Limewater in ATO

Ok, I just want to make sure I've got this lime-water/kalkwasser thing correct before I go dumping a bunch of pickling lime into my ATO reservoir.

My ATO system: I have a 5 gallon bucket that I fill with RO/DI water. I have a pump in that bucket connected to an ATO switch. My ATO runs to my sump.

I just bought a 1lb bag of Mrs. Wages pickling lime. Do I just dump the whole bag into my reservoir (5 gallon bucket), let it settle, and then let the ATO run as normal?

I've read that it's better to have your pump lifted off the bottom of the reservoir so it doesn't pick up any of the settled pickling lime. How far off the bottom do I need to keep my pump.

Finally, how often do I need to replenish the pickling lime in the bucket? Do I dump out all the leftover pickling lime before I add in more?

(Note: I do realize I should only start doing this once I start having my CA and ALK run low. I currently only dose baking powder and washing soda since my CA is at 550 and only my ALK has been dropping below acceptable levels.)


Edited by Shayne - May 08 2012 at 10:02am

NO do not dump the whole bag in! You want to start out slow but a few table spoons in and then ramp it up.  

Shayne wrote: (Note: I do realize I should only start doing this once I start having my CA and ALK run low. I currently only dose baking powder and washing soda since my CA is at 550 and only my ALK has been dropping below acceptable levels.)

Sorry to hijack this thread but how have things been goin Brian? Send me a pm..we need to catch up.

Limewater/Kalkwasser in the ATO is best put on a timer so it adds it at night. Because Kalkwasser is so extremely high pH, this helps keep pH up at night. The dark hours are when algae stops producing O2 and produces CO2 causing pH to decline.

Baking Soda lowers pH and Washing Soda raises pH. The combination of the two in a 4:1 ratio allows pH to remain stable during dosing.

Actually the amount that pH drops when using just Baking Soda is fairly small and only lasts for an hour, so in larger tanks(55+), adding just Baking Soda is just fine and doesn't cause any problems.

You didn't say how much soda you add to a gallon of RO water, but FYI, there is no need to use that much water for a few tablespoons of soda. You can add as much soda as will dissolve in ro water. Use as much of that concentrated solution as needed. I make up a 2 liter pop bottle of concentrated Alk solution. Be sure to label it with a permanent marker. It could be disastrous if used for something else.

Also, if the Alk solution is poured near the return pump intake it can be added by slowly pouring. No need to stretch it out over 3-5 minutes.

A kalkwasser reactor is nice because it delivers saturated kalkwasser. When simply adding kalk to the RO reservoir you may notice a crusty film on top of the water. This film forms when lime water is exposed to air. The reactor prevents this reaction and allows you to add more kalk than can dissolve in the water. The clear water at the top of the reactor is saturated limewater and as it is used and fresh water enters the reactor additional kalk dissolves keeping the water saturated. You do need to make sure that the flow from the reactor is slow and enters a high flow area of the sump or tank to avoid a high ph condition.