with all this talk of pressurized co2

[Jen]

Ok. I'm getting more and more into the plant thing, and with all the recent algae problems I've been having it has been suggested to go pressurized.

Ive done some shopping, and I can get a 5lb tank for $115 cad (53GBD, 95USD), and fills are $14. is that a decent price for just a tank? I know I will need everything else... tubing, regulator and whatnot. Is there a tread that lists all the stuff needed? I know gf posted a pic of what came in his kit, but I', looking at building it from odds and ends.

Any and all help very welcome.

Thanks

 

[Yenko]

Try a beer or winemaking store; they will usually sell you a 5 or 10 pound cylinder, but usually, you can return the tank for your money back (Minus the cost of the CO2). A CO2 cylinder for a wine/beermaking store is also garunteed to have a regulator, one which will lower the pressure down to 1-4 PSI, so you do not have to buy your own regulator, just a needle valve.

 

[zig]

Just make sure the cylinder you buy has an indate valid test on it, the cylinders in the US and Canada have to have a Hydrostatic test (whatever that is) if they dont have this, nobody will refill the cylinder if the test is out of date, the deal you are looking at is a good deal if the tank is tested and in date, you have to get this test done every two years and it costs 25 Canadian Dollars.

How near are you to Toronto i have some links from a different site if your interested.

 

[Jen]

yeah... psi. I've called a few people just now, and they all ask what psi it will runn at. Is it that low... just 1 -4 psi?

 

[Yenko]

1-4 PSI is pretty low; but I'm pretty sure you could increase the PSI if you wanted. I know the regs that come with beermaking equimpent go to fairly low pressures.

 

[Jen]

what is a good level to run it at then?

 

[Yenko]

I did some more research, I'm sure anywhere from 5-25 PSI is ok, but lower pressures are better, because you get more control over the gas output using the needle valve.

 

[Walt]

my co2 setup is for beer...
its a duel guage.
1 guage tells you how full the tank is, a full tank being around 800psi...
the other tells you the psi coming out and is adjustable between 1-60psi...
I have mine set at 12 psi.. then the fine tuing comes next, with a needle valve, so the regulator setting is pretty universal... the needle valve is where all adjustments take place.

 

[Jen]

Thats what I thought... but all these stores insisted that I know what the psi needed was.

Thanks