Hydro Innovations Water-Cooled Co2 Generator

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Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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I just picked one of these up for the lab, what a setup, bad to the bone..

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SDorIv81CA[/YOUTUBE]

The HydroGEN is the world's first and only water cooled CO2 generator, capable of removing 86% of the heat produced by burning propane or natural gas. It also has loads of other options and features not available in any other CO2 generator on the market, including a completely adjustable flame (can produce anywhere between 15 and 45 cubic feet of CO2 per hr), an adjustable water flow valve, no pilot light (flame is activated by water flow), a tipover cut off, an overheat shut down sensor, and an oxygen depletion sensor among other things. The unit is compact in size and can be either hung or wall-mounted anywhere in your garden.

Everyone should know by now that adding CO2 can increase yields by 100% or more. But everyone also knows the drawbacks, primarily heat production from burners or expense and inconvenience of bottled CO2 . The HydroGEN burns gas like other units but has a few added features, the main one being the water-cooled heat exchanger mounted above the flame. Cool water is pumped through the heat exchanger and back to a reservoir or is drained to waste. If using a reservoir you would either need a water chiller, heat exchanger or a large reservoir (all outside the grow room) to remove the heat from the water.

(1) The most economical way to cool the unit is drain to waste but we all want to be eco-friendly so we should only do this if using waste water to cool with, such as RO waste, waste nutrient water (somewhat-filtered), or even rain water. Doing this allows you to get two uses out of your water before dumping it.

(2) If this isn't convenient for you, it's also energy efficient to circulate room temperature water from a larger sized reservoir located outside your room. Barrels, plastic tubs, and even small above ground swimming pools can be bought for less than $75 and make excellent reservoirs.

(3) The third most efficient method is to use a HydroGEN heat exchanger, which is a wall mount heat exchanger with an attached fan, mounted inline on the hot water discharge hose. The hot water would pass through the heat exchanger and the attached fan draws out most of the heat before it's dumped back into your reservoir. The heat exchanger and fan must be mounted OUTSIDE the grow room and must be installed in the hot water discharge of the HydroGEN to be effective.

4) The least economical cooling method is using a chiller (also housed outside the grow room) but is very convenient because you can use as little as 5 gallons for a reservoir. Even though we say using a chiller is the least economical way of cooling, it's still vastly more economical than using a/c to compensate for heat production.


Tex
 
Hydro innovations water cooled co2 generator
Y

yoko

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TK,

Seldom do I read one of your posts without learning something important, however small.
Nice product.


Thanks,

Yoko
 
J

Jalisco Kid

Guest
They work great but we needed a lot more then 50 gal of water to cool. Unless you can mask a 250 gal tank a chiller is needed. It will drop room temps 6*. You are really going to appreciate it this summer. What strain have you used that gets twice the yield with CO2? JK
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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Hey JK, thanks for the input...

I got it mounted and ready to go, looks slick as hell, I am starting out with a 50 gallon res for a bit until money allows for the chiller..

Is there a forced air blower or anythng or does the gas just come out the top at will?

Could you use a small axial fan to distribute better into the space?

How much gas usage, approx?

Could i put a 4" "y" on the top exhaust and port into two different spaces?

Tex
 
G

grizz

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great find Tex, want all the answers to your questions, so tired of smuggling bottles to my grow.
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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I am out in the country so i am goin to tie into my giant main propane tank that is filled by the the gas route guy, should be perfect..

Tex
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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I am running LPG(propane) but I am sure is can be converted or something..


Note to self, a 15' rise pump is a bigass pump, 1200gph or better, off tho home depot

Tex
 
J

johnnyballbag

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Just about every burner i've seen has conversion kits to run NG.
 
manicgrower

manicgrower

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Ive been thinking bout getting this one for a while.At $200 its a steal!My only concern is water usage or buying an expensive chiller....
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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Definately need a chiller...my 40 gallon res is friggin hot as hell when it is all said and done with...

Plumbing direct into my 500# propane tank outside for total ease of use.

Gotta have a bigass pump to make it work properly, 15' of lift is a serious sump pump compared to the little ones i have around here most of the time...

Works badass though and mounts real clean like..

Tex
 
J

Jalisco Kid

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I kinda saw that heat problem coming,I am squeaking by with 250 gal.They suggest a 1/2 hp chiller thats some btu's. If you are rural you can get old fertilizer tanks cheap from farmers. I have a friend who is planning on a 600 gal tank.Shallow well pumps run forever and are quiet. Suerte JK
 
G

grizz

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How hot does it get the water? was wondering about running fresh cool water through and using the waste for your hot water for the house, Im sure the amount of cool water is going to be way over what I would use for hot water home use, another thought I had for people with there own well would be to recycle the warm water right back into the well
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

Some guy with a light
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How hot does it get the water? was wondering about running fresh cool water through and using the waste for your hot water for the house, Im sure the amount of cool water is going to be way over what I would use for hot water home use, another thought I had for people with there own well would be to recycle the warm water right back into the well

It is a tankless hot water heater, so basically it is designed to provide hot water to your house right out of the box....water temps are 120-140 at the nozzle

Here is the exact same unit off of Ebay for alot less and it comes with a shower head...
 
9f02 1
O

OldRookie

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I wonder if you could put a 250 gallon tank outside somewhere and circulate it there. Maybe you could use some of that water for lawn irrigation somehow and add new cold water to the system somehow. Just a thought.
Rook
 
Texas Kid

Texas Kid

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Here are the different configurations you can set up the Co2 generator in...

Things you have to have:

Submersible pump w/15' min of lift (I got a Flotec at Home depot for $70)

Reservoir, 50-100gallons

Chiller

Co2 monitor/controller

About a $1000 to do it right, but then your set...

Tex
 
Co2 gen 1
Co2 Gen 2
Co2 Gen 3
B

Bodhi Roach

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Hello, thanks for starting this thread, i have a blue ox and its kinda ironic how this hydroGEN has alot more to it, is more efficient, is safer and above all, costs less.

How well do you feel it is working?
I know the heat is still an issue if you use the res method, but other than that, the co2 levels, the temp in the room itself, how is all of that coming together?

Thanks again, appreciate the good info here:afroweed:
 
G

grizz

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I have been studing everything I can about the hydro gen, seems by far the best unit out, I know its waste full but Im seriously thinking of just running fresh water to waste with it. the price for the water valve is about the same as the pump and then no heat issue for the water. Tex do have any idea of how much water a day it would use? my flower room is sealed and is 7x8x8
 
F

fuzzy

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Very nice find TK.I found these a few weeks ago at airline hydroponics out of houston. peace,fuzzy
 
G

grizz

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I see there coming out with a air cooled model this fall, 65 to 70 % heat reduction and no water to fuck with, might be worth the wait.
 
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