View Full Version : CO2 problem
rich311k
11-25-2008, 7:49 PM
I just changed out a tank. When I turn on the tank with the needle valve closed the low pressure goes right up to 15 or so. As soon as i open the needle valve the low pressure drops to zero and I get no CO2 out except for the little burst as the low pressure valve goes down. Any ideas what could be wrong?
phanmc
11-25-2008, 8:25 PM
Some regulator valves have a problem staying open when the PSI is too low, try raising the output PSI to around 20.
rich311k
11-25-2008, 8:35 PM
Thanks, now just need to figure out how.
Just turn your reg knob until low pressure dial starts to rise.
The Zigman
11-25-2008, 8:48 PM
are you sure the tank is full?
does your regulator have a tank pressure gauge?
if the tank pressure is too low, the regulator may not stay open
rich311k
11-25-2008, 8:53 PM
The tank is full. The high pressure is at 150. I turned the knob as far as I could and got the low to go to ten. It seems to be holding, we shall see. If it goes back down i will report back.
rich311k
11-26-2008, 6:37 AM
Some regulator valves have a problem staying open when the PSI is too low, try raising the output PSI to around 20.
Thanks it seems to be holding steady now. I appreciate the help.
Jag1980
11-26-2008, 7:05 AM
My PSI seems to stay around 25 - 30 no matter what I do.. I barely open the bottle or if I give it a couple turns, it stays the same...
I'm not sure if I should open the bottle valve just a tiny little turn or if I should give it a full turn? My PSI is always the same, so it's hard for me to tell... Being new doesn't help either. :frog:
I feel like something is going to break because I have no experience with regulators and Co2....
The Zigman
11-26-2008, 9:56 AM
The tank is full. The high pressure is at 150. I turned the knob as far as I could and got the low to go to ten. It seems to be holding, we shall see. If it goes back down i will report back.
What size co2 tank do you have?
A full co2 tank should be around 1000-1200 PSI, not 150.
Your low side should be about 15-20PSI for most low end needle valves to work correctly.
rich311k
11-26-2008, 3:27 PM
It is 20 lbs I am probably reading the gauge wrong, make that 1500. :)
fabsroman
11-27-2008, 12:28 AM
Jag,
When you hook the regulator up to a CO2 bottle, you want to have everything closed. Obviously, you want to have the CO2 tank closed off while you attach the regulator to it, but you also should close the regulator's valve and the needle valve(s) when you are attaching the regulator to the CO2 tank. Then, you open things in the following sequence, and it has to be in this sequence:
1) Open the CO2 tank all the way,
2) Open the regulator valve slowly until you see 20 psi on the right gauge,
3) Open the needle valves until you reach the desired bubbles per minute. I shoot for exactly what my diffuser can dissolve because I have my regulator attached to a ph controller that shuts the CO2 regulator off when a certain ph level is reached.
Jag1980
11-27-2008, 12:57 AM
Jag,
When you hook the regulator up to a CO2 bottle, you want to have everything closed. Obviously, you want to have the CO2 tank closed off while you attach the regulator to it, but you also should close the regulator's valve and the needle valve(s) when you are attaching the regulator to the CO2 tank. Then, you open things in the following sequence, and it has to be in this sequence:
1) Open the CO2 tank all the way,
2) Open the regulator valve slowly until you see 20 psi on the right gauge,
3) Open the needle valves until you reach the desired bubbles per minute. I shoot for exactly what my diffuser can dissolve because I have my regulator attached to a ph controller that shuts the CO2 regulator off when a certain ph level is reached.
OK, I got it sitting at 20 PSI now. But I only opened the tank a tiny bit, would there be a difference if I opened the tank a full turn?
Thank you for helping me
I have a solenoid so I think my only option is on or off since it's electronic, or am I missing something?
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f192/Picturesfrom2006/CIMG3026.jpg
fabsroman
11-27-2008, 1:04 AM
If you buy a ph controller, the plug to the solenoid plugs into the ph controller and the ph controller only provides power to the solenoid once the ph reaches a certain level. I've set my ph controller to turn the solenoid on at 7.2 ph and off at 7.1 ph. I have 120 gallons of water, so I have a 3 way spliiter with 3 bubble counters on it that feed into 3 Red Sea 500 diffusers. That way, the ph doesn't fluctuate that much, and there is rarely a lack of CO2 in the tanks.
zzyzx85
11-27-2008, 1:25 AM
just curious...can you adjust the output pressure on the aquatek or is it set at 20psi?
Jag1980
11-27-2008, 3:59 AM
The only thing I can adjust is the Tank valve and the Needle valve.
The knob on the reg with the aquatek logo doesnt turn or adjust the working (low) pressure?
Also with the solenoid, just plug it into a light timer, I usually set my CO2 to activate 1-1.5hrs before my photo period begins and ends about 30min before lights out, basically it exhausts the build-up in my canister.
Jag1980
11-27-2008, 6:33 PM
Thanks for the tip, I will do that.
I don't know is the logo turn piece turns, there is a big nut on it but it says nothing on the box about being able to turn it. I should probably ask the company about this.
It's sitting at 20 PSI right now, but when the valve shuts off at night up rises to around 30 PSI
The knob on the reg with the aquatek logo doesnt turn or adjust the working (low) pressure?
Also with the solenoid, just plug it into a light timer, I usually set my CO2 to activate 1-1.5hrs before my photo period begins and ends about 30min before lights out, basically it exhausts the build-up in my canister.
Jag1980
11-30-2008, 5:48 AM
Aquatek regulator is designed and manufactured with a Fixed Working Pressure. This is very similar to many other CO2 regulators on the market, e.g. Aqua Medic CO2 Pressure Regulator, JBJ CO2 Regulator... etc. The fixed working pressure is beneficial in maintaining the consistency of CO2 flow rate as measured by the bubble count.
Many users of the Milwaukee Regulator which has a flow rate control knob experience difficulties in maintaining a consistency in flow rate as measured by bubble count. The difficulty is often a result of the low working pressure due to the high/low pressure meter controled by the flow rate knob. To overcome this issue, the common fix is to loosen the flow rate knob to increase the working pressure significantly in order to maintain bubble count consistency