Liquidator Problem

[duraleigh]

After 3-4 weeks in use, I am getting what has to be salt deposits on my "out" float valve mechanism. (curiously, it does not appear nearly as much on the "in" valve.)

It's a thin layer (about 1/16th or less) but it interfers (drags) with the valve closing and, as a result, the water level in the LQ drains down after pump shut-off and allows air into the system....de-priming my pump.

That's a really huge issue for me as my pump is on a timer and cannot reprime as long as that valve remains open to the atmosphere. I have been lucky to catch it (twice).

Are any of you LQ owners experiencing this salt build-up on the valves?

 

[DLSDO]

Yes! I have the same white build up. In fact..it was responsible for my exceedingly low flow rate. I removed both valves and barely got a "2" flow rate. I then removed the flow valve and found the "white stuff" nearly completely obstructing my flow. I bought a new flow valve with a larger diameter and now my flow rate is @ "4"!!

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, I've been keeping up with your thread, Dave. Interesting that mine (the salt) is accumulating in the "out" valve and yours is occurring in the flow control valve. My flow control is perfectly clear.

There's some kinks in this thing but I really like the convenience and am convinced they can all be resolved.

Are you using 6% or 12%, Dave?

 

[JohnT]

My Liquidator had a yellow note added in to the package with the paperwork saying something to the effect of

"Accumulation of deposits on the inlet and outlet valves is a result of not adding the sodium hypochlorite slowly or not adding it through the fill funnel."

I have noticed that adding the bleach too quickly causes the deposits in the bottom of the tank to float to the top of the bleach layer, and eventually I see some on the surface of the water.

May or may not be your problem.

 

[keithw]

I think that JohnT might have hit the nail on the head. I have been following these threads and am always surprised that I don't have any of tubing or salt buildup problems. But I never fill my Liquidator except when the pump is not running and the Liquidator has been drained all the way down to the outlet holes. Perhaps allowing it to run down before reloading prevents or minimizes the salt deposits getting into the system? There certainly are a lot of them accumulating on the bottom of the LQ at any give time.

Thoughts?

 

[DLSDO]

It may very well have to do with pouring in bleach too fast and disrupting the byproduct layer on the bottom. The only argument against this is I am fairly certain Dave (Duraleigh) siphons his bleach in slowly yet has had a similiar problem.

I am unfortunately guilty as charged. I am pouring it in way too fast. No patience. I need to find an easier way of filling the LQ. I am just starting to experiment with 12% to see if it will hold my FC. My chlorine consumption has always been 1.5Gallons/day of 6%!! I am not sure if the LQ is gonna be able to deliver this even w/12%.

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, overpouring is a possibility...I only started siphoning about a week or so ago....prior to that I may have been a little careless.

I'm gonna clean mine up and see what happens. My boundary between Cl and water has always remained very distinct but that explanantion is as good as any I can think of.

 

[JohnT]

Curiously, I added some 10% to mine tonight, and the crud in the bottom moved all over the tank. Not sure why, but it seems the more dense liquid caused the problem, because I was very careful to pour slowly.

 

[revstriker]

I too have noticed the salt build up on the float, but it has not (so far) effected the out valve itself. As I stated in an earlier thread, the flow meter quickly filled up with salt deposits rendering it useless. I have since removed it.

This weekend I replaced my tubing with new tubing, and replaced the flow valve with one I bought at the big box store. I checked my FC and it was about 1.5. I opened the valve all the way, and checked it again in 3 hours. It had jumped way up to 14 so I am definitely getting more flow with the new control valve. I have shut the valve off and will wait for my FC to get back down to normal. Looks like I will only need the valve opened up a little bit.

As for adding chlorine, I've been using 6% bleach which I buy in bottles that are about 1 and 3/4 gallons. I drilled a hole in a cap and I invert the bottle over the funnel and then cut a slot in the bottom with a utility knife. The bleach drains very slow into the funnel. It takes about 10-15 minutes for the entire bottle to empty. The bottle does sit into the funnel so I don't have to hold it, but I'm a little worried about the weight of the bottle on the funnel, so I will probably figure out a different/better way of doing it.

 

[chrisexv6]

I noticed the "white stuff" rising to the top when I recently started using the 5 gallon jugs from the pool store. I was probably pouring too fast, but with 5 gallons of bleach in your arms you dont have much choice!!

Thinking about it now, I might snag one of the caps that came with the jugs, drill out the center and glue/epoxy in a 1/4" tube. Put a valve (hey there is a use for the leftover LQ valve if you've upgraded!!) then build a shelf nearby (but higher than) my LQ....swap caps on the 5 gallon jug to the new cap with the hose and valve, put the jug on the shelf resting horizontally with the cap aiming at me, insert tube into LQ funnel and open up the valve. Eventually it will empty, and Im guessing it will be REAL slow to fill.

Most of the bleach should come out, whatever is left over is light enough that you can actually pour it slowly into the funnel.

Gonna have to be a pretty hefty shelf!! But it should work, and take the trouble out of filling the LQ.

 

[duraleigh]

Chris,

That's exactly what I've done with mine. Built the "Table" out of 3/4" plywood and it's plenty strong. I am going to modify my soft tube siphon by making an L-shaped piece of 1/2 PVC that will extend into the bottom of the 5-gal container. That PVC will then reduce to an adapter to accept the same size hose as comes with LQ. That hose then extends down into the funnel and fills the LQ.

It takes about fiteen minutes to empty the 5 gallons with about 1/2 left in the bottom for me to pour into LQ....pretty simple

 

[revstriker]

Any chance you could post a pic of your setup?

 

[Water_man]

I think that JohnT might have hit the nail on the head. I have been following these threads and am always surprised that I don't have any of tubing or salt buildup problems. But I never fill my Liquidator except when the pump is not running and the Liquidator has been drained all the way down to the outlet holes. Perhaps allowing it to run down before reloading prevents or minimizes the salt deposits getting into the system? There certainly are a lot of them accumulating on the bottom of the LQ at any give time.

It seems that you are the exception, and perhaps we should understand what you do differently and try to emulate your system. As mentioned in another post, one of the Liquidator gurus told me that refilling very slowly wouldn't prevent the deposits on the tubing wall and the float valve.
So, please answer the following questions that may shed some more light on this unsolved mystery.
What is your pool's pH? What is your bleach source?
How come your LQ drains when the pump shuts off? Which line does it drain through? Do you use any check valve? Are your flow control valve and flow meter higher than your LQ's outlet hole?
Thanks in advance.

 

[revstriker]

How come your LQ drains when the pump shuts off? Which line does it drain through? Do you use any check valve? Are your flow control valve and flow meter higher than your LQ's outlet hole?
Thanks in advance.

I posted about the same issue in the other LQ thread. Mine drains through the outlet hole. My entire line is below the outlet hole (outlet hole is the highest point), and I was not using the check valve on this line (I just installed it to see if it would make a difference). I'm not sure if raising the line would help, but I will try this if the check valve does not work. My LQ just started this draining yesterday. Prior to that, I did not have this problem. Mine drains to the point where it sucks air into the line causing my pump to lose its prime.

If the other poster's LQ is draining down to the outlet valve, it must be draining out the outlet line as this is lower than the inlet line. Of course, it could be draining from both.

 

[Water_man]

There's a discussion about the salt deposits in this thread.

How about lowering your pH, TA and CH to the lowest possible limit tolerated by your liner? You can also talk with Mr. Booker and perhaps invite him to this forum. Maybe, since you're a distributor, he'll spell out more of his beans to us.