Dual Stage Regulators

[Left C]

Are there many people using dual stage regulators for CO2 use? Some of the popular brands of dual (twin, two) stage regulators are Victor, Concoa, Matheson, Harris and others.

[tawauboy]

two stage regulators may not be necessary for aquaria use.
a single stage regulator is sufficient. some are using on/off valves; sold as manual regulators.

[herns]

two stage regulators may not be necessary for aquaria use.
a single stage regulator is sufficient. some are using on/off valves; sold as manual regulators.

I would prefer to use 2 stage regulator than single stage.

[michaeltoysss]

Single stage regulator will be more than enough

[herns]

Left C made a pimp club for dual stage regulators users in this forum.
This thread had an amazing 37,748 views, 1,186 replies and counting.
Check it out.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/eq...pimp-club.html

Here are two my U.S. made Dual Stage regulators.




This link shows the parts and how we build the dual stage regulators.
I dont think these parts are available in Singapore but you can take ideas out of these.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/eq...p-club-52.html

[herns]

Single stage regulator will be more than enough

I agree. But I heard a lot of feedbacks and reviews from users that most CO2 regulators for aquarium use in the market like Milwaukee, Red Sea, etc. doesnt last very long. That thread link I posted is very helpful. I just doubt if accessories, even regulators like the one I posted are available in Singapore market.

These two sites are famous in the states for Regulators accessories and assembly.

http://www.rexgrigg.com/
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/

[tawauboy]

are the dual stage regulators that you mentioned consists of the following;
a) a pressure regulator to reduce the cylinder pressure to a working pressure of 20-30psi
b) a needle valve to control co2 flow rate or bubble rate

if yes, then such systems are available in singapore. the brands that you mentioned may be rare in singapore but we do have brands like jbj, bioplast, dennerle and others.

[herns]

are the dual stage regulators that you mentioned consists of the following;
a) a pressure regulator to reduce the cylinder pressure to a working pressure of 20-30psi
b) a needle valve to control co2 flow rate or bubble rate

if yes, then such systems are available in singapore. the brands that you mentioned may be rare in singapore but we do have brands like jbj, bioplast, dennerle and others.

These are the few of the finest Neddle valves members used in that thread I posted.

Swagelok Needle valves.

Parker Metering Valves -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=350215833992

Ideal Metering Valves -

[herns]

Heres the dual stage regulator I assembled today hoping to share to those who wanted to build and use a killer regulator that would last a lifetime.

[oshgosh2008]

Dual stage regulators are used in the lab equipment for precision pressure control

As the cylinder depletes, the inlet pressure to the regulator decreases but due to the design and theory of application, the output pressure of the regulator will increase (not much) from the set pressure
Sensitive equipment cannot tolerate this and the use of a dual stage regulator is used to lessen the impact

For this hobby, it is absolutely unnecesary in my opinion. Additional cost and you do need the function and usually more bulky

[oshgosh2008]

typo in my last sentence, you do not need the function

regards

[Wahlin]

Dual stage regulators are used in the lab equipment for precision pressure control

As the cylinder depletes, the inlet pressure to the regulator decreases but due to the design and theory of application, the output pressure of the regulator will increase (not much) from the set pressure
Sensitive equipment cannot tolerate this and the use of a dual stage regulator is used to lessen the impact

For this hobby, it is absolutely unnecesary in my opinion. Additional cost and you do need the function and usually more bulky

If you want fine adjustment on bubble count, dual stages is the only way to go.

[Cross]

Mr Chan from na said solenoid regulators must use dual guage as it has a pressure reducer.

[kel1ng]

If you want fine adjustment on bubble count, dual stages is the only way to go.

sorry i can't really understand why u need dual stage regulator for fine adjustments of bubble counts.....maybe u could explain it more in detail what u meant.....
To me fine adjustments of bubbles really depends on the type of needle valve u use......dual stages regulators to me is just for the sake of safety, to regulate the CO2 outlet pressure to 60kg/cm2 (which is also very important) to prevent an over pressure of outlet pressure which can cause damage to your needle valves and down stream equipments ......if u really need to control the flowrate of CO2 to really very fine precesion, a control valve with pressure or flow feedback would be the equipments u would be looking for......just my 2 cents worth....

[kel1ng]

Mr Chan from na said solenoid regulators must use dual guage as it has a pressure reducer.

i m using a single guage regulator with solenoid for my CO2 injection for years......the pressure gauge on the single gauge regulator only reflects the oultet pressure which can be regulated by a step down regulator. the purpose for dual gauges is for monitoring both the pressure of the cylinder side and the pressure after the step down reglator.

[Wahlin]

sorry i can't really understand why u need dual stage regulator for fine adjustments of bubble counts.....maybe u could explain it more in detail what u meant.....
To me fine adjustments of bubbles really depends on the type of needle valve u use......dual stages regulators to me is just for the sake of safety, to regulate the CO2 outlet pressure to 60kg/cm2 (which is also very important) to prevent an over pressure of outlet pressure which can cause damage to your needle valves and down stream equipments ......if u really need to control the flowrate of CO2 to really very fine precesion, a control valve with pressure or flow feedback would be the equipments u would be looking for......just my 2 cents worth....

Thought dual stages regulator means pressure regulator ? Personnally, I have no luck adjusting 1-2 bps at 1000psi. But by adding a 100psi pressure reducing valve solved my problem.

[kel1ng]

Thought dual stages regulator means pressure regulator ? Personnally, I have no luck adjusting 1-2 bps at 1000psi. But by adding a 100psi pressure reducing valve solved my problem.

sorry bro wahlin......i was cofused with dual regulator and dual gauge......yes what you say is true.....

[Wahlin]

sorry bro wahlin......i was cofused with dual regulator and dual gauge......yes what you say is true.....

Haha you are confused again. Not dual regulator, just one pressure regulator will do the job of providing 2 pressure stages (one high and one low).

[kel1ng]

Haha you are confused again. Not dual regulator, just one pressure regulator will do the job of providing 2 pressure stages (one high and one low).

yes....the other pressure step down is by the needle valve......

[Left C]

Some people want to understand the differences between single and dual stage regulators a little more as well as how they work or don’t work in some cases. "End of tank dump" is explained even though that phrase is not mentioned.The following comes from a Matheson catalog. It is well written and easy to understand.


DUAL STAGE regulators reduce the source pressure down to the desired delivery pressure in two steps. Each stage consists of a spring, diaphragm, and control valve. The first stage reduces the inlet pressure to about three times the maximum working pressure. The final pressure reduction occurs in the second stage. The advantage of a dual stage regulator is its ability to deliver a constant pressure, even with a decrease in inlet pressure. For example, as a cylinder of gas is depleted, the cylinder pressure drops. Under these conditions, single stage regulators exhibit a “decaying inlet characteristic”; where the delivery pressure increases as a result of the decrease in inlet pressure. In a dual stage regulator, the second stage compensates for this increase, providing a constant delivery pressure regardless of inlet pressure conditions. The dual stage regulator is recommended for applications where a continuous supply of gas is required; such as the gas supplied to analytical instruments where constant delivery pressure is critical.

SINGLE STAGE regulators perform the same function as the two stage regulator using a single step reduction of source to outlet pressure. For this reason, the outlet pressure cannot be as accurately controlled as the source pressure decays. We highly recommend single stage regulators only be used in circumstances where the operator can monitor and adjust the regulator as needed or where the regulator is supplied a nearly constant source pressure.

Here is some additional information: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/eq...tml#post743710