Calcium carbonate buildup and muriatic acid

[gdemos]

I have had a few incidents of white outs due to faulty kalk top off switches. Also I have had white outs due to overdoses of part B. I have also ran thus system with a ca reactor at pretty high flow rates of 135 mL/min with effluent of 11-12 dKh to maintain system alk at 8-10 dKh. All of this has led to a substantial calcium carbonate buildup. I find myself cleaning pumps sometimes monthly if not every couple months. And my cleaning practice is often a muriatic bath nothing precise but a bucket of water and maybe a cup to two cups of muriatic followed by a thorough rinse in fresh water. The last one I did after a pump failure I decided to clean my skimmer while I was at it. This time I just ran the skimmer pump I the muriatic bath. After 20 minutes the pump ceased. The impeller pieces came unglued as if the muriatic reacted with the glue or plastics of the impeller.

So now after an event of pH drop to 7.7 and a resulting catastrophe of RTN that wiped out 50+ frags I am starting over.

Questions- is there a harm to the muriatic cleaning process. Is it possible that the acid is compromising the glue etc? Is there a standard/acceptable acid:water ratio?

I find that vinegar just takes way too long and I've been comfortable up till now using muriatic. But now I'm thinking the acid has somehow leached into my system maybe by reacting with plastics or glues In the pumps? Is this possible could it have been the cause of my wipe out and low pH? Can the muriatic effectively linger in the plastics etc and leach to the system?

So now that I'm starting Over plan is to take out the sump and rock. Shake out the rock and scrub down the sump. I have effectively a coating of limestone in the sump. I understand that this carbonate build up acts as a buffer yet in my case I think it is problematic. Any thoughts on this carbonate buildup is there such thing as too much?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I usually recommend 10 parts water and 1 part acid for cleaning plastic parts. It is much faster than vinegar, but be very careful with the undiluted acid.

Never had anything come unglued, but I probably haven't treated the sorts of parts you did.

But I have cleaned the impellers and interior of many pumps and powerheads.

The calcium carbonate in the sump is no concern (unless it is coated with phosphate), but the acid will remove it if you want.

If you rinsed the plastic parts well with fresh water after the acid, there is not going to be any carryover of acid that had penetrated the plastic, or some such thing.

 

[gdemos]

Thanks Randy (I think) -- I have been searching for reasons on this crash (Acro RTN domino effect) and apparent pH drop and a part of me was seeking to blame my cleaning practices or the buildup of calcium carbonate. likely the stress of a culmination of less than optimal situations like the whiteouts, weak pieces, stress, and then bacteria took over. so some chem some bio i suppose.

well i have opened the windows to see if that helps with the low pH. the system is heavily skimmed and the airline is in a finished portion of the basement with good air quality.

this carbonate build up is serious, anything in the sump for a couple months will be covered. i am not certain if their is phosphate coated on the carbonate -- testing with hannah ULR phosphorous shows 0 phosphate.

-Greg

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, the area where my limewater enters the sump (right next to the skimmer return which is the white pipe) has a plastering of calcium carbonate on the sides of the Brute can. The off-white coloration in the picture probably comes from metals such as iron binding to the calcium carbonate surface in the place of calcium.