Co2 leaking

[ahblue]

roughly how long should a 3l co2 tank last with 3-4bps ??
mine is connected to a solenoid valve and i used it for less then 2mths and the gauge shows the tank is empty already.
i've already tested for leaking but seems to be no problem...
could it be that my solenoid is spoilt??
it happened twice already.
pls help.
thanks

[zmzfam]

try turning on and off the electricity supply to the solenoid. if solenoid is working, you should hear the solenoid clicking on and off. If the valve is not functioning then it is a different story.

[tawauboy]

how did you test for leakage?
used soapy water to check at every joint?
what happened twice already? tank emptied twice or solenoid faulty twice?

meanwhile, try switching off the solenoid and check if co2 still flows after 2-3hrs. this should confirm whether the solenoid is the culprit.

[ahblue]

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On 3/31/2003 4:16:02 PM

how did you test for leakage?
used soapy water to check at every joint?
what happened twice already? tank emptied twice or solenoid faulty twice?

meanwhile, try switching off the solenoid and check if co2 still flows after 2-3hrs. this should confirm whether the solenoid is the culprit.
----------------

yup i used soapy water to test every joint with the help og loupgarou...not leaking leh...
it happened twice in the sense that the tank was emptied in less then 2mths after each refill.
when i put the plug in, i can hear a clicking sound made by the solenoid.
how??
anyway my tank's empty now..got to top up again...
anyone got SOXAL's address??
thanks

[tawauboy]

since there is clicking sound, just switch off the co2 supply.
wait 2-3 hours and see whether co2 still flow into your reactor/diffuser.

where did you top up previously?
maybe the top up is with co2 gas only, not liquid co2.
any idea what are the pressure reading of you tank?
should be at least 800++psi.

as for soxal address, do a search using the top right button.

[ahblue]

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On 3/31/2003 10:00:28 PM

since there is clicking sound, just switch off the co2 supply.
wait 2-3 hours and see whether co2 still flow into your reactor/diffuser.

where did you top up previously?
maybe the top up is with co2 gas only, not liquid co2.
any idea what are the pressure reading of you tank?
should be at least 800++psi.

as for soxal address, do a search using the top right button.
----------------

guess i no choice try again to search for leaking lor...
yup my pressure reading for the tank was ard 900++psi.
first topup was at bioplast, next one was at Yew Chong( ASIAPAC), kallang place there...
another qns, if the solenoid is spoilt, will it cos the co2 to leak out??

[PeterGwee]

If the solenoid is jammed in the "open" position...yes..the CO2 will "leak" out...sort of like a manual regulator without a solenoid running 24/7.

[elmike]

Hi tawauboy

Am I correct to understand that you can still manually bypass the solenoid even when its connected to the timer?? which means shutting off CO2 supply manually is an option for those without a solenoid unit? And this will not lead to a pressure build up in the cylinder with a potential for disaster (unlike DIY yeast mtd because of continued CO2 production)???

mike

[vinz]

Bypass? Not really in the sense that if the solenoid is not faulty and is not on, CO2 will not flow.

But yes, you can manually close the main valve and not worry about the pressure build up in the cylinder. The cylinder is designed to hold that kind of pressure... unless the refiller grossly overfilled your tank (which is unlikely), in which case solenoid or not, it's very dangerous.

Could be your regular refiller is not doing a good job of refilling the tank. You should see at least 900 PSI on one of the dials when it's so-called full. Best if its around 1000 psi.

[williamng]

Ah Blue

Did you put white tape before you screw on the solenoid valve. Maybe there is some leakage there. It happend to me when I 1st got my co2 tank. after putting white tape, co2 tank seems to last longer

[sherchoo]

3L tank is not exactly very big. Plus 3~4 bps would use up the gass quite quickly. A 5L tank of mine emptied out in 6~7months at 3bps. The inction time was 9 hrs.

[ahblue]

yuo, i got put white tape...
anyway i guess i'll refill my co2 tank again and try testing for any leakage again lor...
thanks everybody for their help.