co2 bottles or propane?

[Guest 18340]

Curious as to which is the preferred method of Co2 enrichment. I know that burning propane gives off heat but how much heat does it actually put out?
What about co2 bottles? They're not as easy to get as propane tanks but no heat.
Which of the two systems is more reliable? This is uncharted waters me guys so I could really use some advise.
Thanks, Evl...

 

[Hydrosun]

co2 bottles are really to get in my city. Any place that likes beer likes beer on tap equals all the co2 anyone could ever need. The hydro shops in my town also swap out bottles. I use only one $20 per flower cycle. I wouldn't want an open flame (even a pilot light) in my grow area.

 

[Lazyman]

Depends on the size of your room really. For small rooms tanked CO2 is easier, and makes no heat. For large rooms you'd go through a tank every couple days, and tanked CO2 is much more expensive than propane-fired burners.

Most gas-fired generators have a BTU rating, usually from 6K btu's to 34k BTUs. Lots of heat, but since you want a warmer room with CO2 (75* non-CO2, ~84* with CO2) that is sometimes ok.

 

[Guest 18340]

My room is 10x5. Is that too big for a co2 bottle? My room is has ac in it so heat isnt too much of an issue, but less is better, of coarse.

 

[Lazyman]

Nope, perfect for bottled CO2. According to this calculator : http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/co2_calculator.asp and assuming you have 8' ceilings and a 4CFH flow meter (typical) we get:

Grow room area: 400 cubic feet
Amount of CO2 required: 0.48 cubic feet
On time: 7.2 minutes

At this flow rate:
If you are using a 20 pound CO2 bottle with a regulator, it will last 43.7 hours.
If you have a CO2 Generator a 5 gallon propane tank will last 135 hours.

43.7 hours is a long time, considering it will probably only be open for a few minutes 5-6 times per night, assuming no leaks. Go for it! Get a fuzzy logic controller if you can, everything else kinda sucks IMHO.

 

[Guest 18340]

K++ Lazyman!