How often to generate new Co2?

[TruenoAE86coupe]

Finally getting everything sealed up, get the propane tank for my co2 generator tomorrow, but i cannot afford one of those high dollar co2 controllers.......
I am running flower and veg with one environment in 2 rooms (actively exchanged very quickly) and i do not plan to vent out at all, just add more C02 to the air. Green Air informs on how long to run the generator for, but how often do i run it? It needs to cycle for 2 minutes, but how often should i run it for the 2 minutes? Once an hour while the lights are on? 3 times a day?
I really have no idea on this one, but my rooms are very close to completely sealed, with almost no leaks at all, so i guess this is based on what the plants eat?
Any help would be greatly appreciated and Rep will be given.............
Thanks!

 

[mrduke]

Well as you know alot of it depends on how well you are sealed, also the size/number of plants makes a big differance. to be honest there is no way to tell with out monitoring the co2 levels. You can pick up co2 controllers on ebay for under 300 a guy sells them there named digigro. I run a small 7x11x7 room and my gen. runs for less then a minute and cycles every 20 minutes or so. the major issue with not haveing a monitor is you dont know the ppms, If you go to high you can cause co2 burn, If you run to lower your not going to get the desired results and be wasting money.


If your doing it do it right get a controller. check craigslist/ebay

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

I knew that was what you were going to say, my rooms combined are less then the size of yours........ I spent over my budget to this point already on the rebuild and unless i can manage to get rid of the A/C unit i won't be able to afford the controller until after my next harvest..
Is there a cheaper way to monitor the Co2 levels accurately that doesn't control the generator? Seems like they would be cheaper but all i have found are actually more than a low end controller.

 

[hoagtech]

You can always use calculations until you can afford it. I know that the propane generators have charts on them tell how many minutes it takes in different square footage areas to reach 1250 ppm. You can use this to tell how long it will take to reach unsafe levels and then decide how many times a day or days you want to run your co2 until it reaches that level

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

That was really the question though, how many times a day, they do not say on their website, so i thought maybe someone here would know. I just wonder how fast the co2 will deplete, obviously size and number of plants changes that, don't really care to comment on numbers, but i will say that the intention is to have 48 sq ft of plants, about 1 1/2 feet tall. This will include mothers and clones also, but about 1 1/2 foot average height across the 48 sq ft, so 72 cubic feet of plants in 415 cubic feet of room.
Anyone with any info is welcome to chime in, not a lot of responses on this one. + rep to those who have and will answer.....

 

[hoagtech]

However many times you want and however much co2 you feel like using. If you don't go over those unsafe levels keep it going. Just keep in mind. ventilation wastes co2 so remember to turn your inline fans off and only have it running when your lights are on. Co2 is expensive and refills can be found at welding suppliers in yellow pages. having an oscillating fan when your releasing co2 helps the liquid to gas form distribute to more plants around it. If your ventilation is adequate you should have a decent amount of co2 anyways so if you wanted to go cheap. you could release it for 15 minutes at a time twice a week 2 hours after your lights turn on.

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

I do not exhaust at all, just vent from room to room with a very large carbon filter and fan, never exhausting. That is why i have no idea how often to run it, as it will always be the same air. I am using a Co2 Generator, not a regulator, all i have to do is buy more propane.

 

[mrduke]

what ever you do, dont run that gen for 15 minutes it will kill every thing in the room including you!!!At most i'd say 3-5 minutes depending on the size burner you have. You might rethink not getting a controller once you get a cycle timer capable of turning it on and off in one minute incraments at the rate of 15-20 times a day. the controller my be only like a hundred bucks more.

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

Yeah thats why i was hoping i could get away with 7- 14 times a day, i can get a single timer that will do 7 times a day in 1 minute increments for like $15, and i am sure i could make 2 work it, 3 if i had to, but at that point i might as well spend on a cycle timer.
I know i can't run it for long, but i am still without my answer......
Here is a crude drawing of the set up to help visualize what i am dealing with. The hood is air cooled, but not with air from the room, air from the rest of the house, then exhausted to fresh air.....
Again any more help would be great.......Bump!

 

[mrduke]

i would reccomend trying to find a hand held co2 meter to test how much its putting out. but if you run it for 1-2 minutes every 30-45 minutes I'd think you'd be good

 

[mrmadcow]

would a $100 co detector work for you?
http://www.co2meter.com/collections/co2-sensors
2 models, 1 turns on at 800 ppm & off at 1000, not perfect but for the price....( mounting high in the room might be the ticket)
the other just gives a voltage out based on the amount of CO2

 

[mrduke]

yeah if your handy with wire this might be just what your looking for. You could mount it in the veg room as far away from the gen as possible.

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

That is a great find, a little over $100 i can monitor it all from my computer..... Not exactly what i was looking for, probably a little more complex than a controller, but i think that it would be awesome to be able to track all the usage of Co2 in the room, and adjust the timer accordingly, if at 11 pm they tend to eat a lot i can give more then, +rep on this one for sure, going to bookmark that site now.
Never did find the on (at 800) and off (at 1000) one, what was the model # on that?
Thanks again
All other ideas still very welcome!
Just found a controller using their high end components for only $220.00, getting better!
http://www.co2meter.com/collections/wall-co2-meters-transmitters/products/co2-level-controller

 

[hoagtech]

Did you see the connection on those cards? thats not a video card. Its controller module. so unless youve written code for pcb's I dont think ill be seeing this wired anytime soon. This would be perfect for my old forum. Lumenlab

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

Actually keep digging and you will see they sell the interface and have the software download available. So all i need is a free USB slot, and enough wire to make it to the computer and i am sure i can figure the rest out.

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

The burner is going in this week without question, have a couple of small details to finish with electrical and plumbing, then the a/c (which i may not even need) and the burner are going in......

 

[legallyflying]

Dude, suck it up and buy a PPM meter. Its obvious you don't want to hear that but there is positively no other way to answer your question. I have a similar amount of space, sealed, and using a tankless hot water heater to generate co2. It kicks on every 15 minutes or so with my CAP controller. when it is set to the lowest flame setting, it stays on for maybe 2 minutes. On the highest, it stays on for about 30 seconds and overshoots 1500 ppm by about 400-500.

seven times a day? nuh-huh.

If you want to run with the big boys and use the cool stuff, it costs money. Plain and simple. I wouldn't even mess with it until you have a proper controller. But alas, people are reluctant to take advice that doesn't align with their pre-conceived notions of how it can work so feel free to just ignore the advice from the experienced growers. your going to be stressing your plants out as photosynthesis if going to be constantly cycling on/off when co2 becomes a limiting factor.

co2 is not the equivalent of nitrous oxide for cars. You don't just add it and things explode. The best car comparison would be speed rated tires. Or perhaps even better a computer chip speed limiter.

 

[smokedup12]

The co2 controller is going to pay it self off 10 fold. Keeping optimal co2 ppm in the room will only benefit you.

 

[legallyflying]

I'm actually writing a new thread to address the hows and whys of CO2 right now. This questions comes up every day or so.

 

[TruenoAE86coupe]

Dude, suck it up and buy a PPM meter. Its obvious you don't want to hear that but there is positively no other way to answer your question. I have a similar amount of space, sealed, and using a tankless hot water heater to generate co2. It kicks on every 15 minutes or so with my CAP controller. when it is set to the lowest flame setting, it stays on for maybe 2 minutes. On the highest, it stays on for about 30 seconds and overshoots 1500 ppm by about 400-500.

seven times a day? nuh-huh.

If you want to run with the big boys and use the cool stuff, it costs money. Plain and simple. I wouldn't even mess with it until you have a proper controller. But alas, people are reluctant to take advice that doesn't align with their pre-conceived notions of how it can work so feel free to just ignore the advice from the experienced growers. your going to be stressing your plants out as photosynthesis if going to be constantly cycling on/off when co2 becomes a limiting factor.

co2 is not the equivalent of nitrous oxide for cars. You don't just add it and things explode. The best car comparison would be speed rated tires. Or perhaps even better a computer chip speed limiter.

Well the room is already sealed, they are eating the Co2 that is in there so i need to regenerate is somehow, even if i am not able to afford a controller right now. So i have no choice but to figure something out. Like i said i could make it run 14-21 times a day using timers, at least enough to get a decent amount of Co2 in there, until i can afford a controller. I am not looking for huge gains in yield right now, just trying to be able to seal my room up for countless reasons.
I am taking the advice, but i am looking for ways to get around buying it right now, i do plan on getting one, just when i don't wave to take food out of my kids mouths for it. I do take advice and i am probably a little more experienced grower than you realize......
I was not planning on adding it to make things explode, like i said before my room is sealed now, so i need to regenerate the Co2 so the plants grow at all, not just die.