Need help with my CO2!

[virce]

Dear all,
For weeks now I have been using my 2 bottles of DIY CO2 with a spiral diffuser/reactor but nowadays the CO2 production just slowed down incredibly. I have no idea what's wrong. The check valve is new. The airline tubing is new. I've tried to clean up most gunk clogging up the spiral reactor. There were some white stuff at the bottom of the reactor, where the water gets sucked in to mix with the gas. I cleaned most of them out.

Compared to the first time I set up DIY CO2, CO2 bubbles can be seen within half to an hour. Now (as I'm typing this), I see no CO2 bubbles even though the newly made batches were there for already 2-3 hours. This is only after I saw no bubbles at all from last night's batch till this morning, so I added an appropriate amount out of a fresh packet of yeast into the solution, thinking that the yeast I added last night was too weak (the packet was open from last week, kept in a fridge).

What's going on?

Regards,

[A.Rashid]

1stly check for any leakage, use soap bubble to check. DIY CO² are bound to have leakage due to frequent hands on. also sumtuimes you may have not close it tightly.

If everything is leakage free, then check for any clog tubing and especially at the joint where I believe most joints are not the transparent type and there could be clog in there.

lastly the only possible explanation is that your yeast could be "bad".

could the temperature play a part?... hmmm I doubt so I never experience such .......

[virce]

Dear Rashid,
No leakages, connections are tight. In the end I became frustrated and made two entire new bottles. Now they're bubbling fine. I'm not looking forward to next Saturday as that's the day I change the solution and each time brings trouble.

Regards,

[kc]

Do not use boiling water to disolve the yeast.

Btw, you can re-use those that did not produce any co2 by putting some more yeast. The reverse is also true. If it run out of sugar, you can add them, just to save the trouble of re-doing everything but then the ratio of water, sugar and yeast ratio will be out of hand.

[gweesm1]

could the temperature play a part?

I remember coming across a foreign based webpage, the hobbyist place the yeast generator in a pail of water with aquarium heater.

Regards,

[virce]

I remember coming across a foreign based webpage, the hobbyist place the yeast generator in a pail of water with aquarium heater.

yes, warmer temperatures for the yeast generator will encourage vigorous output. In our sunny climate, it's not necessary.

Do not use boiling water to disolve the yeast

I've tried to follow instructions on the net as closely as possible. So... that failed for some reason, which it could be the yeast. Just now, I just use normal tap water (no hot water added to make it warmer) and dissolved some yeast and now it seems to be producing.

From now on, no more hot water involved!

[FC]

I was once attached to Asia Pacific Brewery to do just one job, measure the CO2 content of the beer. I remember that I had to go into the cold (about 8 degree celcius) room to connect the measuring instruetment with printer to one of the beer transport pipe's nipple.

I do not know much of the brewery process but basically the main ingredients are water, malt, yeast and hoff. The malt was cooked with the water to extract sugar (glucose?), it was then cooled down before yeast was added to fermentise* it. They then go through filtration, add hoff that give the golden colour and bitter taste. Finally chilled at 8 degree celcius at which the beer taste best.

*means using yeast to consume the sugar to produce alcohol which is the yeast's waste. So, we are drinking the yeast's waste when we drink alcohol.

I guess water which was boiled helps because there is less harmful chemical that may kill the fragile yeast. Perhaps, you should use boiled water to mix with sugar and then add still alive yeast?

[timebomb]

Annette,

I don't think there's anything wrong with your yeast. When I was using yeast to generate CO2 for my tanks, I found that whenever there were no bubbles, the problem invariably was because there was a leak. It's hard to detect leaks in a yeast bottle because, unlike a gas tank, the pressure isn't very high.

Are you using a soft drink bottle? If you are, opening and closing the bottle will cause the threads in the inside of the cap to wear off. You must understand that in order for bubbles to appear, the whole setup has to be completely air-tight. Even the smallest crack or opening will cause the CO2 to go off elsewhere. Gas, like water, will find the easiest source to flow.

Try this:

When I was using a soft drink bottle to hold the yeast solution, I replaced the cap with a cork. It's a bit difficult but I managed to push a pipette through the cork. I broke a few pipettes before I finally got one through. Cork has the advantage of being soft and malleable so it will fill out the empty spaces and make the whole thing air-tight.

Loh K L

[virce]

Mr. Loh,
You know what? If that's the case, then my Y connector's the culprit. Only recently, I noticed there were no CO2 output, so out of frustration I made two new bottles. In the process, I closely examined the Y connector and saw a tiny hole, about the size of toothpick's diameter. It must have cracked somehow. I have no idea how the hole got there since I never touch it ever since I set up the tubes.

So I went out and bought a new T connector and now it's bubbling fine.

*weary*

let's see what will happen this saturday when it's batch-changing day.

Regards,

[A.Rashid]

Annette, maybe the best way to test the functionality of the CO² system is b4 u mix the ingredient u plug the tubing to a air pump and test of leakage with the help of soap bubble. when everything is ok then u can plug it back to the bottles.

sorry I forgot to tell you abt this method to check for leakage much easier and more "visible".

[timebomb]

From now on, no more hot water involved!

Annette,

I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I don't know how you mix your yeast solution but when I was using yeast to generate CO2, I always boil the water. I boil the water so that all the sugar will be dissolved. I was using one cup of sugar to about one and a half litres of water with a teaspoon of yeast.

These are the steps:

1. Add a cup of sugar to 1 and a half litres of water.
2. Boil until all the sugar is dissolved.
3. When cooled, pour sugar solution into bottle.
4. Add one teaspoon of yeast
5. Screw on cap
6. Fix up tubings
7. Wait for CO2 bubbles to appear.

Loh K L

[virce]

Mr. Loh,
Well, here's what I always do every weekend, except maybe this weekend because my CO2 production is in full-blast right now, and it's Friday!

Last time:
1. Take a measuring jug, or whatever jug that can be used. I find it really comfortable to use it.
2. Pour a bit of hot water in the jug to fill about 2cm from the bottom.
3. Fill the rest of the jug with normal water from tap.
4. Sprinkle half teaspoon of yeast, and stir.
5. Add one cup of sugar (that's 16 US tablespoons of sugar, according to google.com)
6. Stir till everything's dissolved.
7. Pour into bottle.
8. Fill 2cm of hot water again, fill with tap water for the rest and add 16 tablespoons of sugar only this time. Stir till everything's dissolved.
9. Add to bottle. At this time, the level of water inside the bottle is exactly before the curve of the bottle starts.

At next batch changing day, this is what I plan to do:
1. use the same jug.
2. Fill it all with tap water only, no more hot water.
3. Pour in 16 tablespoons of sugar, stir till all is dissolved.
4. Fill in the bottle.
5. Repeat steps 2-4.
6. Take a bit of normal tap water, around 2cm in the jug, and add half teaspoon of yeast. Dissolve by stirring.
7. Add to bottle. No shakes.

How's that?

[timebomb]

At next batch changing day, this is what I plan to do:
1. use the same jug.
2. Fill it all with tap water only, no more hot water.
3. Pour in 16 tablespoons of sugar, stir till all is dissolved.

Annette, I think you will find that no matter how long you stir, it's very difficult to dissolve all the sugar if you don't boil the water. It's important that all the sugar is dissolved. If not, the solution won't produce CO2 for very long. I've heard that some people can get the solution to produce CO2 for 2 weeks. When I was using mine, the CO2 usually lasts for about 10 days.

Loh K L

[virce]

Will do that, Mr. Loh. I guess my tank will have to do without CO2 for a while. Have to wait for the sugar solution to cool first before adding yeast. I don't want to risk anything this time.

Thanks for all your help!

[virce]

Success! After taking out the reactor to dislodge anything that snuck up to the spirals, I made those new batches... first by making lukewarm water to mix the sugar well, dissolve *everything* - I added about 1 and half cup of sugar, then take normal temp water and threw in half teaspoon of yeast and one teaspoon of baking soda.

I'm seeing bubbles now as I speak. *happy* Thanks, you guys!