CO2 Generator issues and questions

[OGONLY]

Hey everyone! I'm kind of new to the site but have logged many hours here researching nearly every aspect of my grow. The number of knowledgable people and the multitude of information available here make The Farm #1 by far IMO!

I just recently (1 week ago) set up my CO2 burner (CAP Gen 1) and CO2 controller (CAP PPM3). I started it in the third week of flower. I was told starting in the third week is best to avoid eccesive stretching. My SFV OG did stretch a lot. I ended up using Phosphoload actually to keep em where I want them to be. That stuff is awesome by the way. Packed on big time girth compared to the same strain (not treated with phosphoload) in the adjacent tray.

Back on subject, when I awoke this AM to put them to sleep my controller read 5300 ppm of CO2! I guess it neglected to shut off the burner when it reached the set point. At the time I entered it was not burning so it did eventually turn off the burner. I was worried about the levels for my health so I opened the door even tho I was leaving in a minute. No I didn't get light headed. I did though when I started a week ago. Guess I built up a tolerance LOL!

Anyone else have this problem with these devices? If so how do I fix it? It is hot enough in there without the burner burning overtime needlessly. Not to mention a waste of gas.

Another question. Do you guys and girls that run burners smell a propane type scent when your burner is running? I assumed the burned gas would leave no odor. I used to be able to smell the dankness before the burner. Now I just smell a propane like smell in the room. I brushed soapy water on all connections from hose to burner and no excessive bubbling... So I assume no leak..

I've heard contradictory info on ideal temp with CO2. I am leaning toward 82 degrees lately. Humidity has been an issue since CO2. Went up to 67% last night. Don't want PM again so ordered a dehumidifier today.

:talking I know I threw a lot of questions out there farmers. Help with any or all of them is greatly appreciated.

 

[ibTheMan]

IMO you should ditch that heater for a Co2 tank. Its ah heater!
Unless its real cold where you are.
Oh i have a whole Co2 set up and dont use it ,did lots of test,its bullshit.
use good coco and good fert.
Your stretch is probably from heat.

 

[OGONLY]

Oh by the way...Since I mentioned Phosphoload and the fact that it is the bomb IMO I want to make something clear about it. DO NOT USE THE AMOUNT LISTED ON THE BOTTLE. If you do you can and will most likely burn the hell out of your plants. Google Phosphoload directions. A PDF file is available with detailed instructions. It works perfectly if you follow the PDF instructions. Also, the stuff goes a long way so buy the small bottle if they have it.

I mix mine in gallon bottles and pour by hand on cubes to avoid having to waste a bunch of it in a reservoir. It only needs to be applied for 3 days so is most economical to just mix it in gallon bottles. A 500 ml. bottle goes a long way using this approach.

Realize I'm off subject, but didn't want to recommend something that could potentially wipe out someones ladies if used incorrectly.

Now back to CO2... Suggestions anyone? Thanks!

 

[OGONLY]

Yah I know it migh tas well be a heater. That does suck because I don't live in a cold climate. Add the dehumidafier and we have 2 heaters running.

Prior to CO2 I never had to run my A/C. I have the room set up with a 10 in. can fan which acts as a supply fan (pulls air from my furnace air supply vent, basically from my dining room) and a 12 in. exhaust fan. Both have speed controlers. Before CO2 gen. I could run the fans on the lowest setting (the supply fan was just a hair above the lowest setting to equalise room pressure) and be at 78 with 2 1k lights burning.

Since I went CO2 the fans are only run durring lights off. On a warm day now I am running my 12k BTU A/C on full for the 12 hours of lights on. When it is cool I can run it on low fan setting with thermostat set at 74 to achieve around 82 in the room. Once I start running the dehumid. I know I can add about 3-5 degrees to the equasion.

I know CO2 tanks would be much more efficient heat wise. My A/C (portable Danby 12k BTU dual hose unit) pulls some air through my door cracks so the room is not totally sealed. The room is 12x12 so given that the room is not very air tight I estimate I'd spend around $60 per week minimum on CO2 in tanks. Figuring three 20lb. tanks would be exhausted per week. I am going through 1 propane tank per week at around $20.

 

[ibTheMan]

The big tanks last ah long time, but given that your maken extra heat and that Co2 is not going to make any noticeable difference it just not worth it. i swear to you good air flow will do twice as much, oh and music for um(for real)lol

 

[Bobby Smith]

No, you shouldn't be smelling any propane - you need to check for leaks again.

I forget if you use pipe dope or kevlar for propane, but use whatever you're supposed to for the connections and you should be straight.

LOTS of complaints about the PPM-3 - do a search and you'll find lots of people saying that theirs doesn't work - that'd be my best guess for what happened to you (could be horrendous air flow causing the burner to run for too long before the CO2 reaches the sensor, but that's pretty implausible, IMO).

Do you have a natural gas line available? I got tired of filling bottled CO2 tanks so went to a propane generator, then got tired of filling propane so ran a natural gas line to my grow - no more filling anything :)

And do you have a sink in your grow? I do and wanted to avoid the heat that a generator produces, so I went with a watercooled generator (drain to waste) - helps out with the heat tremendously.

Good luck.

 

[cemchris]

IMO you should ditch that heater for a Co2 tank. Its ah heater!
Unless its real cold where you are.
Oh i have a whole Co2 set up and dont use it ,did lots of test,its bullshit.
use good coco and good fert.
Your stretch is probably from heat.

Would love to see your tests because Im calling MAJOR BULLSHIT! Yea music that will really pack on the weight :giggle:giggle:giggle
I have a Sentinel with a GroZone controller and both work great without hitches. Cant help ya on the cap. Crankin the Flower room to 1300 ppms a 5 Gal tank of propane will last me almost a month or more.

If you smell propane and your room is sealed BE VERY CAUTIOUS! You can blow yourself up if not careful.

Do the caps have auto shutoff when they dont light or a tilt sensor?

Heat yea they put off as much as maybe a 600 unless you have 6+ burners going. The heat they put off is minimal specially since most sealed rooms have AC.

 

[Globel]

if your using a co2 ppm3 from cap. That HAPPENS ALL THE TIME TO ALL OF THEM. they glich out. I put mine on a timer that turns it off every hour for a minute to reset it. Also i turn it off at night. I have more ppm3's then i can count with my fingers there the best but they do that glitch. I have a fuzzy logic one that just says 3 all the time and a few others that just died. My sentinals all work good but there tottal grow room controllers. Seems like a waist jsut to use it as a co2 controller.

 

[ibTheMan]

Ok so how much have You gained with Co2? mister big shot that dont know shit.

 

[dentonland]

i know what you mean about the phosphoload. I followed the directions and burned em also. Cut it in half if not more

 

[OGONLY]

Thanks for all the good info farmers. :passingjoint: I thought I had heard about the PPM 3s gliching out. Thanks Globel. I'll just set my timer to go on and off a few times during lights on and off lights off.

Cemcrhis my CO2 generator (CAP Gen1) does have a tilt shut off. It also has a feature that will stop the flow of gas when no flame is present. So I got that goin for me:anim_30: Besides that the thing is a piece of junk! Not really, it does its job but is pretty basic. Dont like the pilot light. I have to blow it out before lights off because I'm afraid the flickering light from the pilot will cause hermietitis. I checked it in the dark. Reflects off ceiling and mylar on walls. I've got 2 burners running. As far as whether its worth it or not, I will see. Just completed a run of same strain in same set up without CO2. This one has it crankin:character0180: So far they are crankin. Should post some pics because they are something to behold at 26 days. This time I had a flawless 5 week veg run, very healthy girlies.

Bobby Smith air flow is tits in there. I have 5 occilating fans in strategicaly located positions. And no I don't have natural gas anywhere near that location. Replcing the tanks does suck, but so does draining, cleaning and filling my reservoir. Its all wortht it in the end right? :banana:

 

[logic]

Ok so how much have You gained with Co2? mister big shot that dont know shit.

7day ban.... we do don't tolerate rude behavior here on thcfarmer.

next time its a perm ban...you have been warned!

 

[motta-tokka]

Ahh I was wondering why that guy got banned but looking at the post I see why.

Also why is this guy spreading some misinformation around about c02 not affecting the plants? Ambient air only has so much c02 and if you are growing in a sealed tight space the plants will utilize that c02 until there is no more and I would assume it would only take away from the plant having nothing but stagnant air. Replenishing the air allows for fresh air that has c02 and is better than above. Supplementing c02 to a higher level (to a certain point) helps the plants enormously. The technical stuff is out there for anyone wanting to see how exactly c02 works for plants. I also have grow with and without and I see a huge difference running 1500 ppm. Heck even when I was growing in my office without added co2 the plants were doing awesome! Why? Humans also exhale a ton of c02. Someone posted a while back on how they were freaked out because their small living space had 3000+ppm ambient.

 

[cemchris]

No joke motta.


OGONLY man Sentinels are the tits man. Have not had a single problem to name. Same thing with the Grozone. Bout the simplest controller (and only lol) I have used. Sucks bout the caps man. I almost left with one.

 

[motta-tokka]

Also going back to the OP... Make sure your controller is hooked up correctly and connected to the light timer so it only goes on when the light goes on. Check to see that its off when it needs to be asap. Also yes I smell a slight gas odor when I burn propane in the tent as well. Just make sure you checked all your connections with soapy water and you should be golden. Also you dont build up a tolerance to c02 and if its high enough it could kill you so be careful if your hanging out there.

 

[Steve Z]

damn if you think co2 doesnt work i hear water isnt that good for em either.....

 

[f1ydave]

I wanted to mention something that nobody said, when the plants are in dark cycle, they EXPEL CO2, it is normal for sealed rooms to have 2500-5500 ppms in the morning. They can intake this in a matter of hours after lights are on. Plants take about 2 hours to wake up after lights come on to be a full function.

High PPM's can bad if its a constant. A few hours isn't going to be a problem. I would check your lvls after 4+ hours during light to make sure its within reason.

Recalibrating the PPM-3 is really easy too. Just did mine last night (bought a used one) that was reporting atmosphere at 850 (leaf burning season). Calibrated down to 400 outside.

Here is link to PPM-3 Calibration

 

[OGONLY]

Logic done smack that hand

IBtheman seems to have gotten what he deserves for acting like baby. Its cool to share your opinion, but don't throw a tantrum when someone questions your conclusion. Not too surprising that he thinks he's THE MAN lol.

Well here are some of my results with CO2. These are my original SFV OG girls onday 27 of flower. The pics justdon't do justice. The budsare bigger than they look in the pics. But you get the idea. Lemon pledge all the way. Already glistening big time with crystals.

Motta I hear you regarding the dangerous nature of CO2. I will have to remind myself to exit next time I'm zoning on my girls for what seems like longer than I planned. Some times I go in there with intentions of just checking the temp. I end up staying in there for 30 minutes just gazing at the loveyness. I think that's an OG/ CO2 induced coma of sorts.

Cemchris, I heard Sentinals arethe shisnits. Will definitly go that route when I replace this set up. Might end up just getting one of their environmental controllers.

Seeing as how 80% or more of the top farmers on this site use CO2, I think its pretty much a given it makes a pretty big difference. By the looks of my ladies so far I would have to say I am seeing it first hand.

 

[cemchris]

Nice pics man. They seem to be diggin it at 27 days.

 

[dentonland]

nice clean buds ogman. i see the co2 is paying off. what controller would you recomend for co2. im about to add that here