Jump to content

CO2 gas refill


edmondsng

Recommended Posts

Hi Ed,

I have pm'ed you back but thought I'd post the gist of my reply to you to the list for the sake of discussion...

Re: Aqua-Medic CO2 bottle...

Of course CO2 is just the first step; as soon as you start to see the results you just get pulled in deeper and deeper (am now in the process of upgrading my lighting, sigh...).

Anyway, in answer to your question about the gas bottle... Firstly, because its under 1kg, the bottle is not subject to the testing regulations which apply to larger bottles (its basically a soda-stream bottle). BOC won't touch it as they're pretty useless when it comes to dealing with anything other than their own stock, I've found them pretty unhelpful anyway.... I brought my bottle to the Cylinder Testing Station (in Dunedin); they're the sort of place that test LPG cylinders, SCUBA tanks and that sort of thing. They also supply CO2 for MIG welders and to the bar trade. Because they'd never handled a bottle that small before, they wanted to do a (once-off) volume test to confirm its capacity ($30), then they slapped a sticker on it, stamped the volume on the side and its been a $5 refill ever since. Initially a refill lasted me more or less exactly 6 weeks at a moderate flow of about 1 bubble/second. But because I wanted to get a bit longer out of the gas, I have since included a solenoid (again Aqua-Medic via Barry) so I now expect to get 2-3 months between fills. I'm comfortable with that.

I don't know about Auckland but I'm sure there'll be a similar outfit (in the Dunedin Yellow Pages, the Cylinder Testing Station is listed under Gas-LPG Equipment). Its also possible that anywhere that refills soda-stream bottles may also be able to help (I noticed last week that Mitre 10 now offer this service...) but I've not tried this.

What have I learned about the CO2 experience thus far...

1) Although its important to be aware of your water chemistry, don't get hung up on it. Unless you turn your tank into a jacuzzi of CO2 bubbles, I think you're unlikely to harm anything.

2) Fish don't really give a hoot about pH. Since installing the solenoid valve, the pH presumably bobs up and down a little bit between day and night. This morning I had two pairs of Angels both spawn on opposite corners of the tank; its World War III in there but I take it to be a pretty good sign that all's well.

3) Tighten that regulator on pretty tight with a spanner... You can test for leaks with soapy water. The regulator's rubber O-ring is pretty effective though. I've had no problems with leaks (yet...).

4) Be ready for the 'end of cylinder dump'. Keep an eye on the CO2 bottle pressure gauge (the right hand one) and as soon as you notice it start to drop you know that you've only got a couple of days of gas left. You can let it get quite low but if it drops below a certain threshold pressure, the regulator won't function and it will vent all of the remaining gas into the tank. Get a refill before this happens.

5) I put glycerol (available from a pharmacy or supermarket) in the bubble counter instead of water. Its slows down the bubbles, making them easier to count.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...