Setting Up Pressurised Co2

[simonbrown403]

Too true, I get the one in the pic below filled up and the bottle rented for around £15 I think probably less. That puppy has lasted me over a year and their is still plenty left in it. That bottle is stood next to a Rio180 by the way so you can imagine how big that bottle is!

Do you use it with a normal aquatic reg? I've got a JBL one would it be ok with that? Pressure and fitting wise I mean?

S

On your JBL it depends on how old it is, the new type have a smaller "O" ring taped to the instructions manual, all i did was take the large one off the JBL reg and swap it for the smaller one.

On the older ones, the male fitting dose not fit into the socket on the standard co2 bottle so you need to file it down. and back it up with a plastic or rubber washer.

When you offer the reg upto the co2 bottle it pretty obvious

 

[Bloo]

Great Setup Jimboo ! Let us know how it compares to the JBL - though I think we all know what the answer will be

I also have the 500g bottle, and though I am fully aware that the larger tanks last forever, there is no way in living earth that I'd have such a "not very attractive" huge bottle in my sitting room so I'm totally all the way with your girlfriend on that one The £10 every 3 months or so suits me just fine.

 

[Themuleous]

On your JBL it depends on how old it is, the new type have a smaller "O" ring taped to the instructions manual, all i did was take the large one off the JBL reg and swap it for the smaller one.

On the older ones, the male fitting dose not fit into the socket on the standard co2 bottle so you need to file it down. and back it up with a plastic or rubber washer.

When you offer the reg upto the co2 bottle it pretty obvious

Cheers for the picture Simon,

I got the reg off ebay and it came with a JBL bottle. It looks exactly like the one you've got in the pic and seems quite new, so hopefully it'll work. I was reading an old thread and it says the reg should be set to an operating pressure of about 1 PSI, my guage says its at 4? Is this bad/ok? Its a new bottle. If bad how do you reduce it to the recommeneded 1 PSI it didnt come with instructions.

Thanks

Sam

 

[simonbrown403]

It shouldn't damage your reg (gauges) unless you open the main valve quickly, the sudden burst of pressure can bugger your pressure gauges, especaily when your bottle has warmed up after filling.

Try turning off your main valve and opening it slowly until you reach the right pressure, other than that i couldn't say.
I've heard talk of reducers being used, air tool company such as those that deal in spray gear might be able to help you more.

 

[Themuleous]

But all in all it shouldn't be a problem? You run it at 1psi or is that just cos the tank is nearly empty?

 

[simonbrown403]

But all in all it shouldn't be a problem? You run it at 1psi or is that just cos the tank is nearly empty?

Gas bottles are designed to with stand very high pressures so 4 bar is nothing, my bottle is in a cool place so it kept a steady 1bar from the beginning.

Your bottle isnt near a heat source of any description, ie TV, rad or something, as the pressure will increase as the bottle heats up.
Its surprising how much the cupboard will insulate your bottle, where as out in the open it subject to the temp fluctuations through the day (cold of the night and the heat when the misses turn the central heating on full blast) I've left the cupboard door open for a hour and the pressure shot up.

 

[Themuleous]

(cold of the night and the heat when the misses turn the central heating on full blast)

Dam straight!

Well it seems to be working fine, so unless is blows up, ill leave it well a lone.

Cheers for the advice

Sam

 

[accidentaldog]

I just wanted to say thank you jimbooo. You seem to have quite a knack for these "documented builds," whether it be replanting or mechanical things such as this. Most people spend a lot of time working without documenting it (myself included) and show the final result and I really appreciate people showing what and how they do things. So Thanks!

 

[jimbooo]

Great Setup Jimboo ! Let us know how it compares to the JBL - though I think we all know what the answer will be

I also have the 500g bottle, and though I am fully aware that the larger tanks last forever, there is no way in living earth that I'd have such a "not very attractive" huge bottle in my sitting room so I'm totally all the way with your girlfriend on that one The £10 every 3 months or so suits me just fine.

update. dennerle all the way. so much better than the JBL, very precise adjustment of bubble rate, unsightly ladder but it works very well (i've ditched the glass one, it's not working properly). all round top marks and i'd recommend it to anyone.

the JBL 500g bottles fit on it so it's easy to get a refill from most LFS.

almost a month on and i'm still on the original bottle, manually turning off at night as i haven't bought the solenoid.

this kit is available from New Leaf for anyone who is interested in upgrading from diy kits

 

[lljdma06]

Great thread Jimbooo, it's nice to see it step by step. Maybe I'll consider it in the future, but now I'll have to be content with changing yeast mixtures. Mmmmmm, half-fermented yeast, yummy.

 

[Number 1 Jasper]

Great Setup Jimboo ! Let us know how it compares to the JBL - though I think we all know what the answer will be

I also have the 500g bottle, and though I am fully aware that the larger tanks last forever, there is no way in living earth that I'd have such a "not very attractive" huge bottle in my sitting room so I'm totally all the way with your girlfriend on that one The £10 every 3 months or so suits me just fine.

update. dennerle all the way. so much better than the JBL, very precise adjustment of bubble rate, unsightly ladder but it works very well (i've ditched the glass one, it's not working properly). all round top marks and i'd recommend it to anyone.

the JBL 500g bottles fit on it so it's easy to get a refill from most LFS.

almost a month on and i'm still on the original bottle, manually turning off at night as i haven't bought the solenoid.

this kit is available from New Leaf for anyone who is interested in upgrading from diy kits

Thanks , i'm looking for ways to improve the health of our plants & threads like this are VERY informative

 

[Themuleous]

the JBL 500g bottles fit on it so it's easy to get a refill from most LFS.

So I take it you're using a JBL cylinder on the kit? Or will the shop that fills JLB ones also fill dennerle ones too? I dont think my local maidenhead aquaics will accept a dennerle cylinder?

Sam

 

[jimbooo]

i'm still on the original dennerle one that came with it but the 500g JBL ones will fit the regulator. i may need to purchase a JBL bottle to start with if they wont swop one with the dennerle. they dont actually fill your bottle, they take your empty one and swop it for a full one. i'll either swop the dennerle for a JBL or buy one JBL and use that to swop in the future. i wont know until i run out it's no major expense as far as i know (fingers crossed!)