First time adding CO 2 with tank and regulator . HELP.

[goodbye95]

Hello . I am planning on adding CO2 via tank for the first time and after much search on google i thought i should take a last opinion from the pros of THC farmer

Currently i have already ordered this controller : https://www.growtent.eu/product-eng-5073-Electronic-controller-monitor-meter-of-CO2.html

and this regulator : https://www.co2supermarket.co.uk/co2-regulator-dual-stage-ultimate-se-p530.html
My grow room is 1m x 1m x 2m.
The temperatures range from 25 c to 27 c right now with ventilation at 100% and it is rising obviously till the end of summer .
My questions are : how big should my tank be ?
And should the vent be on? I read that plants can take it up to 35 C maximum if you add CO2 but if I close the tent airtight so CO2 cannot escape i think it will get a little higher. So i thought taking in mind that CO2 is heavier than air , could i just ventilate the room as slow as possible just so any of the hot air can get out of the room without vaccuming the CO2?

 

[Ponky]

Get the tallest cylinder that fits your valve. Less trips for gas. I think it's the beverage type (just guessing) you have there. and those are about 3 feet long.

 

[goodbye95]

I do know know what is a beverage type but this is the biggest that i can get on my country. The regulator has a "european plug " as it says, This one can hold up to 5 kgs of liquid CO2

 

[Ponky]

Ahhh. Thats a food service style tank. 5 kg is ok. It's not a big space. It's probably big enough. Our soda fountain tanks are different. The other type is for welding tanks. They fit a lot more. But the fitting is different.

 

[visajoe1]

if you're running exhaust fan at 100% i would not recommend adding co2.

it will be exhausted immediately so it would be quite costly to maintain proper co2 levels

need to be able to run exhaust at minimal settings to maintain co2 levels

first, figure out a way to maintain room temps 7-10c cooler than tent temps. then you should be able to maintain proper temps without exhaust at 100%

 

[goodbye95]

if you're running exhaust fan at 100% i would not recommend adding co2.

it will be exhausted immediately so it would be quite costly to maintain proper co2 levels

need to be able to run exhaust at minimal settings to maintain co2 levels

first, figure out a way to maintain room temps 7-10c cooler than tent temps. then you should be able to maintain proper temps without exhaust at 100%

maybe there is a way that i can lower my tent temperature. Fortunately my lights are the sf7000 from spiderfarmer. The have passive cooling system so most of the temperature comes from the ballast which can be placed outside the tent .

 

[goodbye95]

Ahhh. Thats a food service style tank. 5 kg is ok. It's not a big space. It's probably big enough. Our soda fountain tanks are different. The other type is for welding tanks. They fit a lot more. But the fitting is different.

i can find some that can hold up to 50 litres of liquid but they cost like 350 euro and they are like 160 cm so they are far out of my budget and my space.

 

[Ponky]

If you're running CO2 and using LED lights you can handle temperatures into the mid 90s. 85 is good temp for enriched spaces.

 

[Deadstill]

maybe there is a way that i can lower my tent temperature. Fortunately my lights are the sf7000 from spiderfarmer. The have passive cooling system so most of the temperature comes from the ballast which can be placed outside the tent .

Like Ponky said above, if you're running CO2 you actually need the higher temperatures or you're wasting your time. Also I wouldn't run *any* exhaust on a CO2 grow. All my CO2 grow rooms are sealed, completely. I run a portable A/C turned into a custom "mini-split" to maintain temperatures and the higher the temp the better the plants do, up to a point. I've seen my grow room temps reach 99-103 degrees in peak summer time (not the best insulation on my grow room - it's an old mobile-home turned grow house) and I've never seen ANY stress signs in fact the plants tend to thrive at those higher temps, AS LONG as you're pumping 2,000+ PPM CO2 when the lights are on.

And you may find your plants can take even more light than normal, with proper CO2.

Definitely read up on VPD - it's your best friend when running CO2.

Good luck!

 

[Mugwort]

I do know know what is a beverage type but this is the biggest that i can get on my country. The regulator has a "european plug " as it says, This one can hold up to 5 kgs of liquid CO2

Look up a welding supply store in your area for CO2 needs.

 

[goodbye95]

Look up a welding supply store in your area for CO2 needs.

Thank you. I did and i found a 6kg for 90 euro

 

[Mugwort]

Unless you are willing to monitor your co2 monitor it will get expensive. I saw a controller the other day for around $150 I’m thinking of getting. I’ve been lucky enough to be around when mishaps happen. It’s a dance without proper monitoring and HVAC equipment to keep temperature needed, acceptable RH, proper light, etc.

 

[goodbye95]

I already have an 900 dollars monitor

 

[Grapefruitroop]

Thank you. I did and i found a 6kg for 90 euro

I bet you can find it waaaay cheaper .......all the bars in your area must use a 10kg tank to serve beers and sodas....ask them where they get it......its gona be much more cheaper than welding or aquarium supply....

 

[Moe.Red]

Hey @goodbye95 please understand CO2 = sealed space. Zero air exchange. If it is too hot when sealed, you gotta fix that or you are not a CO 2 candidate.

Are you growing right now or could you seal it up and turn the lights up to 100% and track temps for a couple days and see how bad it gets?

 

[goodbye95]

Hey @goodbye95 please understand CO2 = sealed space. Zero air exchange. If it is too hot when sealed, you gotta fix that or you are not a CO 2 candidate.

Are you growing right now or could you seal it up and turn the lights up to 100% and track temps for a couple days and see how bad it gets?

I am not growing yet with co2. I am at the seedling phase for the time being. But i plan to add co2 soon. I am cpntrolling the climate depending on what vpd i want . Currently i am aiming for 0,8 . My exhaust fan i sucking at 100% power and it cannot bring temperature under 26C. I am also providig humidity with an external custom humidifier i built so there is a little intake pressure from this too. I can make you a drawing of how my system works if you want and the max and min temperatures i can get compared to the current climate of the country i live in.

 

[Aqua Man]

I am not growing yet with co2. I am at the seedling phase for the time being. But i plan to add co2 soon. I am cpntrolling the climate depending on what vpd i want . Currently i am aiming for 0,8 . My exhaust fan i sucking at 100% power and it cannot bring temperature under 26C. I am also providig humidity with an external custom humidifier i built so there is a little intake pressure from this too. I can make you a drawing of how my system works if you want and the max and min temperatures i can get compared to the current climate of the country i live in.

He is saying that you cannot run exhaust if you are going to run co2. It doesn’t work that way. Have seen many many ppl try even after they have been informed and everytime its the same result. It does not work.

You need a room with heating, cooling, humidification, dehumidification and controllers in order to keep parameters sufficient and so the co2 your pumping into the grow space is not just sucked out by your exhaust fan.

 

[goodbye95]

So , for the last 30 minutes i am trying to draw the system my room works with.

Below are the instruments i am using :

Lights : SpiderFarmer SF 7000
Exhaust Fan : EC PrimaKlima 680 m2/h
Humidifier : Custom box with Taifun Fog Machine + OEM Intake Fan 190 m2/h
Dehumidifier : 600 W OEM Brand
Controller : GrowControl Growbase
Circulation fans : 2 x Secret Jardin 15 W fans
Flir TG54 Spot IR Thermometer ( for accurate leaf temperature )


The humidifier works like this : Both the fog machine and the intake fan are connected to the same cable .
That means that every time the controller gives signal that humidity is needed in the air both the fog machine
and the fan start working until the humidity gets to the desired levels. Otherwise the whole system works just
as an intake hole while the system is off.
The tent has another built in hole with a pestproof net for intake air flow.

The whole room is 2 x 2 metres and the tent is 1 x 1 metre
The exhaust fan tranfers the extracted air in another room via a hole in the wall.
Unfortunately i cannot install an air condition in the room because it is too damn small ( It is a bathroom ), so alternative
ways of cooling the room are much appreciated.
The controller provides options to reduce the Exhaust Fan speed while giving Co2 ( since i cannot afford an air condition
system , this seems like the only option ) I mean giving enough air flow to move some of the hot air outside but not Co2
since Co2 is heavier than air.

My main priority with or without giving Co2 is having the VPD at the levels i want . At this case at 0,8 since i am in the seedling phase . This is the reason i invested all this money on this setup. For the VPD.
Right now i have stable climate conditions at 25 - 26 C and 72 - 76 % RH which gives me the desired VPD of 0,8 at leaf temperature of -1 C of ambient temperature.

Here is the PDF of the controller i am using having all the options on running Co2 with all the instruments i am using above. If you can spare some of your time to help me give it a check . It would be much appreciated.

GrowBase manual / CO2 at page 17 - 18 and 28

 

[Aqua Man]

Way to much light and your VPDis is inaccurate. You must take leaf temps into account. Under LED leafs usually about 4-5f cooler than air temps

VPD (vapor pressure deficit)

Ok i was gonna sit down and write out a whole article but i have been lazy so instead instead I'm going to copy paste because im lazy. This is not my work so let start. You may find this very long but its worth the read. Some may want to skip ahead. I have added here and there to what i feel is...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[goodbye95]

Way to much light and your VPDis is inaccurate. You must take leaf temps into account. Under LED leafs usually about 4-5f cooler than air temps

VPD (vapor pressure deficit)

Ok i was gonna sit down and write out a whole article but i have been lazy so instead instead I'm going to copy paste because im lazy. This is not my work so let start. You may find this very long but its worth the read. Some may want to skip ahead. I have added here and there to what i feel is...

www.thcfarmer.com

the light seems too bright cause of the overexposure of the camera. It is actually dimmed at 15% . based on the Pulse VPD chart i need 70% RH and 26 C to get the desired VPD . Meaning the conditions i currently have. I am measuring the leaf temperature with an 190euro Flir IR thermometer ,so i think i am pretty accurate on this. The current leaf temperature is at -1.5 C of the ambient temperature. Since you mentioned it though my light intensity at the current time is giving me about 300 - 400 ppdf which is like 20000 - 27000 PAR. i dont think i need more or less. Any comments are appreciated.