Reply With QuoteYou said you turned on the valve to the maximum, you talking about the main valve?
Did you also turn on the "small" brass valve between the solenoid and the bubble counter?
Hi All!
Last few months i bought a CO2 cylinder with Solenoid from an AQ member. Just bought the regulator yesterday to test out but when i switched it on, no bubbles came out.The light is on but no bubbles. Hopefully any experts here could give some advice to this newbie.
See the pictures i've included.
CO2's solenoid switch is on. No bubbles coming out from bubble counter. Even after i open the valve to maximum.
No bubbles here too.
Last edited by benny; 1st Oct 2007 at 09:40. Reason: fix image link
You said you turned on the valve to the maximum, you talking about the main valve?
Did you also turn on the "small" brass valve between the solenoid and the bubble counter?
Turned on the brass valve... And what do you know?Originally Posted by blackhen
Bubbles...
YAY! Thanks Blackhen! However, i do have somemore questions. What should i do with the 2 output of my regulator? Should i put something there? or just leave it be?
Thanks for fixing the image, Benny.
Last edited by I812B4U; 1st Oct 2007 at 10:07. Reason: Deleted the post which supposed to come with this.
what do you mean by 2 output? I saw only one.
Look at the regulator. One output on top the other one below? Is it meant for something or should i close it with something? And the ball in it is not turning. Is it normal? Sorry for all this newbie questions. But i really, really need to know. Thank you.
Bro, if you are talking about the device in picture 2, that is a internal reactor.
suppose to plug in the cannister filter outlet to the output below, water will then turn the "ball" to mix and dissolve the CO2 before coming out to the "output on top".
If you are not using a cannister filter, either you get a powerhead to drive water through it, or ditch the whole thing and get a creamic diffusor instead.
Ok i get it... I'm using a canister filter. Will do as you instructed once i got home from work. Thanks for the details. I really appreciate this. Thank you Blackhen and Shadow for enlightening me with the answers.
Your welcome, though I have not answer anything
Not sure how many check valve did you use, but I suggest to use at least 2 check valve.
you are welcome, i also couldn't figure out these thing when I first started using CO2 cylinder. Done alot of reading thru the forum to get all the information.
Happy planting
i have one check valve so far. So if i want to place one more check valve. What's the distance should be from check valve one to check valve two? Or they should be place closed to each other?Your welcome, though I have not answer anything
Not sure how many check valve did you use, but I suggest to use at least 2 check valve.
Your bubble counter is with build in check valve. So if you already have another one beside that, then it should be ok.
I'm not sure if distance is matter but usually I put near the bubble counter.
So the bubble counter really comes with a check valve and i have another check valve in between the bubble counter and the regulator. Sufficient enough right?
yup sufficient but to be save maybe you want to pay attention for this few days on the CO2 hose. make sure that the water from the tank does not reach your CO2 tank.
Do becareful of the ceremic airstone inside the reactor, either you clean it regularly or remove it. It chokes easily. Mine choked before and the back pressure caused the air hose to loosen at the joints causing gas and water leak.
Ok thank you... will keep a look out on that... hopefully that won't happen. But... let's say IF it happens...what are the things that i should do? Please.
that mean your check valve faulty, just replace with new one.
Do check the pressure regularly. It should not drop drastically in a few day.if it does, it means you have a leak somewhere. In that case, dribble soapy solution or windex on the joints to test for leaks.
It is also a good practice to replace the air tubes periodically as they harden and lose elasticity over time.
I've lost 2 full tanks of CO2 due to
1) Leak at the HP guage joint of a second hand solenoid regulator.
2) Leak at check valve/airhose joint due to clogged airstone in the reactor.
Definitely a painful experience.Thanks for sharing it, Bryan. It's really good knowledge for me.
Thanks to all bros that have given me this very rich details.I'll definitely make full use of it.
When I was using an internal reactor, I actually took out the airstone to prevent any blockage problem, the reactor still work to dissolve the CO2. If you decide to take out the airstone, then may I suggest you put in another 1 or 2 bioball inside the reactor to make full use of the space needed to mix and dissolve the CO2.
Hahaha, the LFS guy who sold me the reactor told me to throw away the airstone. 'Its going to choke anyway', and I didn't believe him.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks