Setting up CO2

[ak-51]

My current setup is a basement with 3 5'x5' tents, each with a 1k. I have decided that I am going to need to do a better job of cooling the basement in the summer. Last summer temps down there were in the high 80s and low 90s at peak times. I will probably end up adding some kind of air conditioning. This would be wasteful if I weren't sealing the room, so the room is going to be sealed. Sealing the room will probably come with adding CO2 as well.

Is it ok to just flood the entire basement with CO2? Is this how it is normally done? Or should I be running hoses and adding the CO2 directly into the tents?

With a liquid propane CO2 generator, are harmful gasses (other than CO2) going to build up down there and cause a potential health or safety hazard? Should I flush the room with fresh air every so often?

Let's assume that I am dialed in. How much of an improvement in quality and quantity should I expect CO2 enrichment to bring?

In lieu of all of this I could just switch to running all of my lights at night and having a ton of air exchange. Right now I run 2 at night and 1 during the day.

 

[overbudjet]

My current setup is a basement with 3 5'x5' tents, each with a 1k. I have decided that I am going to need to do a better job of cooling the basement in the summer. Last summer temps down there were in the high 80s and low 90s at peak times. I will probably end up adding some kind of air conditioning. This would be wasteful if I weren't sealing the room, so the room is going to be sealed. Sealing the room will probably come with adding CO2 as well.

Is it ok to just flood the entire basement with CO2? Is this how it is normally done? Or should I be running hoses and adding the CO2 directly into the tents?I will use gas only in room/tent(only in gas)

With a liquid propane CO2 generator, are harmful gasses (other than CO2) going to build up down there and cause a potential health or safety hazard?As long as your burner are good (blue flame)no worries
Should I flush the room with fresh air every so often?No

Let's assume that I am dialed in. How much of an improvement in quality and quantity should I expect CO2 enrichment to bring?Once dialed with Co2 Quality 10%___20% Quantity 25--35% strain related.

In lieu of all of this I could just switch to running all of my lights at night and having a ton of air exchange. Right now I run 2 at night and 1 during the day.

After dialing with Co2 you will never look back

 

[ak-51]

I will use gas only in room/tent(only in gas)

How would I set that up with a single generator and monitor? Would they all have to have some sort of ventilation connecting them all to normalize the ppm?

I'm just unsure of how to get the correct ppm of CO2 to each tent without just flooding the entire basement with it or running an individual generator for each one.

 

[overbudjet]

Maybe flooding all basement will be easyer .How big it is, and how well it's seal door window also check waterdrain co2 will sink right in those sucker ! Thrust me on this on

 

[ak-51]

The windows are regular small basement windows, maybe 1 ft high by 3 feet wide. I can seal those up with plastic. The plus there too is that they are high up (I understand that CO2 sinks low).

There is no water drain. There is plumbing that runs down there but I have to pump it back out.

I will probably switch each hood to a closed loop design. Intake from outside, exhaust to outside, never mixing with basement air. And I can tape the hoods up so that they don't leak.

I think the basement is about 500 square feet.

 

[Granger2]

Leakage between glass and hood can be virtually completely stopped with 1/4" closed cell foam weather stripping wit/adhesive backing. Easy, works great, cheap, takes the heat. Doesn't come off like tape because the glass holds it on.

CO2ing the whole basement will work and be easier. You'll need to keep the whole basement atmosphere mixed. The basement is basically your lung room. Good luck. -granger

 

[ak-51]

I think all of my hoods came with some weather strip like material already on them. I can double check and supplement it if necessary.

 

[LandscapeEscape]

if you're using a generator your going to have to flood the basement. throwing one of those in a tent would just jack the heat up. i'd flood or go with tanks and just T junction off the hoses so that you have one pointing in each room. keep the hose lengths equal, and raise your flo-rate so you have some good pressure. each room will fill more or less equally. throw a sensor in one of your tents and you'll be good.

 

[ak-51]

If I run a generator I would plan on running it water cooled. I think I can just put a T in the PEX and run drain to waste directly off of it. I should be able to find some kind of solenoid that turn the water on when the generator powers up. Or do water cooled generators generally have a solenoid in the inlet already?

I would rather avoid CO2 bottles. Propane cylinders seem much less suspicious and as a huge bonus I would not have to go to the hydro shop to get them. I like to be seen at the hydro shop as little as possible.

I thought about that idea of running lines to each tent, but I feel like the air exchange in there would have to be enough already due to cooling needs that it would be effectively the same as flooding the basement.

 

[LandscapeEscape]

craigslist. buy a paintball gun cheap. go to a paintball shop. "where would i be able to get my own anti syphon co2 cylinder. me and my buddies want to play on my property but dont want to have to drive away to refil our tanks." he will direct you to a welding or air supply house. "hey _____ sent me from his paintball store and said i could possibly grab a tank for me and my buddies? I already have my own fill/purge station." plenty of people do this. you can easily waste a 20lb tank in a weekend. more buddies? more tanks.

enter welding supply or airgas supply depot

Me and my buddies built a kegorator. can we get co2 filled here and will it work with a kegorator?

Hey i picked up a Mig welder and my buddy is trying to teach me how to weld. I guess i need c02. can you help me out?

three different shops. three completely rational reasons to be there that they have all heard on a regular basis before. you can stick with one or rotate to keep it even more low key. 20lb tank isnt crazy heavy. hockey bag, trash can, big plastic tote. most make the tank easier to carry than grabbing by the valve. move them early in the morning or at night or when its raining. have two tanks. gives you flexibility to get one filled without having to rush.

i bounce around to different c02 suppliers. the prices are almost always the same, and it's the same gas. they honestly don't care if you have somewhat of a decent reason to be there.

 

[nononsense]

craigslist. buy a paintball gun cheap. go to a paintball shop. "where would i be able to get my own anti syphon co2 cylinder. me and my buddies want to play on my property but dont want to have to drive away to refil our tanks." he will direct you to a welding or air supply house. "hey _____ sent me from his paintball store and said i could possibly grab a tank for me and my buddies? I already have my own fill/purge station." plenty of people do this. you can easily waste a 20lb tank in a weekend. more buddies? more tanks.

enter welding supply or airgas supply depot

Me and my buddies built a kegorator. can we get co2 filled here and will it work with a kegorator?

Hey i picked up a Mig welder and my buddy is trying to teach me how to weld. I guess i need c02. can you help me out?

three different shops. three completely rational reasons to be there that they have all heard on a regular basis before. you can stick with one or rotate to keep it even more low key. 20lb tank isnt crazy heavy. hockey bag, trash can, big plastic tote. most make the tank easier to carry than grabbing by the valve. move them early in the morning or at night or when its raining. have two tanks. gives you flexibility to get one filled without having to rush.

i bounce around to different c02 suppliers. the prices are almost always the same, and it's the same gas. they honestly don't care if you have somewhat of a decent reason to be there.

thanks for the info bro

 

[ak-51]

Interesting.

 

[LandscapeEscape]

c02 is widely available for a ton of different reasons. but ALWAYS inspect and clean your tanks before returning. dead leaves stuck to the bottom. lingering scent. put it on a table, look it over, and rub it down with iso alcohol. maybe break a paintball and smear some of that and some dirt from your yard on it. i've been filling 20lb's since i was young so it seems normal to me. doesn't take much to make things seem rational.

 

[ak-51]

I'm going to assume that running bottle is more economical than running a generator. Am I right on that?

Does anybody have controller and regulator recommendations as far as what to go for or what to stay away from? When I look at stuff like Titan Controls and CAP and whatnot I am deeply suspicious that it is generic Chinese garbage re-branded, marketed to growers and marked up.

 

[overbudjet]

I'm going to assume that running bottle is more economical than running a generator. Am I right on that?

Does anybody have controller and regulator recommendations as far as what to go for or what to stay away from? When I look at stuff like Titan Controls and CAP and whatnot I am deeply suspicious that it is generic Chinese garbage re-branded, marketed to growers and marked up.

Burner is alot cheaper.

 

[Fred Sanford]

Burner is alot cheaper.

Well said.

I love my 4 burner, floods the whole basement no problem. I buy one 20lb propane tank refill roughly every 5 weeks.

 

[jocat]

Iv'e used co2 for 20 plus years, it's gotten easier that's for sure, i have yet to play with a burner for the reason i hate open flame in my place, but if airgas was out of the question for whatever reason i would go burner, cause once you dial it in with co2 you will be impressed. i think the poster who listed the reasons you might buy it is right on, i'm so glad i live in a med state and buy my gas in a recreational/med state...the westisbest