Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefpins10
Thank you Ottoman, I will keep in check with DKH. It has been a few hours after setting up now, I am still seeing the pellets attached around the body inside the tube and are attaching to each other, even I let the pump flow maximum to 400GPH. I took the whole thing out and stired them, but as long as I run the reactor , they attached to the tube again and some of them even were floating to the top. Good thing I put a mesh there. I am not sure what to do next if they are still clumping like that.
WHAT DID I DO WRONG  |
If they are clumping you have a combination of too many pellets with too much flow. You have to either cut back the number of pellets or cut back on the flow.
What I do whenever I start up my reactor with new pellets is to first completely shut off the feed valve so that very little flow (not enough to even move a pellet) is getting into the reactor chamber. Then, while the feed pump is on I slowly turn on the valve to slowly feed the reactor with pumped water. I do this slowly, very very slowly until I see the pellets just barely move. You'll see the water bubbling up through the chamber moving the pellets as it travels up and then out the top. I start with just the top of the pellets just barely moving, then adjust the flow up slowly from there to my desired tumblage (i just made up that word but I like it). I know I've put too much pellet into my chamber if while doing this the pellets clump at the top before I could get them to tumble at the top. I take pellets out and repeat the process.
it also helps to soak the pellets over night.