CO2 in 10 rooms, looped or deadhead?

  • Thread starter shenkerism
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None
shenkerism

shenkerism

19
3
I'm installing additional growing space at an established 10 room grow. Most of these rooms have CO2 injection. I figured I'd be tee-ing into the line nearest the new rooms, but I came to discover that the rooms are arranged in a loop.
Explanation: Tank --> Regulator --> Valve --> splits at a tee, and two lines go around the building to other rooms, and meeting at a halfway point.
I'm mostly asking for a sanity check here. My experience with compressed air or CO2 has never led me to construct a loop, I wouldn't want to add unnecessary line length that the compressor would be accommodating (extra volume). With CO2 however, coming from a tank with a much higher pressure, I don't see any real downsides, however I'd like to save on hose, fittings, and complication.
The closest I've been able to get to a reason this is needed is this: High flow rates of CO2 can cause lines to ice up, so by doubling the lines you could halve the icing? I don't have an icing problem anyway, we have a decent evaporator outside with fairly well sealed rooms inside.

Can anyone offer any insight?
 
Olyver

Olyver

343
43
What are the dimensions of your rooms? The attached pic shows blue flexible but rigid pipe that can easily be attached to 500lb+ CO2 tank, then add smaller tubing to each room.
 
20200509 151150
shenkerism

shenkerism

19
3
Thanks for the reply. I wound up simply teeing into the loop nearest the room in question. No one who was around when the CO2 was originally plumbed had an answer for me. The entire loop is plumbed in 1/4 hose, which surprisingly seems to work perfectly, the rooms sit consistently at their setpoints. In addition to the lines being so small, the pressure is a mere 9psi. Haven't checked the solenoids in the existing rooms to see what their duty cycle is like, but I'm betting it's pretty high.

The rooms are about 20' by 48'
I've seen pipe like you show there used in a compressed air system. If I recall correctly the fittings are kind of a combination between a push-connect and a nut that tightens the connection down. They were very easy to work with.
 
Top Bottom