If you had a Ca reactor running, and you were feeding it with your return pump, which do you think would fail first?
This:
Or this:
Answer:
I am still in shock myself! I have had nothing but issues with this reactor, leaking gasket, leaking recirculation pump, leaking regulator.... I persevere through all that, get the BEAST up and running, and then I try to do some fine tuning.... POW OUT THE SIDE GOES!
I will look at my options later, this may be the proverbial straw... I have to calm down, I think a Jack and Sprite or 2 are in my immediate future.
dang I didn't think you guys had that much into the reactor chamers on those I guess I was wrong I know the store baught ones are outragously priced IMO
This pic looks like the smoking gun to me. The area where you can see the cut marks is where I would say it failed. Reason I say this, is the rest of the material looks like it is cracked or torn apart (indicating the bond in those areas where it cracked didn't fail), but the area you can still see the cut marks, indicates the Weld-on didn't fully adhere. You should be able to patch it with another sheet of acrylic and not have to totally rebuild. If you want, I think I may have some 1/4 or 3/16 left over and plenty of extra weld-on 4 from my sump build but would have to look as I think it's mostly small pieces left over.
Definately failure of the glue joint where the saw marks show. You don't remember by chance if that is the glue joint that was missed do you? Just wondering since then it may not have had the 16 on it either, unless when you glued it up you added the 16. Would be easy to fix, and we'll run a bead of 16 on all the outer seems like Ken and I did. I think we did your only on the inside. I'd have to see it to be sure though.
Ya, I noticed those cut marks when I took the picture. I am sure it is fixable, I just have to decide what I am going to do. I am pretty frustrated at the moment, I may take a break from the hobby...
wow thats insaine.. I know the feeling. .wanting to just be done for a while.. i guess sometiems you have to just keep going.. the amount of trouble i had with my big skimmer.. crazy ness.. 100+ gallons of water on the flow in 1 second when i blew up the bottom box..kinda makes you wanna be done.. just take a slow week...or two.. just to step back and watch the aquarium and remember what you enjoy about the hobby
Well, I got all the media out of the reactor... It actually looks like a pretty easy fix. Some Weld On 3, some Weld On 16, and I think I will be back in business. I may put a layer of 1/16th or 1/8th Acrylic over that whole side, just to be sure.
So are you coming over here, or am I going there Steve?
Mike, that 16 would have helped your seams. it would not looked as pretty for pictures, but.......... IMO, i would not hook it up to your return pump, too much pressure, use a small maxi.
Ya, the return pump feed must have been a bad idea... I will feed it with a small powerhead after I repair it. (I have a spare Hagen 30, should be perfect.)
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