Bubble counter water level reducing?

[stocker]

I noticed the water level in my bubble counter gets slightly lower by the day, wondering why is this so? I do have a check valve between Solenoid and bubble counter. Using internal reactor from NA. Puzzling thing is this CO2 tank feeds 2 tanks after the solenoid valve but only the bubble counter of the upper tier tank is seeing this reduction. The lower tank is using a diffuser.

anyone can shed any light?

[Justikanz]

I have a similar problem. The water in my bubble counter drops overnight and when I on my CO2, it comes back up again. It is also atatched to an internal reactor. My guess is that the water is seeping into the regulator... Stocker, what happens when you on the CO2 again?

[tawauboy]

I noticed the water level in my bubble counter gets slightly lower by the day, wondering why is this so? I do have a check valve between Solenoid and bubble counter. Using internal reactor from NA. Puzzling thing is this CO2 tank feeds 2 tanks after the solenoid valve but only the bubble counter of the upper tier tank is seeing this reduction. The lower tank is using a diffuser.

anyone can shed any light?

this is normal. the internal reactor does not restrict the flow of co2 nor water vapour (bubble counter evaporation).

i believe co2 molecules are smaller that water vapour molecules. thus the diffuser (ceramic?) will restrict water vapour molecule from passing while co2 can flow with much lesser restriction. this means less water vapour molecule can escape. (can some science savvy folks confirm this?)

[tawauboy]

I have a similar problem. The water in my bubble counter drops overnight and when I on my CO2, it comes back up again. It is also atatched to an internal reactor. My guess is that the water is seeping into the regulator... Stocker, what happens when you on the CO2 again?

when co2 is shut off at night, co2 still gets dissolved inside the co2 tubing. as co2 dissolves, water get back siphoned back toward the regulator. on top of this, there is pressure from the internal reactor pushing water into the tubing towards the bubble counter. so it is normal.

you should install a check valve between your bubble counter and regulator. water getting into the regulator will damage it.

[Justikanz]

when co2 is shut off at night, co2 still gets dissolved inside the co2 tubing. as co2 dissolves, water get back siphoned back toward the regulator. on top of this, there is pressure from the internal reactor pushing water into the tubing towards the bubble counter. so it is normal.

you should install a check valve between your bubble counter and regulator. water getting into the regulator will damage it.

Roger! Thanks! Luckily I bought an extra check valve in advance...

[stocker]

The water level in my bubble counter drops to a low level, about 2cm depth and doesn't drop any more, nor rise. Interesting thing is my other tank at the bottom tier of the stand is taking CO2 from the same solenoid, with the same internal reactor doesn't experience the same thing, the water level in the bubble counter remains at the level which I put in.

I was thinking more in the line that the height from the ground of the bubble counter makes the difference, as the cylinder in on the ground, but the upper tank is much higher relative to the bubble counter, but the lower tank is about the same level as the bubble counter.

any other inputs?

[tawauboy]

interesting!
both tanks uses same type of reactors?

[loupgarou]

my bubble counter water level evaporates.

I'm using the bioplast bubble counter, so removal is slightly easier,

but I don't see why manufacturer's can't come up with a bubble counter with a screw on valve for topping up water using a syringe.

maybe i should patent it.. haha

in my case, I have check valves at both ends of the bubble counter. water loss is by evaporation , I suspect when the co2 exits the needle valve, it is heated by the temperature of the selenoid unit, this causes the water to be above room temperature thus resulting in excessive evaporation, it then condenses back into water once it hits the chilled water of my reactor.


I wonder whether adding baby oil to the bubble counter would help.

[stocker]

interesting!
both tanks uses same type of reactors?

Yes, exactly the same. But the filter driving them is different. I am inclined to elevate the bubble counter of the upper tank to see if it helps...

I'm wondering how the water can evaporate, if everything is supposed to be air-tight...

[loupgarou]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporation

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so the only way to slow down evaporation is to increase the surface tension or lower the temperature of the bubble counter.

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