Adventures in CO2

[aakaakaak]

I'm contemplating enhancing the standard 2L bottle DIY CO2 injection system. Instead of simply having the pressure of the CO2 gas force the air through the line, what would happen if you added forced air from the bottom? You'd get a constant water churn and constant positive pressure.

The only drawbacks I could see are that it would be a little more difficult to clean the bottle, you wouldn't be 100% sure when the bottle stopped producing CO2, and I'm not sure if it would cause the water to bubble so much it foams out the top.

Does this make sense to anyone? Should I monkey with it and see how it goes?

 

[ryanoh]

To check it you could always shut off your air pump and shake the bottle, then see if bubbles happen.

 

[aakaakaak]

You'd have to put a check valve on the bottom air line so all the pressure doesn't go in the wrong direction, but yeah, I could do that.

I wonder though....how much of a bong would it look like?

 

[ryanoh]

Speaking of, I'm actually amazed how much I've learned about growing/smoking weed by researching things like plant-growing lights and inline diffusors.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

LOL....Why would you want to push the CO2? You want it to defuse the CO2 in the water so it is absorbed.

 

[aakaakaak]

It wouldn't be on the diffusion end. It'd be in the CO2 production bottle. It'd then get pushed into a CO2 diffuser or airstone or whatever you're using to diffuse the CO2.

With adding a constant churn (it'd have to be a slow churn) to the water with forced air you'd be creating more co2 and injecting o2 as well. Or have I completely misunderstood how diffusion works?

 

[ryanoh]

You have to diffuse C02 in the water, but I if you were adding air bubbles to the sugar and yeast mixture it would probably produce more C02 just because it's constantly being mixed.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; been doing some searches on co2. You may want to check out this site. DIY CO2 Reactor for a Planted Aquarium

 

[aakaakaak]

Yep, SKJL, that's the standard way people make them. I've got two setups with airstones instead of diffusers on the ends though.

I'll give it a shot and show pics once it's done.

 

[Dylandrewsdad]

I use air stones to defuse it both of my tanks with DIY CO2. My setups work great! About once a month a bring a bag full of clipping to my LFS!