C02 Calculator ~ Calculate How Long to Run your CO2 Tank

Offmymeds

Well-Known Member
The best method for me was to play with it. I got the cheapest monitor I could find which was still over $100. I then barely opened the tank valve & flow regulator so that the flow just registred, probably less than a 1 on the flow meter. I then used a smart plug to open the regulator for 10 seconds. I let the room stabilize for a few minutes & check the monitor & simply added more open time as needed. Easy peasy, quick & accurate.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Hi all. With this do you need to buy a gauge for your co2 tank? Or can you just open the valve and let er fill the room up?
I did that with a tank I got at a garage sale and now that have a CO2 controller I can see the levels realize I was using way too much each time and probably hitting over 10Kppm each time I did it and wasted most of it.

My little alcohol lamp can keep it close to 1500ppm using only 100 - 150ml of methyl hydrate a day. Wanna buy a controller? :)

:peace:
 

EvilJ

Well-Known Member
What if a portion of my grow space (outside of the tent) has multiple storage containers. Am I correct that I need to deduct some square footage soon mice some volume of the room is taken up?
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
What if a portion of my grow space (outside of the tent) has multiple storage containers. Am I correct that I need to deduct some square footage soon mice some volume of the room is taken up?
If there's lots but might want to deduct cubic footage instead. H x W x L = CF.

:peace:
 

VincenzioVonHook

Well-Known Member
Just throw your grow op in a meeting room at work, or have heavy breathers as friends lol. We were doing air quality testing at TAFE the other day and found that meeting rooms with a handful of people can reach 1700-2500ppm over the course of a meeting. A closed room of friends with little circulation tested over 1100ppm after a short social gathering.

Explains why cognitive decline sets in so quickly during afternoon work meetings.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Explains why cognitive decline sets in so quickly during afternoon work meetings.
That's a blood sugar thing. Even at 10,000 ppm it has no effect on human cognition.

I had my CO2 meter on in the grow room but no CO2 added except for my breathing and I wasn't doing any heavy lifting but it was up to 1250 after less than half an hour with the grow light on so the plants were using it. My little alcohol lamp keeps it up to 1500+ for about 125ml of methyl hydrate a day. $10 for a 4L jug so good enough. I should sell my controller and flow gauge w solenoid.

:peace:
 

bird dog

Well-Known Member
A helpful thread for me, My tent is 4'x4'x6.5' and I'm using COBs. With no circulation and 400W of COBs, the temp never goes over 82 degrees. I keep the doors closed except when feeding/watering. I've got one of the solenoid regulator/valves for a CO2 tank, this model: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydroponics-Extoic-Injection-System-Regulator-Grow-Room-Flow-Meter-Control-CO2-/331550956367?hash=item4d31fa1b4f:g:MScAAOSwrklVUWTg It works perfectly, I couldn't ask for a better regulator.

What I'm not sure is, seeing as I'm not venting my tent, most of the CO2 will stay inside except for what leaks through the zipper and out the closed up vent holes in the bottom. How often would I likely need to have CO2 come in via a timer and what setting? Using the calculator at the beginning of the thread it says for my tent and at .5 CFM, it says to leave it on for 13.9 minutes.

What I'm needing to know is how many times a day I would need to have it come on for those 13.9 minutes? If I leave it on for the 12 hours solid, that would run the tank out in about 700 hours. I could leave it on 12 hours solid for a month at that rate but I'm guessing that would be a waste of CO2, so how often a day, while the light is on, would I need to have a timer turn the CO2 flow back on for those 14 minutes? I'm guessing maybe 5-6 times but that's a total guess.

Thanks!
Your tent setup and your maintenance sounds similar to mine. I have learned that air movement is critical and promotes stronger plants. If your tent is like mine, it has a 10" vent hole on the roof and two smaller duct size vents at the bottom. I bring the air in from the top and vent it back out with two duct fans. HPS with my mix on feeding. Good luck grower!
 

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Chbronco

Member
http://www.controlwizardproducts.com/proddetail.php?prod=EL500

Buy yourself one of these. Best investment Ever. They are fairly cheap too. Its a cooling thermostat. You plug your fan into the thermostat, and set the thermo to the temp you want. When it reaches that temp, the thermostat kicks in power and your exhaust fans turn on.

Seeing that you would be paying for c02, your not going to want to run your exhaust all day and lose the c02. Set up your exhaust on a cooling thermometer and it will only kick it when it gets to
 

Chbronco

Member
Umm have you heard of global warming? CO2 is higher now than ever before in earth's history, due to man's burning of massive amounts of hydrocarbons...if anything, plants are better off now than ever in terms of available CO2 availability
No it isn't when plants ruled it was way higher, look it up I agree that man is contributing but not to the extent its make to be.In a long time there will be another ice age probably a comet or asteroid in between and after. Cycle of life for this rock till the sun goes out.
 

bk78

Well-Known Member
No it isn't when plants ruled it was way higher, look it up I agree that man is contributing but not to the extent its make to be.In a long time there will be another ice age probably a comet or asteroid in between and after. Cycle of life for this rock till the sun goes out.
He hadn’t logged on in 12 years
 

Rahz

Well-Known Member
I started out using a manifold, mechanical controller and repeat cycle timer. Eventually I switched to digital and the tanks started lasting at least twice as long as before. It would have been good to know what the CO2 levels were with the mechanical setup, but for the price of a CO2 meter it didn't make sense. Probably would have been best to just go straight to digital. It's paid for itself in CO2 alone.

I had a guy at the grow store do the calculations for me with the original setup. Perhaps his math was bad. But if you can't measure your CO2 levels, how do you know?
 
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