Placing air pump outside of the growroom

[instantkarma]

I know the common practice is to place your airpump outside of the growroom to avoid pumping elevated levels of CO2 through the root zone. That is the way I have always done it as well.

But just one AP-100 pumps around 40 gallons of air through your buckets an hour which seems like it would displace a lot of CO2 from your room.

Also, this article suggests, for Ponderosa Pines at least, that elevated CO2 levels promote fine hair root growth.



I am going to move my air pumps into the bloom room next run and see if there are any negative effects. Mounting them higher in the room should help since CO2 tends to settle towards the bottom of the room.

Has anyone done this back to back or side to side to see if there are actually any problems from running 1500ppm of CO2 through your buckets?

 

[Farmer Jon]

The problem is that the co2 would take the place of the DO. Only so much gas can saturate the solution, be it DO or CO2. The co2 being a heavy gas would displace the DO and the result would be suffocating the plant.
This statement is theoretical due to the fact I have never conducted any tests on the subject, and the actual results may be very different.
It will be very interesting to see your findings and I am looking forward to the test.
I hope you will conduct this in a journal.
Have a great day,
FJ

 

[Papa]

i'm very interested to see the results of your test.

the study you provided a link to does not seem relevant. it addresses root growth with elevated CO2 levels in the atmosphere.



Papa

 

[instantkarma]

the study you provided a link to does not seem relevant. it addresses root growth with elevated CO2 levels in the atmosphere.



Papa

True, I thought I read something in there mentioning root zone CO2 levels but after a second reading I guess not.

Here's another article that mentions elevated co2 levels in a hydroponic solution preventing soybeans from uptaking water. But that is at at 30% CO2 level and 1500ppms is only 1.5%.

 

[Bobby Smith]

True, I thought I read something in there mentioning root zone CO2 levels but after a second reading I guess not.

Here's another article that mentions elevated co2 levels in a hydroponic solution preventing soybeans from uptaking water. But that is at at 30% CO2 level and 1500ppms is only 1.5%.

It's actually .15%; I've always wondered the same thing - air is ~20% oxygen, so the oxygen is (at "enriched" CO2 levels) 133X more prevalent than CO2, and at "normal" levels (300PPMs) it's 667X as prevalent.

While I'm sure the latter is better for root health, I have a hard time believing that a jump from .03% to .15% of CO2 being dissolved in the water could/would have a material effect on anything.

Pure speculation on my part, but I've been looking for someone who's knowledgeable to break it down for me for a year or two now, and no one can/has/will...........makes me wonder if it's one of those things that somebody told somebody who told some more people until it just became accepted.

 

[januaryfirst]

Also putting the airpumps outside the room having them pump, air in. Wont that put the room under postive pressure creating odor problems?

 

[Papa]

bump.

 

[Bubblehaze]

I have 2 Uc systems 1 air pump is outside the room and 1 inside the room they both do the same IMO I can't tell any difference. The one outside the room doubles as a chiller for me works out well. I run high co2 in both rooms 1200+.

 

[januaryfirst]

Having the air pump outside the room, does that not create a positive pressure in the room hence giving odor problems?

 

[flowersare4girls]

bump'ed af. But I am googling this question currently and have decided to leave it IN the room.

Here's why:
Co2 is much less abundant than o2 even at 1500ppm of c02.
Our plants are producing oxygen in the room.
Plus the issue of creating positive pressure and wasting our co2.

Gasses in our atmosphere=

• Oxygen — 21 percent.
• Carbon dioxide — 0.04 percent

 

[Roadblock]

Having the air pump outside the room, does that not create a positive pressure in the room hence giving odor problems?

Only if your exhaust fan was equal or less than intake pressure.