CO2 Setup Question...

[smokeyMcPOT]

I'm lookin to get a CO2 setup. I'm also trying to keep it as cheap as possible. I was browsing Ebay the other day and came across this...would I be able to use this regulator??
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1#ebayphotohosting

It's for a homebrew beer tap that hooks up to an actual CO2 tank...I want to hook it up to a propane tank though like the Green Air Emitters do. Will this work? I'll have it setup just like the Green Air, to a timer and exhaust lights..etc....Would this be the same as the Green Air BCDR-1 Emitter?

Thanks for any help.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

I think you're confusing CO2 tanks and propane tanks...

The regulator in that picture is only a regulator...you still need a flow meter and a solenoid to control the output....so in short, no it won't work without buying some other stuff.

Green air products are burners...the propane is hooked up to a burner that kicks on when a the solenoid is activated (either by timer or sensor) and the pilot light starts up the burner.

What size is your setup and what's the details of it? Choosing the most efficient CO2 system will depend on the environment...

 

[smokeyMcPOT]

I realize that I would need to buy other items to make it work. I was just wondering if the regulator would be usable with propane instead of CO2? I was looking into the Green Air cd-36 but wanted to look around for emitters for they dont have the heat from the pilot lights.

My setup is as follows....

1 600 watt Digital HPS...plan on adding another in a month.
2 6" ECO PLUS 440cfm blowers. 1 exhausting the veg room and running across the light. the other scrubbing the flowering room and exhausting outside. When I get CO2 I'll also have an A/C unit to keep temps down so the exhaust isnt running all the time.

roo is 8x9x9 but the veg room is built into the same room as the flowering...SEE PIX...maybe its easier to see than read.

Exhausting the veg room then across the light


From the light into the Exhaust for the scrubber and outside


Thanks for the help and info. Anything mentioned..good or bad is knowledge so I thank anyone you replies.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

I really don't understand what you're trying to do with that regulator...are you wanting to run bottled CO2 or a CO2 generator that uses propane? Are the "emitters" that you're referring to based on bottled CO2? The CO2 generators use a standard LPG regulator that's available for around $15 at your local home improvement store in the BBQ section.

BTW, a CD36 is way overkill for that sized area....you're gonna be wasting massive amounts of gas during overshoots of CO2...which will end up using more propane than necessary and could even lead to toxic levels of CO2 in the room. A CD3 or CD6 would be much more appropriate for that area.

 

[Guest]

If you get a green air propane co2 burner what you use in conjuntion with it is called a cyclestat,it controls everything from frequency to length of burn time

 

[smokeyMcPOT]

MTF- I was going to use bottled C02 but now am leaning towards the burner. I was lookin into the cd-36 only because it would take the least amount of time fill the room. Understood that it uses more propane to do so....whats the average overshoot for a burner? Also how long would a 5lb propane tank last for on avarage, as well as a 20lb tank? I'll go with the CD-6 if that helps, any good sites that sell em cheap? lol THANKS

Skeletor- I was looking at those last hour, how odd huh. Look pretty nice. Simple to use? Thanks for the help yall~~!!

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Ok, I think I understand now

Ideally you'll want the charge time to take around 5 minutes or less...

My math was off earlier...a CD12 would be a good fit for that room and could bring up the PPMs from 0 to 1500 in around 4.7 minutes. The biggest trick with CO2 is keeping the PPMs up by not venting very often (once an hour or less often is most desirable) so you have to have a sealed setup with AC that doesn't exhaust air (like a window unit or dual hose portable). It does however allow you to run the temps higher than a non CO2 enriched environment would normally be running at, so the AC won't kill you on the power bill.

Check out http://www.greenair.com/co2-generator.htm for all the specs on the different burners they have and the propane consumption rates. I would highly recommend the 20lb tanks since they are super easy to exchange at home improvement stores and some gas stations.

 

[Guest]

I use the CD-6 in an 850 cubic ft room,I could have went with the CD-12 and probably should have but my charge time is 8 minutes so its not bad.To put it simply sizing the CD series is done by cu ft of room,another words CD-6 for 600 cu ft room cd-12 for 1200 cu ft room cd-36 for 3600 cu ft room,thats how you determine which unit to get

 

[smokeyMcPOT]

MTF- Thanks again for the info. I read that when Temps get high, above like 85, that CO2 isnt used by the plants as much.....right now the average temps are 80-85 lights on and 75-80 off....The exhaust fans are running 24/7 to keep temps down right now., hen it was 100 degrees outside a few weeks ago they rose to 96 at the highest, but only for a few days. So you're saying it'd be okay to run the temps in the 80's ish and still have good CO2 usage? I'll be getting an A/C soon as well, but it'll be winter and temps will stay down more anyways. So the A/C probably wont be used til next summer.....Thanks again.

SKELETOR- Thank you also...I'll be looking into the CD-6 when the money comes around to buy it. Thank you!! Any thoughts on GOOD controllers and PPM meters for C02?? Green Air?? Most likely I'll go with an all Green Air setup. Thanks again

 

[MTF-Sandman]

So you're saying it'd be okay to run the temps in the 80's ish and still have good CO2 usage?

Yup...higher temps (to a point) actually help with CO2 consumption and in the process more nute/water consumption which leads to the greater yields. What you're doing is increasing the plants metabolism...which allows it to do more in the same amount of time. Keeping them at 85 is actually a very good temp for using CO2...I don't know if I'd go much higher though out of fear of heat stress on the plants and possible stretching.

Green Air definitely makes some quality CO2 equipment...but it ain't cheap. Might wanna also check out CAP or Control Wizard...

 

[mrwags]

Yup...higher temps (to a point) actually help with CO2 consumption and in the process more nute/water consumption which leads to the greater yields. What you're doing is increasing the plants metabolism...which allows it to do more in the same amount of time. Keeping them at 85 is actually a very good temp for using CO2...I don't know if I'd go much higher though out of fear of heat stress on the plants and possible stretching.

Green Air definitely makes some quality CO2 equipment...but it ain't cheap. Might wanna also check out CAP or Control Wizard...

85 is in fact the sweet spot to get you girls to open up and take in what your giving her. That is why most shut fans down a few minutes before the blast to ensure the higher temps and then turn the fans on to exhaust once the cycle is completed.


Mr.Wags

 

[smokeyMcPOT]

So then 85 is the "perfect" temp then? Why have I read everywhere that 78 is better? Not like I'm able to get those temps now w/out a A/C...but just curious. Is it also so that the air we breath is around 300 ppm CO2? Therefore to get to the "optimal" 1500 ppm CO2 reading you'd only have to add 1200....I'm gonna go with the CD-6 for the burner so it should only take around 9 minutes to fill the room. Should I exhaust every hour...then hit it with CO2 or exhaust every half hour then CO2....I'll not use as much CO2 running it every hour but they'll have more Fresh CO2 2 times an hour and not once...Just a thought. Thanks for the info and help everyone.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

I've heard of people with extremely dialed in grows going as high as 100f with CO2...but if you're grow isn't dialed in things can go bad VERY quickly.

85 is a good starting point where you'll still see noticable increases in plant growth & yield, but it still gives you some leadway for errors.

If you're running with no ppm meters for the CO2, then I'd go with hourly air changes to make sure that the PPMs stay elevated. Just run the exhaust for 5 minutes or so then shut it down and have the burner fire up to bring the PPMs back up and leave the room sealed until the next vent cycle. The plants don't need fresh air if you're providing them with adequate levels of CO2...so that's a mute point.