Cannot Get Diy Co2 To Do Anything.

[corradophil]

For the last 2 or 3 months I have been trying to get my DIY CO2 system up and running.

It has two 2 litre coke bottles, plus a 50ml bottle between them and the tank where I have ladder.

I am mixing 1 pint of sugar, 1 pint of water and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast.

It has worked for a total of about 2 weeks during this period, but most of the time it does nothing.

I have checked and double checked for leaks, and there are none.

I've replaced the non return valve - no difference.

I've tried Hovis bread yeast.

Allinson bread yeast.

Tap water with a PH of 7.8.

Mineral water with a PH of 6.5.

Turned up the heating to get the room up to 20deg C.

Turned heating down so the room is 15 deg C.

Positioned bottles in direct sunlight.

Positioned bottles in the shade.

Mixed the mixture with warm water.

Mixed the mixture with cold water.

Stirred the mixture.

Shaken the mixture.

I have several guides printed out explaining how to set the system up, I keep re-reading these, hoping I have missed something, there must be something I'm doing wrong, BUT everything seems perfect, except the lack of CO2.

In one guide it suggests you can test the yeast by putting some into a cup of warm water, and within 15 mins it should create some foam, none of my yeasts will do this, no foam even when left over night. Both yeasts are new with long best before dates and I've tested as soon as I have opened the sachet, so no air or moisture has got to it.

Could this be the problem? Although if it is, it does suggest bread yeast just does not work.

Can someone please help, I am at my wits end trying to get this thing to work.

 

[aaronnorth]

thats a good vigorous test! Try more yeast, i use hovis bread yeast, brewers yeast is said to be more 'violent' so you should get more co2

 

[corradophil]

thats a good vigorous test! Try more yeast, i use hovis bread yeast, brewers yeast is said to be more 'violent' so you should get more co2

I'll add a bit more to the latest mix, and see what happens.

Something else I just remembered, when I have managed to get bubbles, the mixture had sat for quite a few days, and the bubbles only started after giving the bottle a good shake, at which point loads of gas came out, and it then settled to around 1 bubble every 2 seconds.

The latest mixes just fizz a little after shakng.

 

[DevUK]

Yeast has a shelf life, have you checked the best before date? Also, it needs to be "activated" yeast. The hovis stuff should do the trick Comes in a cure little "old fashioned" tin.

 

[corradophil]

Yeast has a shelf life, have you checked the best before date? Also, it needs to be "activated" yeast. The hovis stuff should do the trick Comes in a cure little "old fashioned" tin.

Yeah best before dates are long, I bought the Allinson yeast on Friday last week.

The yeast I have is in sachets, and it says it is ideal for bread machines.

 

[Colin_T]

go to a home brew shop and buy some beer yeast or spirirt yeast. Beer yeast is cheaper but doesn't tolerate as much alcohol. The spirirt yeast will tolerate a much higher alcohol content.
Have you tried using dechlorinated water, it could be the chlorine is killing the yeast.

 

[corradophil]

go to a home brew shop and buy some beer yeast or spirirt yeast. Beer yeast is cheaper but doesn't tolerate as much alcohol. The spirirt yeast will tolerate a much higher alcohol content.
Have you tried using dechlorinated water, it could be the chlorine is killing the yeast.

I may have a look in to beer or spirit yeast.

I've used water, straight from the tap, not left to stand or treated with de-chlorinator, and also tried bottled mineral water.

 

[DevUK]

I used water straight from my hot water tap before. What temperature water are you using? It needs to be warm, but not too warm. Have you sealed around where the tubing comes out of the bottle? Might help. Also, are you using CO2 tubing, or standard airline? Standard airline will let CO2 escape from it.

This is the stuff I've used before:

Worked fine for me. I think my mixture was similar to that of the pinned DIY co2 thread on this forum. I filled with sugar up to the first "rim" molding mark on the bottle (about 1/5 the total give or take a bit). I then added 1 teaspoon of active yeast , and then fill with warm water up to the next molding rim mark (usually about the top of the label). I then screw the lid on and give it a bit of a shake to get it all mixed. Usually its going within 30 mins.

 

[corradophil]

I used water straight from my hot water tap before. What temperature water are you using? It needs to be warm, but not too warm. Have you sealed around where the tubing comes out of the bottle? Might help. Also, are you using CO2 tubing, or standard airline? Standard airline will let CO2 escape from it.

This is the stuff I've used before:

Worked fine for me. I think my mixture was similar to that of the pinned DIY co2 thread on this forum. I filled with sugar up to the first "rim" molding mark on the bottle (about 1/5 the total give or take a bit). I then added 1 teaspoon of active yeast , and then fill with warm water up to the next molding rim mark (usually about the top of the label). I then screw the lid on and give it a bit of a shake to get it all mixed. Usually its going within 30 mins.

I'm using CO2 tubing which came with the ladder, and all connections are well covered with epoxy resin.

Coincidently, I've just been to the shops at lunchtime and bought exactly that yeast in the tin, as a result of your comment about it being 'active' yeast. I'll give it a try tonight. I'll be so pleased if it sorts it.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

I use two cups of sugar, melted in a saucepan of boiling water, cooled to just warm, and then add the yeast. Fill the bottle to within three inches of the top. Place a new top on it and shake vigorously. Replace with the top holding the airline tubing, and place on the warmest part of the tank lid. I use a glass defuser (3 quid from HK) and it all works like a dream.
My first two attempts using dry 'active' yeast were a total nothing! I then tried fresh yeast from Sainsbury's bread department (15p for 50 gms) and haven't looked back since. Good luck...

 

[sjdriscoll]

It just has to be the yeast if you are getting no 'froth' at all in a cup of warm tap water plus a spoon of sugar. The stuff I use foams up in just a few minutes and I keep 'whisking' it up to get plenty of air into it. I will then add this to my (now cool) 1 pint of sugar/1 pint water in my 2 l bottle. I give it a shake to 'fill' up my tubing once attached and will have 1 bubble per second within about 20 mins. I run 2 x 2 litre bottles in tandam and change 1 out every 5-7 days for a stable, green drop checker.

Have you tried 'reverse-blowing' into the bottle from the airline? This will tell you if you have any tiny leaks at all at the cap. I found that this was my main problem as 1 bubble per sec can easily 'leak' at the lid/tubing joint and bugger the whole thing up.

Good luck.

 

[corradophil]

eclecticoldsod, interesting that you got nowhere with the dried yeast too, maybe I'll get some fresh yeast to try, if it worked then it would prove it is an issue with the mixture.

sjdriscoll, I read to test the yeast, just add a little to a cup with some warm water, no mention of sugar.

For the next mix, I'll start the mix in a cup as per the method you described above.

UPDATE

Last night I got home and added 1/2 tsp of the new Allinson Active yeast to the mix I made on Sunday, I gave it a good shake up, it fizzed quite a bit for a few seconds and then did nothing.

I then checked every connection.

Both 2 litre bottles have plastic fittings in the caps, these are bonded with epoxy resin, and the hose is a good fit. I removed the hose from both bottles and blocked each fitting with my finger, I then squeezed the bottle to build up quite a high pressure, both bottles, caps and fittings are 100% leak free.

I then checked every bit of hose for damage - all fine, I also checked the 500ml bottle which is in between the yeast generators and the tank, again its fine.

For extra security I trimmed 10mm of each end of each hose to make sure its a tight fit on all fittings (bottle top fittings, non return valves & T peice).

Next I connected both bottles directly to the hose to the tank, gave them a good shake, got a few bubbles for about 20 secs then nothing.

After an hour or so of no bubbles, I decided to reconnect everything so I have the safety of the 500ml catch tank again.

I also added non return valves to for each yeast generator, which I previously was not using.

Next I put cable ties around every hose where it connects to a fitting to clamp it tight.

After a lot of shaking of both bottles nothing.

The last thing I did, was make up a fresh mix using 1/2 teaspoon of the new Alinson active yeast, 1 pint of granulated sugar, 1 pint of warm water, gave it a good shake up and connected it up. For the next two hours there was nothing, only bubbles on the top of the mixture. That was enough for one night!

This morning, still no bubbles in the tank, but both bottles have built up a slight pressure.

 

[waterdrop]

gee, this is getting kinda fun to read as a mini-drama

 

[Norwich keeper]

I know you say you've checked and found no leaks but this really does sound like you have a leak somewhere. I suspect the bottle top cap! I've had these leak and even the smallest amount will have a great effect.

What I do is empty the bottles and fill them up with water to the top. Attach your bottle cap and Co2 line and put the bottle on the floor on its side whilst holding your finger on the end of the C02 tube. Now stand on the bottle ( it helps if you are heavy! ). If the cap has a leak then you will see the water seaping out or hear air escaping. Can try the same thing with your catch bottle.

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on.


Regards

 

[corradophil]

I know you say you've checked and found no leaks but this really does sound like you have a leak somewhere. I suspect the bottle top cap! I've had these leak and even the smallest amount will have a great effect.

What I do is empty the bottles and fill them up with water to the top. Attach your bottle cap and Co2 line and put the bottle on the floor on its side whilst holding your finger on the end of the C02 tube. Now stand on the bottle ( it helps if you are heavy! ). If the cap has a leak then you will see the water seaping out or hear air escaping. Can try the same thing with your catch bottle.

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on.


Regards

I've been considering filling the bath up with water and submerging the bottles whilst blocking the exit and squeezing them to give some pressure, to see if any bubbles appear.

Last night I listened around the cap which I blocked with my finger whilst building the pressure in the bottles, I could not hear any air leaking out and that was with my ear right next to the caps.

I do agree it can only be a leak or yeast problem.

I'll take another look tonight and update the thread tomorrow.