atxryan Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I ran a tube out the window last night at 9. ph was 7.9. This morning at 8:00 my ph was at 8.3. I think I am going to drill a hole in the house to run the tube out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxryan Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Now at 3:20 my ph is back down to 7.9. Huh?? I don't know what to think about that yet?? Any Ideas?? I need to address my low PH issue (avg 7.9 ish) but am trying to keep everything as simple as possible. Is running the Hose outdoors a realistic solution to the low PH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I'm glad you brought up this thread. I was noticing a low pH in my tank all summer as well (~7.9 early morning before lights turned on). I suspected it was due to CO2 buildup in the house, but I didn't want to believe it since the home builder said the house was designed to naturally "breathe" =/ Anyway, my problems have gone away now that I run a grow-out tank in my sump on a reverse cycle along with a fuge. But if things start to drop again with winter approaching, I'll try the scrubber. Also, just out of curiousity, I wonder if running the skimmer's venturi outside the tank's stand would make a difference? My stand doesn't really bring in much fresh air since I have no vents, minus the open back (which is covered by a wall). It's wholly possible that doing the CO2 test mentioned earlier outside the stand would lead to the same results as putting the water sample outside the house/near an open window. So is the CO2 buildup necessarily in the whole house or is it just inside the stand? Seems like we should answer that first, before we start buying anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Ryan, When did you last calibrate your pH probe? Are you running a Ca Rx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barderer Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 you could also get more houseplants I wonder if houses that have a lot of house plants result in larger humans ...hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Also, just out of curiousity, I wonder if running the skimmer's venturi outside the tank's stand would make a difference? That's a good question. I have my scrubber outside my stand and since doing that, i've noticed less of a pH drop @ night which would make sense. At night, the fans blowing air over my sump to cool the tank aren't running so the air in the stand would get stagnant and possibly have a buildup of CO2. Now that I've got my pH stable, I'm not willing to try to tinker with it so give it a try Daniel and let us know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I'll give it a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxryan Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I calibrate my probe every other week. I do run a tunze ca reactor and dose kalk in my ato. This morning my ph was at 7.7..wow.. I have had the window open for a few days and also have had the skimmer tube outside. Could it just be my probe?? I am simply removing the probe from my effluent and setting it in the tank.. its that ok to do?? I am letting it sit in the display for about 5 min before taking the reading. ( Using the Milwaukee) What can I do to correct this problem.. Is the scrubber the best solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 When i was replacing the standard outlet behind my stand with a GFCI I noticed quite a bit of air coming out from inside of the wall.. I wonder if this could also be a source of lower-CO2 air, particularly in older, leakier homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 When i was replacing the standard outlet behind my stand with a GFCI I noticed quite a bit of air coming out from inside of the wall.. I wonder if this could also be a source of lower-CO2 air, particularly in older, leakier homes. The air coming out of the walls would probably be one of the many places air is leaking in. It would be best if you could "prioritize" where the air is coming in from - i.e. I'd rather have air coming in from outside my house vs. leaking down from the attic where the air could be more CO2 laden and a lot hotter in the summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonSequitur Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 That makes sense.. I definitely wouldn't want air from the attic coming in during the summer, it's hard enough keeping the temp under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Here's what I can report on the scubber: - it works great. My pH rose to 8.25 and stayed there for the most part...only dropped to 8.15 @ night. - the cartridge lasted 2 weeks. Then my pH dropped to 7.85...yikes! $25/cartridge = $50/mo = yikes - http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ carry the media. $54 for 6 cartridge refills. The rumor is that their media is more efficient than the stock media so hopefully that means i won't have to change it every 2 weeks. Anyone up for ordering some of the media and splitting shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I'd like to set this up as well, but I need other items from these guys as well. I bought my ro/di unit from them, and I need more DI, the dual membrane conversion kit ($77) and the entire setup for the Co2 removal, canister and mounting braket etc. Let me know, I can place the order and then you can hook me up when we meet up (I bought your green brain from you sometime back). Let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 I'd like to set this up as well, but I need other items from these guys as well. I bought my ro/di unit from them, and I need more DI, the dual membrane conversion kit ($77) and the entire setup for the Co2 removal, canister and mounting braket etc. Let me know, I can place the order and then you can hook me up when we meet up (I bought your green brain from you sometime back). Let me know. Rey...how fast were you thinking of ordering? I ask as I've asked BRS to start carrying the same media as BRS has better prices and better shipping rates. That being said, I'll need a replacement cartridge by Monday, Nov 23rd so I don't want to wait too long and who knows if BRS will even pick the media up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Just a quick note: Make sure that you re-calibrate your PH probe once in awhile, just in case is off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Just a quick note: Make sure that you re-calibrate your PH probe once in awhile, just in case is off. Yeppers...did that last week. It was re-calibrated .01 higher than before. It had been 3 months between calibrations so like all pH probes, it slips out of calibration, slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 no rush on my end, but I am ready to order when you are. I'll pm you my number if you want to talk or text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chark Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 Did BRS say they were going to carry the media for CO2 scrubbing? I looked at their site and did not find it. If you order I would be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 Brs has not Gotten back to me yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 BRS just wrote me back that they are going to start stocking the cartridges and the reactor from MCU research, but not the bulk material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I'm wondering if some kind of free-standing air purifier would have the same beneficial effect? Blueair Air Purifiers for Allergy and Pollution Solutions More upfront cost, but filters last 6 months and only cost about $50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I think those would just block air born particles, not CO2 - could be wrong though. Mark, I'm getting more interested in this. Keep us posted on the replacement media quest, and if you make another order let me know, I might want to order one. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 I think those would just block air born particles, not CO2 - could be wrong though. Mark, I'm getting more interested in this. Keep us posted on the replacement media quest, and if you make another order let me know, I might want to order one. Stephen I got a 1 gal container of media from Filter Guyz and it is working well in the 1.5 weeks I've had it. I think the biggest secret to having the scrubber work is to give it plenty of fresh air. Don't put it inside of your stand and don't put it in path of where any fans in your stand/canopy might be exhausting air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Well, its been 1 day short of 2 weeks with the filterguys.biz media and as of today, it was spent. My pH dropped from 8.1 to 8.0 in 3 hrs. Thunk. The good news is thus: - only about the bottom 1/4" of the media in the cartridge turns purple, indicating it is spent. So I just took off this purple media and replaced it with new media. We'll see how this works out - and, the gallon container says it will refill the cartridge 6 times, I say it will last longer than that. Even with filling the cartridge with 100% new media last time, it still only used a small portion of the gallon container. The CO2 scrubber is still a great fix for low pH issues, and I think the quest is now to find longer lasting media. If you are considering starting with the cartridge, I highly recommend it. I would also recommend buying the gallon container of media as it will last you a while and by then, I think new media will be found and tested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simon Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 1.25 lbs if you use the BRS stock canister for their housing. <div><br></div><div>I'm up for a group buy if a couple of people try these things out!</div> Any data yet on how long it lasts? I live in the DFW area and run into the same issue during the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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