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CO2...A Don't or Do
- Thread starter Big Deal
- Start date
Tokin White Guy
Member
I guess I'm brewing alcoholic seltzer? lol, so yeah, just doin it for the CO2, tho I have helped make beer a few times and have a close relative who once won a blue ribbon in the state winmaking society. What have you made? PM me & we'll chat more about it :friends:
I haven't made anything but cheap ghetto hooch with 100% fruit juice, sugar, and yeast.
After I got the hang of it, it was really quite good, even if I did have to pour it into a regular wine bottle to get folks to drink it.
They all thought my ghetto wine would blind them and couldn't imagine it tasting good. Imagine the looks when I did the 'Brand X' reveal on em
After I got the hang of it, it was really quite good, even if I did have to pour it into a regular wine bottle to get folks to drink it.
They all thought my ghetto wine would blind them and couldn't imagine it tasting good. Imagine the looks when I did the 'Brand X' reveal on em
G
Guest 10952
I used it and didn't see much of a increase of anything. Had the nice tanks with overhead release. With a switch to turn off fans and all. If you have good intake of fresh air they say its the same as if you added co2. They say it really benefits small grows like closets though.
I
irie-i
fresh air is about 300ppm, ganja likes up to about 1500ppm for "supercharging". if you have intake you have enough, but increased yeilds are guaranteed with added CO2, that is as long as the other elements are good (temp, light, nutes, etc)
adding a co2 gen add a little work though, and could add challenges to perfecting your environment, so id say its for growers who are on top of things already in their rooms.
when operating a co2 gen its best if the fan can shut off while the co2 gen is on so that the co2 isnt just exhausted. this can be done cheaply with a repeat-cycle timer or expensivly with a controller
i traded herb for my CO2 gen, its a greenair cd6.i think they are worth about $600 althoug i am sure they make smaller ones fro smaller spaces.
adding a co2 gen add a little work though, and could add challenges to perfecting your environment, so id say its for growers who are on top of things already in their rooms.
when operating a co2 gen its best if the fan can shut off while the co2 gen is on so that the co2 isnt just exhausted. this can be done cheaply with a repeat-cycle timer or expensivly with a controller
i traded herb for my CO2 gen, its a greenair cd6.i think they are worth about $600 althoug i am sure they make smaller ones fro smaller spaces.
Green W. Bush
Member
the best i've yielded with no co2 was about .25/watt...course that was only one plant, mad LST'd, though...i'm sure i could get twice that with c02
next run will be w/ co2
next run will be w/ co2
matthew barrack
New member
c02
c02
if u use c02 correctly it will give u 35% increase in yield and speed of maturity i use 1800 ppm works the best,remeberc02 is heavier than air so release highin room. late matt
c02
if u use c02 correctly it will give u 35% increase in yield and speed of maturity i use 1800 ppm works the best,remeberc02 is heavier than air so release highin room. late matt
sweetgreendream
Member
I own a Green Air CD3 and a controller and have never used them. The flame kinda freaks me out and up until recently I did not have a controlled exhaust. Maybe I will give it a shot in the winter but the heat in the summer is bad enough w/o that added on.
peace
sgd
peace
sgd
BudGood2006
Member
I looked at the CD-3, but decided on the Blu-Ox instead. Air cooled, no pilot light running continously (glow plug ignition). It was pricey, but worth every penny! :smile:
I
irie-i
ill agree the blu-ox is better than the green air. i got my greenair hung by chains about 2 ft from the ceiling. theres no way it could catch anything on fire
stealthpackage
Member
How easy is it to regulate a CO2 generator? I plan to enrich the air in my next grow (sealed) and am trying to decide which method to use, myself... Thanks
G
Guest
Any room 300 cu. ft or larger will benefit from a co2 generator,CD-3 for 300 cu ft CD-6 for 600 etc,I use a CD-6 in an 850 cu ft room I could have gone with the CD-12 I'm right in the middle.If you dont have 50 watts per sq. ft co2 wont benefit you,you must double up n ferts too.If done right co2 is great,but everything has to be right and no yeast is allowed lolol
Co2 generators and tank systems can be controlled by either a timer, or by a co2 monitor. I am sure there are people who get good results with a timer, but I think if you are going to start using CO2 you need to do it right. Good results most likely will not be had with just a tank or a burner. To get the full benefits of CO2 you need to control all the variables in your enviornment. This is the basic laundry list of equipment I would give anyone wanting to start a sealed room.
Co2 generator (green air, Blue Ox, CAP)
CO2 monitor/controller (C.A.P. ppm-3, Green air cdmc6...)
Dehumidifier
Air Conditioner
Heater (If night time temps dip too low)
Humidifier (If needed)
Air Cooled lighting
Insulated and sealed room
Lots of light
good air circulation in room
Now it is possible that you could get away without some of the things above. Some of them depend on climate. But basically if you are going to invest in CO2 you might as well do it right. Keep room temps below 90 (85 is nice) keep humidity between 40-60% and the CO2 levels somewhere around 1500 ppm. Watch your plants as they will require more nutrients, more frequent watering and will grow faster. If you slack on some of these things and let your temp or humidity get too high, then the plant can't even use the increased CO2 levels in the first place.
* I prefer CO2 generators to tank systems for a few reasons. First those CO2 tanks are pretty large and if running any sizeable grow they need to be filled pretty often. You get more bang for you buck with propane. Propane can be filled at many gas stations, CO2 tanks must be filled at more specialty shops. Propane is used by many consumers for legitimate use, CO2 tanks are used by welders and a few other things, but it looks a little more suspicious than propane. Natural gas models piped directly in to your natural gas lines in your house, no tanks needed. Burners will create some more heat in the room, but if you are going to be running a sealed room you need an air conditioner anyways so you might as well just get a bigger unit to make up for the extra heat the generator puts out and take advantage of the many other benifits.
So basically if you are want to start using CO2 to increase your yields, you would probably be better off buying more lights. Hell for the price of all the equiptment listed you could buy probably 5-10 thousand watters. If you want to grow more, get more lights. If you want to grow more per watt of light get CO2.
That being said, I love all my CO2 and atmospheric controls.
Co2 generator (green air, Blue Ox, CAP)
CO2 monitor/controller (C.A.P. ppm-3, Green air cdmc6...)
Dehumidifier
Air Conditioner
Heater (If night time temps dip too low)
Humidifier (If needed)
Air Cooled lighting
Insulated and sealed room
Lots of light
good air circulation in room
Now it is possible that you could get away without some of the things above. Some of them depend on climate. But basically if you are going to invest in CO2 you might as well do it right. Keep room temps below 90 (85 is nice) keep humidity between 40-60% and the CO2 levels somewhere around 1500 ppm. Watch your plants as they will require more nutrients, more frequent watering and will grow faster. If you slack on some of these things and let your temp or humidity get too high, then the plant can't even use the increased CO2 levels in the first place.
* I prefer CO2 generators to tank systems for a few reasons. First those CO2 tanks are pretty large and if running any sizeable grow they need to be filled pretty often. You get more bang for you buck with propane. Propane can be filled at many gas stations, CO2 tanks must be filled at more specialty shops. Propane is used by many consumers for legitimate use, CO2 tanks are used by welders and a few other things, but it looks a little more suspicious than propane. Natural gas models piped directly in to your natural gas lines in your house, no tanks needed. Burners will create some more heat in the room, but if you are going to be running a sealed room you need an air conditioner anyways so you might as well just get a bigger unit to make up for the extra heat the generator puts out and take advantage of the many other benifits.
So basically if you are want to start using CO2 to increase your yields, you would probably be better off buying more lights. Hell for the price of all the equiptment listed you could buy probably 5-10 thousand watters. If you want to grow more, get more lights. If you want to grow more per watt of light get CO2.
That being said, I love all my CO2 and atmospheric controls.
G
Guest
I dont use a controller although they're great its not a necessity to keep a stable high co2 level,the two things that are a must are the generator and a cyclestat.The cyclestat controls the frequency and duration of burn,sort of a dual timer.My room is 850 cu ft with a cd-6 I simply set the cyclestat to burn for 8 1/2 minutes every 45 minutes for 1500PPM.If I burned for 8 1/2 minutes every hour it would be 1000PPM,every half hour it would be 2000PPM.If you do it correctly the room PPM's will be astonishingly accurate,any time of day I want to do a test I simply open my door,stick the syringe in and load the plunger with air from the room,I've done dozens of tests since I found the refills online cheaper and it's always the same plus or minus a hundred ppm
Not that I don't doubt this works great for you skeletor, but you are not going to have nearly as stable as an enviornment without the correct controllers. You are getting more peaks and valleys than I am for sure. There is no way that your CO2 levels are only 100ppm less after 45 minutes. If they were only 100ppm less there would be no need to burn for another 8.5 minutes because then you would be at 2900 ppm. You probably exaust room air between burns, but then you are wasting CO2. You could smooth out the peaks and valleys by say burning more frequently for less time. Say 3 minutes every 15 minutes or something. The controllers pay for themselves in no time if you ask me.
pico
pico
Jesusbuiltmygro
Member
waste of time
waste of time
While it might be fun to setup and tweak your grow to the utmost degree. I thin CO2 is a waste of time, inconvenient and potentially a risk to your grow.
Since co2 isn't especially available you'll be doing something like lugging tanks of the stuff to your place every couple weeks.
Now the real problem is that co2 growers aren't really showing that Co2 even offers any impressive yield gain. Even if Co2 was easy to get up to your grow such as with a co2 generator, these forums yield number don't show growers using Co2 to be getting better yields.
In the end it's growing experience that's getting those yields and some of the highest yielders aren't using co2 or air cooled lights or anything of the sort. Just tender loving care and a procedural knowledge of what steps to take to get their yield numbers.
I'd bet most growers using Co2 are lacking other ideal conditions that make it less likely to see the increased yield potential from CO2.
Sure you can use Co2 but imagine how that will complicate your ventilation scheme. Chances are this means less overall ventilation or your exchausting your co2 or your using more electricity for AC. The catch is that electricity would almost certianly amount to more yield in the form of more light wattage than in the form of higher cooling costs.
So unless you have the PERFECT setup Co2 is likely just a toy. Try getting like 1 gpw+ without Co2 first then worry about tweaking with the pro level stuff.
I suggest agianst it because lugging those tanks could cause extra suspicion. Other than that, the cost and the extra work it's not like it going to hurt anything. A co2 generator would be nice but I think they require natural gas supply maybe that make a petro model also. They are like 200-300 bucks though but in the end cheaper than getting tanks.
I would never get co2. Yield under standard conditions are plenty for me. If I wanted more yield I'd just get more light and/or grow space. Room temp likely will have more to do with yield than co2 levels. Rotating your plants every week will probably increase your yield more than co2. There are probably lots of things to benefit yield you need to do before co2.
Plus if you ever get busted and your grow looks like a NASA experiment the cops are going to tell the judge thats the most advanced grow I've ever seen and that shit won't help much. Unless it's a very small grow then perhaps they won't have much to say.
waste of time
While it might be fun to setup and tweak your grow to the utmost degree. I thin CO2 is a waste of time, inconvenient and potentially a risk to your grow.
Since co2 isn't especially available you'll be doing something like lugging tanks of the stuff to your place every couple weeks.
Now the real problem is that co2 growers aren't really showing that Co2 even offers any impressive yield gain. Even if Co2 was easy to get up to your grow such as with a co2 generator, these forums yield number don't show growers using Co2 to be getting better yields.
In the end it's growing experience that's getting those yields and some of the highest yielders aren't using co2 or air cooled lights or anything of the sort. Just tender loving care and a procedural knowledge of what steps to take to get their yield numbers.
I'd bet most growers using Co2 are lacking other ideal conditions that make it less likely to see the increased yield potential from CO2.
Sure you can use Co2 but imagine how that will complicate your ventilation scheme. Chances are this means less overall ventilation or your exchausting your co2 or your using more electricity for AC. The catch is that electricity would almost certianly amount to more yield in the form of more light wattage than in the form of higher cooling costs.
So unless you have the PERFECT setup Co2 is likely just a toy. Try getting like 1 gpw+ without Co2 first then worry about tweaking with the pro level stuff.
I suggest agianst it because lugging those tanks could cause extra suspicion. Other than that, the cost and the extra work it's not like it going to hurt anything. A co2 generator would be nice but I think they require natural gas supply maybe that make a petro model also. They are like 200-300 bucks though but in the end cheaper than getting tanks.
I would never get co2. Yield under standard conditions are plenty for me. If I wanted more yield I'd just get more light and/or grow space. Room temp likely will have more to do with yield than co2 levels. Rotating your plants every week will probably increase your yield more than co2. There are probably lots of things to benefit yield you need to do before co2.
Plus if you ever get busted and your grow looks like a NASA experiment the cops are going to tell the judge thats the most advanced grow I've ever seen and that shit won't help much. Unless it's a very small grow then perhaps they won't have much to say.
stealthpackage
Member
Pico- thanks for the little write-up there, it'll surely be of help to someone who needs o understand the basics of a sealed, enriched setup. My plans for building a room are almost exactly as you described, minus the heater, probably. Since learning that it's just about as easy to regulate a generator as it is with a tank, I'll probably go with the generator now. Thanks!
JBMG- Sorry friend, but there's no denying the benefits of a dialed in CO2 enriched setup. Following that, I would hope that anyone spending the time, effort, and cash required to build such a grow room would do it right and have all the other conditions you speak of dialed in, too. I guess I'll be finding out soon enough.
Enjoy growing!
JBMG- Sorry friend, but there's no denying the benefits of a dialed in CO2 enriched setup. Following that, I would hope that anyone spending the time, effort, and cash required to build such a grow room would do it right and have all the other conditions you speak of dialed in, too. I guess I'll be finding out soon enough.
Enjoy growing!
G
Guest
I've got 7 C02 generators for my 16 sq ft grow room! They're called dogs. 
If you count my wife, that's 8, and 6 of them (wife included) weigh over 100 pounds, lol. If I do something wrong, then my wife generator runs on high. I've tried to put regulators on them, but the dogs have trouble eating, and my wife just spits it out. 
Seriously, I'm new to all this and only grow for myself so I'm thinking I'll stick to mother nature.
WARNING!! PHYSIOLOGY LESSON AHEAD!!!
People breathe O2 and give off CO2 as a waste. The physiology of it is, any time you increase the CO2 that a human breathes, the person goes into respiratory acidosis and that ain't good. If the level of acidosis is low enough, the kydneys try to compensate (liver is the site of metabolism, kydneys are the site of elimination). Higher levels than normal of CO2 tax the kydneys, period. The effects of constant exposure are cumulative and irreversible. Think of it as sort of a "cirrhosis of the kydneys." Although there is no such thing, the liver and kydneys work together and as one's ability to handle the load shuts down, the other has to work harder to compensate, and then that organ too begins to suffer. Lower levels of overexposure, granted do take longer to show up, but they are there nonetheless!
As the kydney's ability to compensate through elimination is diminished, all toxins we take in i.e. meds, alcohol, etc. are recycled back into the body (no place else to go). As this happens, our general feeling of "wellness" degrades. It may happen so slowly, that we don't really seem to notice it and when we do, we generally attribute it to "just getting older." But after a certain point, the function curve of our kydneys begins to drop sharply and then... dialysis.
I don't want to sound like a know-it-all and I know some here are probably going to get upset because I'm coming off like one, but I'm willing to fade the heat if the info is of benefit to someone. But when it comes to anatomy and physiology, I do have some expertise. I may be new to growing, but I'm in the health care field and have years of anatomy and physiology under my belt. I've seen the long term effects of overexposure to anything, food included, in the hospital.
I'll stick to nature's idea of what levels of CO2 are necessary for the normal function of plants and animals. I believe there's a reason why we function so well in our natural environment. That being said, if our environment changes, either the plant or the animal goes away beginning with those whose capacity to compensate is diminished.
Nuff said, but I had to put my 2 pennies in, sorry. Once again, I don't mean to ruffle feathers and I hope those here that get pissed off by my rant will at least continue to talk with me and help me, cause when it comes to my grow, I'm gonna need it. And although I'm new to this forum and to growing, health care is my bag. I promise I won't get pissed off when I ask for help and am told something by someone who sounds like they know it all. I appreciate learning from the "experts." That's why I'm here.
I'm not trying to preach. I'm just putting the info out there. Like our chosen hobby, we all choose to do what we choose to do, freedom of choice and all that bullshit.
If you count my wife, that's 8, and 6 of them (wife included) weigh over 100 pounds, lol. If I do something wrong, then my wife generator runs on high. I've tried to put regulators on them, but the dogs have trouble eating, and my wife just spits it out. Seriously, I'm new to all this and only grow for myself so I'm thinking I'll stick to mother nature.
WARNING!! PHYSIOLOGY LESSON AHEAD!!!
People breathe O2 and give off CO2 as a waste. The physiology of it is, any time you increase the CO2 that a human breathes, the person goes into respiratory acidosis and that ain't good. If the level of acidosis is low enough, the kydneys try to compensate (liver is the site of metabolism, kydneys are the site of elimination). Higher levels than normal of CO2 tax the kydneys, period. The effects of constant exposure are cumulative and irreversible. Think of it as sort of a "cirrhosis of the kydneys." Although there is no such thing, the liver and kydneys work together and as one's ability to handle the load shuts down, the other has to work harder to compensate, and then that organ too begins to suffer. Lower levels of overexposure, granted do take longer to show up, but they are there nonetheless!
As the kydney's ability to compensate through elimination is diminished, all toxins we take in i.e. meds, alcohol, etc. are recycled back into the body (no place else to go). As this happens, our general feeling of "wellness" degrades. It may happen so slowly, that we don't really seem to notice it and when we do, we generally attribute it to "just getting older." But after a certain point, the function curve of our kydneys begins to drop sharply and then... dialysis.
I don't want to sound like a know-it-all and I know some here are probably going to get upset because I'm coming off like one, but I'm willing to fade the heat if the info is of benefit to someone. But when it comes to anatomy and physiology, I do have some expertise. I may be new to growing, but I'm in the health care field and have years of anatomy and physiology under my belt. I've seen the long term effects of overexposure to anything, food included, in the hospital.
I'll stick to nature's idea of what levels of CO2 are necessary for the normal function of plants and animals. I believe there's a reason why we function so well in our natural environment. That being said, if our environment changes, either the plant or the animal goes away beginning with those whose capacity to compensate is diminished.
Nuff said, but I had to put my 2 pennies in, sorry. Once again, I don't mean to ruffle feathers and I hope those here that get pissed off by my rant will at least continue to talk with me and help me, cause when it comes to my grow, I'm gonna need it. And although I'm new to this forum and to growing, health care is my bag. I promise I won't get pissed off when I ask for help and am told something by someone who sounds like they know it all. I appreciate learning from the "experts." That's why I'm here.
I'm not trying to preach. I'm just putting the info out there. Like our chosen hobby, we all choose to do what we choose to do, freedom of choice and all that bullshit.
G
Guest
I'd say use CO2 if you have your grow dialed in 100%, your strain dialed in and you can compare to see if it is a benefit. Most personal growers, po folks, or people with security issues don't need it. I'd say it's like taking roids to get ripped, it's more of a shortcut, but a good benefit if you have time and money/security to waste...
I've used it with good results, but I know I didn't do it right and had peaks and less than adequate CO2 regulation in there, so I think I wasted time and money even though my nugs were a bit bigger.
The key here is that it is tricky to keep the correct PPM in a ventilated room without expensive equipment and experience. It is also very hard to lug big heavy tanks in and out of a residential apartment/Condo without raising suspicions. It is also an added expense etc..
I will only use it again once I can afford to overcome these barriers...
I've used it with good results, but I know I didn't do it right and had peaks and less than adequate CO2 regulation in there, so I think I wasted time and money even though my nugs were a bit bigger.
The key here is that it is tricky to keep the correct PPM in a ventilated room without expensive equipment and experience. It is also very hard to lug big heavy tanks in and out of a residential apartment/Condo without raising suspicions. It is also an added expense etc..
I will only use it again once I can afford to overcome these barriers...
G
Guest
You misunderstand me p[ico,when I say any time of day,I mean any time of day after the unit burns for 8/12 minutes,of course it drops a lot I'm sure.I believe suggested burn times are between 5 and 10 minutes,no longer than 10.I went by the chart that came with the unit the hardest thing for me was keeping temps up,what a benefit when you finally start doing that!
