CO2 Generator With Sentinel CHHC-1 and 4x4 Tent

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Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Hello all, have a couple of questions for anyone familiar with generators - thinking of ordering this one in a couple of days, but had some questions first:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAP-GEN-1-CO2-GENERATOR-BURNER_W0QQitemZ360205409854QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53ddea5e3e

Now, I currently have 3 20# CO2 tanks (with a regulator, obviously - check out my journal for pics and more info, if you're interested), and the PPMs are controlled by my Sentinel, keeping my tent at a steady 1500PPMs while the lights are on.

Go through about three tanks a month and don't want to go through the hassle (and shadiness) of refilling them once a month, so I'm going to a use a propane generator.

So, my questions are as follows:

1) How does the CO2 flow out of the generator? Is there a way to connect the tubing to it, or does it just escape from the generator willy nilly?

2) If it does escape from the generator willy nilly, how would I pump it into my tent in any controlled fashion using my Sentinel? If anyone has dealt with this problem and has pics, would love them.

3) Do I need any parts other then the generator and a propane tank? Excluding ducting (if I need to jury rig something together), because I have ducting galore.

That's it for now, +rep to anyone who's got some input for me.

Thanks for your time, appreciate it.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
By the way, another question was if it was worth the extra $50 to get the electronic ignition feature - for some reason, I'd think a pilot would be more dependable (just going off of my barbecue experience - seems like the electronic ignition always seem to break on barbecues, so I'd assume the same would happen on a CO2 generator, no?

Any input on electronic ignitions for generators (good or bad) is greatly appreciated.
 
torontoone

torontoone

Well-Known Member
Um, a CO2 generator is nothing more than gas heater. There is NO WAY a sentinal unit will work in a 4x4 tent. The heat would be enormous. I have this exact setup in a 20x20 room and it causes heat issues.

You have to place the generator IN the room. There is no way to "Pump" it.

Stick to the bottles.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
torontoone said:
Um, a CO2 generator is nothing more than gas heater. There is NO WAY a sentinal unit will work in a 4x4 tent. The heat would be enormous. I have this exact setup in a 20x20 room and it causes heat issues.

Stick to the bottles.
Click to expand...
EDIT: I didn't explain very well. I have a 20x10 garage, and the 4x4 tent (as well as a 2x4 veg tent) are both inside of it. I was planning on having the generator next to the tent, and having a way to pump the CO2 into the tent, while keeping the generator in the general garage area. As it's wintertime around here now, I'm 100% sure that heat will not be an issue until at least March or April.

I think you're missing the gist of the question - I was planning on having the generator outside of the tent, and having the CO2 get pumped into the tent.

And the Sentinel is my atmospheric controller, the generator would be the CAP Gen-1, which produces anywhere from 3-12K BTUs if constantly run for an hour.

As it is right now, I have a heater in my temp to keeps temps up, as it's only ~55F in my garage.

And there's no way I'm sticking to the bottles, although I appreciate your input - I'm sure others have run generators with tents, and I'm curious how they've done it.

+rep for you, though.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Well, I went ahead and bought it, so now we're gonna have to figure out how to "pump it into the room".

Would building a wooden box around it work, with airholes at the bottom for passive intake, and an inline fan attached to a hole at the top work?

Figure I'd hook both the fan and the generator up to the Sentinel, so the generator would fire on, and the inline fan would pull the CO2 enriched air from the box and into my tent - with the passive intake at the bottom, there would (theoretically) be enough oxygen for the generator to continue working, correct?

Besides burning the block down if I didn't do it correctly, can anyone think of any reason that this wouldn't work? Would the box get too hot and the CO2 enriched air be crazy hot when I pumped it into the tent?

Never used a generator, so anyone who has and can see a flaw with this logic, please chime in.

Thanks much.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Bump?

Anybody ever run a generator outside of their grow room and pumped the CO2 in somehow?

Throw me a bone here............
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Generator's getting delivered tomorrow, so I need to run it for a bit and see if my vision fits its reality, but my plan right now is this:

Gonna build a plywood box around the generator with 6" flange up top and many 1.5" holes drilled around the bottom for intake.

Going to have a 4" inline fan (170CFM) mounted on the ceiling, and have them both hooked up to my Sentinel, so when the generator's on, the fan will be as well, keeping the heat down in the box and somewhat mitigating the fire risk.

I'm also going to have my CO2 and "Cooling" functions on my Sentinel set so that my exhaust can run when my CO2 is running (because not too worried about waste with a generator) - figure the CO2 enriched air will be kinda warm, so wanna let the tent be able to cool while also being CO2 enriched.

Going to get a fire extinguisher and mount it above the box, one of the ones that automatically dispenses if it hits 155F.

Anyone have any thoughts/issues regarding this?

BTW, the tubing is going to be about 20 feet from the generator to the tent - purposefully making it as long as possible to:

1) minimize the strength of the fan and therefore the positive pressure, letting as little smells as possible escape

2) hopefully let some of the heat dissipate whilst still retaining all of the CO2.

Questions, comments, criticisms, and ideas always appreciated.
 
D

drywall

Active Member
propane burns consuming O2 and produces CO2 therefore you need a supply of oxygen or your propane cannot burn. my first idea would be to enclose the burner in a metal cabinet (don't use wood it will burn) with holes in the top equipped with downward facing fans to force O2 into the chamber then run tubes from the bottom of the cabinet to your room. a sentinel will control your burner but don't use the fuzzy logic mode. if my plan works the generator should burn and slowly fill the chamber although CO2 is heavier and falls to the floor the initial heat will cause it to rise. hopefully the downforce created by the fans will keep it in the chamber where once cooled it can travel through the tubes and into your room. just a thought im no pro
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
what is the heat like? I am also looking at a one burner for a room that has a tent. I am far off but knowing that heat would help me out. Ty.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
Drywall, seems like I have that problem licked for the time being, but I'll post pics and my setup once I'm sure.

Tea tree, heading off to Home Depot right now to get a couple tanks of propane, will let you know later.
 
laserbrn

laserbrn

Well-Known Member
Bob Smith said:
A 20lb. tank of CO2 lasts me a week @1500PPMs; a 20lb. propane tank should last me a few months, at least.

My journal has the numbers broken down for you.
Click to expand...
This is still very silly. You are going to put a propane burner/co2 generator OUTSIDE of a 4x4 tent and rig up a way to pump it into the tent?

I think you may have lost your mind a bit here. Is there a lack of fresh air in your grow space? I would not suggest putting a HOT propane BURNER in a wooden box.

The only way that I can see this working (which is still silly) would be to build a room to put it in. Not a little box, as big a room as possible. Have a controller keep that room at say 3000ppm, then have the controller for your tent pump that air in to maintain the 1500ppm your are looking for. But the whole thing you realize is fuckin' retarded for a 4x4 tent right?

Have you completed a grow in this tent WITHOUT Co2?

Have you completed a grow in this tent with your current bottle setup?

Why are you going through all of this when you don't know what the potential gain is? I'm tellin you, it's not going to work miracles in a 4x4 space for you compared with a source a fresh air.

The poster on the first page with a 20x20 space....a burner in the space makes sense. Running Co2 makes sense. 'Nigga Riggin' a propane burner for a tiny tent is just plain silly. Could've bought new lights and bigger tents. Could've gone away from the tents and used the entire garage, so many ways to improve your yield compared to what you are trying right now. Just plain sillyness.

I'm not tryin' to dig at ya, I'm trying to put it in perspective. How much have you spent on Co2 supplementation already? On the Sentinel controller, the tanks, the refills all of it? Was any of it worth it for a 4x4 tent? Anyone else think this is just plain crazy?
 
regrets

regrets

Well-Known Member
May be too late but I have a few points that may help. First off absolutely do not build the box out of plywood, major fire hazard, even if your fire extinguisher works you will have ruined the box anyhow and soaked your generator (with electronic ignition). Also if I were you I would concentrate on building the box as large as you can to ensure that the cfm's aren't swirling air to the point that either the flame is constantly blown out or you re sucking in with it such high levels of air that your system can't get the ppms up properly. Also it is a terrible idea to have your exhaust running during the hours the generator is on, this will run through tremendous amounts of propane and you will be back at the store refilling your tank weekly. If your garage is cool anyhow, and probably getting cooler as the winter progresses the heat from your generator may be a welcome side effect for the flowering chamber, especially since your plants work better with co2 when the temps are higher (mid 80's is no problem). Good luck with everything, and let us know how this works out.
 
regrets

regrets

Well-Known Member
To laserbrn- Most people don't have the ability to just fill their garage or any prt of there house for that matter with lights and plants (Maybe you live in a land without cops, neighbors or family, but we can't all be that lucky.). For whatever reason the size of his set up allows for a 4x4 tent solely dedicated to flowering, not tiny by any means. Since he is confined to this space I'm sure he wants to get the most out of the area he has, in my opinion co2 is always a welcome addition to a well thought out grow. So long as it's done safely and properly it should pay itself off in the long run, though I agree that it may take a bit longer to pay off in this size space. But that is not his question.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
laserbrn said:
This is still very silly. You are going to put a propane burner/co2 generator OUTSIDE of a 4x4 tent and rig up a way to pump it into the tent?

I think you may have lost your mind a bit here. Is there a lack of fresh air in your grow space? I would not suggest putting a HOT propane BURNER in a wooden box.

The only way that I can see this working (which is still silly) would be to build a room to put it in. Not a little box, as big a room as possible. Have a controller keep that room at say 3000ppm, then have the controller for your tent pump that air in to maintain the 1500ppm your are looking for. But the whole thing you realize is fuckin' retarded for a 4x4 tent right?

Have you completed a grow in this tent WITHOUT Co2?

Have you completed a grow in this tent with your current bottle setup?

Why are you going through all of this when you don't know what the potential gain is? I'm tellin you, it's not going to work miracles in a 4x4 space for you compared with a source a fresh air.

The poster on the first page with a 20x20 space....a burner in the space makes sense. Running Co2 makes sense. 'Nigga Riggin' a propane burner for a tiny tent is just plain silly. Could've bought new lights and bigger tents. Could've gone away from the tents and used the entire garage, so many ways to improve your yield compared to what you are trying right now. Just plain sillyness.

I'm not tryin' to dig at ya, I'm trying to put it in perspective. How much have you spent on Co2 supplementation already? On the Sentinel controller, the tanks, the refills all of it? Was any of it worth it for a 4x4 tent? Anyone else think this is just plain crazy?
Click to expand...
Well, in regards to your query, I'm probably in the hole about 1.5 stacks on my CO2 setup right now (not a big deal, make that in a day playing online poker).

And I've actually revised my plan, because I found a perfect ducting part from Home Depot which fits the generator like a glove - it's just going to be hanging from a cross beam, and the 4" inline will be sucking the CO2 from it and pumping it into my grow tent; FYI, trying to get this system down before I expand to an 8x4 tent, so that it's all running well by the time that expansion comes.

Anyways, you probably have a point in that spending this much time and effort on this is not very cost effective, but I'm an unemployed bond trader, so I've got tons of time and more then enough money, so I want to do this the right way - definitely using CO2 (non-negotiable), and lugging and hiding 20lb. tanks in towels is not a very good option anymore.

Anyways, long story short, it should be up and running by tomorrow at the latest, so I'll let you guys know how it goes - I appreciate your input.
 
laserbrn

laserbrn

Well-Known Member
regrets said:
To laserbrn- Most people don't have the ability to just fill their garage or any prt of there house for that matter with lights and plants (Maybe you live in a land without cops, neighbors or family, but we can't all be that lucky.). For whatever reason the size of his set up allows for a 4x4 tent solely dedicated to flowering, not tiny by any means. Since he is confined to this space I'm sure he wants to get the most out of the area he has, in my opinion co2 is always a welcome addition to a well thought out grow. So long as it's done safely and properly it should pay itself off in the long run, though I agree that it may take a bit longer to pay off in this size space. But that is not his question.
Click to expand...
You're joking right? Somehow he can only fit a 4x4 tent, but he's going to build a giant box for a co2 burner? That's going to take up space that could've been used for plants and lights. Other than the bottle method (that poses security risks with the lugging of bottles) there's not a way this is more efficient than more space and lights.
 
laserbrn

laserbrn

Well-Known Member
Bob Smith said:
Well, in regards to your query, I'm probably in the hole about 1.5 stacks on my CO2 setup right now (not a big deal, make that in a day playing online poker).

And I've actually revised my plan, because I found a perfect ducting part from Home Depot which fits the generator like a glove - it's just going to be hanging from a cross beam, and the 4" inline will be sucking the CO2 from it and pumping it into my grow tent; FYI, trying to get this system down before I expand to an 8x4 tent, so that it's all running well by the time that expansion comes.

Anyways, you probably have a point in that spending this much time and effort on this is not very cost effective, but I'm an unemployed bond trader, so I've got tons of time and more then enough money, so I want to do this the right way - definitely using CO2 (non-negotiable), and lugging and hiding 20lb. tanks in towels is not a very good option anymore.

Anyways, long story short, it should be up and running by tomorrow at the latest, so I'll let you guys know how it goes - I appreciate your input.
Click to expand...
Well good luck. Doesn't sound very safe. You could try getting the entire garage to 1500ppm at all times and seal it up if it's nice and cool all of the time. I'm just trying to see a way where it's efficient and not dangerous.
 
B

Bob Smith

Well-Known Member
regrets said:
May be too late but I have a few points that may help. First off absolutely do not build the box out of plywood, major fire hazard, even if your fire extinguisher works you will have ruined the box anyhow and soaked your generator (with electronic ignition). Also if I were you I would concentrate on building the box as large as you can to ensure that the cfm's aren't swirling air to the point that either the flame is constantly blown out or you re sucking in with it such high levels of air that your system can't get the ppms up properly. Also it is a terrible idea to have your exhaust running during the hours the generator is on, this will run through tremendous amounts of propane and you will be back at the store refilling your tank weekly. If your garage is cool anyhow, and probably getting cooler as the winter progresses the heat from your generator may be a welcome side effect for the flowering chamber, especially since your plants work better with co2 when the temps are higher (mid 80's is no problem). Good luck with everything, and let us know how this works out.
Click to expand...
Will do man, and the box is no longer in the plans - lemme go take a pic for you and show you what I'm thinking:

DSCN1025.jpgDSCN1026.jpg

Here's a pic of the ducting piece I picked up last night - fits like a glove on the opening of the generator - FYI, there's an identical opening on the other side as well as an open bottom, so oxygen depletion should not be an issue - also not going to have it fit flush with the generator, going to have it an inch or two off of it to make sure not to put the pilot lights out.

DSCN1027.jpgDSCN1028.jpg

And here's a couple more pics - the description said that it only came wiwth one burner, but that looks like four burners to me, no? I don't really know, in all honesty.......
 
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