Help for the stupid with a regulator/CO2/Reactor...

[Psyduck]

Ok I need help because Im stupid :). I followed some instructions from LarryM about how to start my CO2 and regulator going into my Ca reactor. I turned everything off and opened the tank. I adjusted the front screw so the regulator read 10 psi. I then left my needle valve closed as I opened the gate for gas to flow. I then adjusted my needle valve to get my bubble rate. My question is that it seems like the reading that started out at 10 psi began to slowly drop over time. I didnt let it get to zero or anything, but I was curious if this was suppose to happen or what? Thanks

[reefmanic]

Originally posted by Psyduck
Ok I need help because Im stupid :).

For some reason that line had me laughing my butt off :D Maybe cause I just did a stupid thing and just returned from the hardware store.I glued a union on my recirculation loop and forgot the female coupling part DUUUHHH .

Sorry I haven't got that far to help you but I'm glad to hear you got the thing running.

Did you follow sanjays plans or take the recirc. loop off the side like larry did?

August

[Canadian]

I've found that the PSI on the second guage tends to drop slightly at first. You'll have to bring it up a tad...like 2 or 3 pounds so that the pressure doesn't drop and then it should even out at 10 PSI.

It's a no brainer, but what is the PSI on the guage for the tank itself? You've been working on this reactor for quite some time. Have you used up a bunch of CO2? Assuming that you haven't, then I'll stick with my suggestion of just raising the outlet pressure a pound or two so that it stabilizes.

That first line had me laughing as well :D

[Psyduck]

Liked that first line eh? Ok I was hoping it was just that. Actually my tank gague says 750 psi after all my loss of CO2. It does seem to have stablized, I will see what it is at after I get up. The next task is getting my pH right. How long do you have to wait between adjustments before checking the pH?

[Canadian]

I'd be inclined to take things slowly. Don't just set your reactor to pH 6.5 and wait for things to happen. Set it to about pH 7.0 and make gradual changes over the course of several weeks. Also, don't make the mistake of flowing too much effluent out of the reactor initially. If you have effluent flowing out quickly to begin with you'll increase your alkalinity rapidly and lower pH rather quickly. Try not to make the 'beginner' mistake of using excessive CO2. You can slow down your CO2 and your effluent flow rate as opposed to just bumping up your CO2 to lower the pH. While it initially seems like a good idea to just fiddle with one parameter and leave the other alone, if you do this to lower the effluent pH you'll end up using more CO2 than is necessary.

Be sure to leave things alone for about 24 hrs after you make an adjustment to allow the reactor some time to adjust to the changes and stabilize parameters/rates.

HTH

[Psyduck]

Ok here is how I started. Basically I have about 1 drop every 1.5 sec or so comming out of the reactor. And since bubble size is kinda arbitrary I have about 1 bubble every 2 seconds going in. The amount of Ca my tank should use is not that high. I dont have very many SPS or anything that would suck up the calcium. Ok one more silly question. How fast should I be using up CO2? I looked at my tanks pressure and it looks like it noticibly decreased overnight from 750 psi to about 725 psi. Is this normal or is it just settling out or what? Im not sure what the tank should have started at so I dont know how fast I should be losing CO2. I didnt notice any leaks in my setup but since this is a gas, a small leak I'm sure is hard to detect. Thanks for helping with my stupidity :D.

[BraveHeart]

Just fired mine three days ago and had the same problem with an initial slip in regulator pressure. It seems to have stabalized lately, though.

My tank is at about 800 psi, but the flow gauge is in liters/minute instead of psi. Does anyone know how the conversion from liters/minute to psi works?

[Psyduck]

Ok I just checked the alk commming out and it was 12 meq/L, which I think is good right?!? I thought the alk comming out was to be between 8-14 meq/L. So I'm happy about that. What is more important, that the pH is between 6.6-6.8 or that the alk is between 8-14? The pH is about 6.98 right now running at what I have. I may decided to increase the drip rate to more than 1 drop/1.5 sec so I guess I will need to check everything all over again at that point anyways. Making progress :).

[jimhobbs]

LOL,
Good first line! :D
Have you leak checked all your fittings?...You could mix up a strong dish soap mixture and use a spray bottle to coat the fittings...Or use a toothbrush...Bubbles will appear where there is a leak

Keep up the good work and let us know your progress...I've got the tank and regulator boxed up, and need to get building mine

best regards...jim

[Snailman]

The CO2 in the tank is liquid at over 800 PSI. That is why when it is over 800 PSI it lasts a long time but once it goes under 800 PSI that tank goes empty in a hurry. If this was a full tank and it is gone that fast check all of your fittings. Does your regulator have an O ring on the tank fitting? If it does, do not use the fiber washer that comes with the tank. If it does not have an O ring then you need the fiber washer and it should be replaced every time you change tanks. Use good plastic tubing for the CO2 line to the reactor also because thin wall air line leaks CO2 right through the tubing wall. You can buy CO2 proof tubing but I just use 3/16" ID tubing from Lowes/Home Depot and it has very think walls and has caused me no problem. Our CO2 tank lasts for many months. I use Loctite Thread Sealant with Teflon to seal all of the other brass fittings.

[Psyduck]

The seal on the regulator/tank connection is a small plastic disc that is stuck in there. This needs to be replaced every time I fill up? I'll try the soap/spray bottle thing. The reason the tank wasnt any higher than 800 was that I was having issues setting it up and lost A LOT of gas early on. Would a home brew place (where I got everything and will probably fill up with gas) have leak detection/fixing equipment? My setup was kinda jury-rigged together but I will use the soap water test to see if I can find anything. Thanks for helping the stupid guy everyone! :)

[jimhobbs]

They would have a leak detection formula known as "big blue" which is really just a strong soap solution...By strong, mix up half liquid dish soap and half water :eek: It should still be thick when you apply it...I think the "blue" formula adds glycerin or something to strenghen the walls of the bubbles; but basically its just soap :)

Best regards

[reefmanic]

Originally posted by Psyduck
The seal on the regulator/tank connection is a small plastic disc that is stuck in there. This needs to be replaced every time I fill up

I would believe so because once you compress em they would lose thier sealing properties.I'd rather play it on the safe side too.

August

[Psyduck]

Ok another question. I checked my tanks pH, and it seems to be 8.1, on the low end of the scale. Should this happen at first, and if so do I need to worry/do anything about it? Thanks

[Skipper]

I can say from 15 years experience with fountain equipment at Pepsi that the CO2 washer ya'll are referring to does NOT need to be replaced everytime. Maybe once a year for a fountain set-up where CO2 is changed weekly. On a calcium reactor where the bottle is changed every six months or more.....it should last many years!

[Psyduck]

Ok at night, even with my refugium lit, the pH dropped to 7.8. Will Kalk fix this problem, or adding the alkalinity part of B-ionic? Is there some inherant problem or is it just kinda no big deal?