Arghh...there's a leak in my DIY Co2!

rsanz

rsanz

The Peacock Gudgeon Guy
Aug 22, 2006
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I can't find where the leak is. I have a two 2-liter bottle setup with a bubble ladder diffuser.

If I plug the output of the Tee connector, and squeeze both bottles, I cannot hear/feel any air escaping. This is driving me nuts! My Co2 has been at a standstill for two weeks!

The system is definitely not creating enough pressure to force the air down the tube to the bottom of the bubble ladder. The "air level" is clearly visible about halfway up the tubing in the tank. It can't seem to push the rest of the water out of the tube.

I don't think the mixture is the problem either. Per bottle, I combine:
- 2 cups of sugar (that's a lot of sugar!)
- Fill water 3/4 way up the bottle
- 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Any ideas on how to properly identify where a leak may be coming from?
 
my quick checklist would be to
1- make sure the lid is tight (stating the obvious i know)
2 - spray with water at connections and look for bubbles (aka leaks).
3 - take the entire unit off the tank and place all the tubing into a bucket of water....look for bubbles.
4 - do you have your check valve on backwards
5 - make sure you have no water in your tubing (i had this problem)
6 - make sure your tubing does not go below your co2 bottles, why? refer to #5
7 - i would use only 1/4 teaspoon not 1/2
8 - if you never had bubbles make sure you use warm tap water and shake the entire solution vigorously beefore hooking it up
 
rsanz,

I feel your pain. I had to go through the same thing for my two 2-liter bottles myself. I too, used a T-connector to join both bottles. Here's my story, hope it helps you out.

I started one bottle first, and put it into action, but didn't notice any bubbles for many HRs, so I figured I had a leak or my mixture was bad. I started another bottle, and connected that to the T-connector, and didn't notice any difference either. I was puzzled. I squeezed the bottle, and I could see the pressure going into the diffuser and it was working, but it just didn't provide enough pressure if left alone to get to the diffuser on it's own. I was stumped.

Here's when I got a clue as to what's going on. I seperated the two bottles, removed the T-connector and had them on their own diffusers. I saw an improvement on the second bottle that I made, it was now bubbling. I determined that there must be a leak in the first bottle I created, a leak so bad that the CO2 from both bottles were escaping before reaching the tank.

By having each system on their own diffuser, you're able to eliminate a leak, and work on that system to seal it. Once the leak is found, you can join the 2 systems back together again. If you don't have 2 diffusers, use the same one and alternate to find your leaky bottle.

In a desperate attempt to find the leak, you can always submerse the entire system in a tub of water, and find it that way. Also consider your tubing, CO2 safe tubing over a long distance could save you a lot of CO2 in the long run.

I hope this has helped you.
 
Thanks for your input, guys. I think I may try the individual bottles like you suggested, Shawn, since I only have one diffusor. I have a glass diffusor, but it doesn't seem to work with DIY bottles...

Thanks!
 
Just for testing, you could just put the hose from each bottle in the tank. And see if either makes bubbles.

And sense its been two weeks I'd redo the mixture.

I just started one up the other day.

With the bottle empty and the hose hooked up. I blew in the hose and found the cap leaking. I had to turn the cap really hard to get a seal.
I'm going to try some plumbers tape when I redo it.

It was around 12-14 hrs after I started the mixture, that I was seeing bubbles.
 
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Ok, something is definitely off. I got rid of the Tee connector. I went down to just one 2-liter bottle with a fresh yeast/sugar mixture. I also threw in a Vitamin B/C supplement (I've read that that can prolong the yeast's lifespan).

Not even THAT is causing any bubbles to come out of the ladder after 12 hours. This is driving me insane. There has got to be a leak. Even the little Hagen Co2 bottle was able to produce bubbles on the ladder before I decided to "upgrade" to 2-liter bottles.

Grrr. What a headache. I can't find any leaks...
 
mellowvision said:
maybe your cap or hose connection to the cap is leaking.
Click to expand...

But when I plug the other end and squeeze the bottle, there is no apparent air escaping. I don't understand.

This seriously has been like the two weeks of frustration for me with my tanks. Geez.
 
If there is water in the hoses the DIY will not have enough pressure to force the water out has been my experience. Take the hoses out of the tank take the caps off the bottles and blow all the water out of the hoses then cap the bottles again and THEN put the hoses into the tank. This is what I found to work best:)
 
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