8.31. Weird
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
That is the reason for using it. No evaporation is the claims.delta said:
