Killer info for setting up a CO2 equipped grow room!

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
If that’s how your friends treat people when simply tagged then by all means, carry on. Sides chosen I guess as I see you’ve removed likes from anything you’ve liked of mine previously. Lol
I didn't go back and remove any likes which is possible but just don't give likes to posts I don't like. Just liked you in the Newbie Indoor Setup thread you made a positive post in.

I am not a vindictive person and don't renege on past likes. lol
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Once upon a time, the world had naturally much higher co2 levels. Our world hasn't ended... (global warming fanatics be damned)...
The world was much different then and you wouldn't have wanted to live there. Even a dog won't shit in his own back yard if he's free to go elsewhere so humanity is obviously dumber than your average dog. :D

We've dirtied our own backyard for much too long and are now in deep shit. Glad I won't be here to see it in 40 years! labrat.gif

:peace:
 

Hust17

Well-Known Member
I didn't go back and remove any likes which is possible but just don't give likes to posts I don't like. Just liked you in the Newbie Indoor Setup thread you made a positive post in.

I am not a vindictive person and don't renege on past likes. lol
Well it’s possible I’m mistaken and I apologize. I didn’t like how you said I like to stir the pot, I’ve done no such thing and only tried to be helpful around here except to the couple who made themselves known to me immediately as trolls. I will stick to the grow logs section from now on.
 

OzyM8

Well-Known Member
It doesn't take much to get CO2 up there.

A couple of years back I bought a CO2 controller with the idea of getting a bottle for it. I have the solenoid but then found out a large bottle is over $250 to get at first then another $125 for refills. I had bought a bottle at a yard sale on a farm and we were using it to gas roosters and even our old cat that came down with something awful. Turns out the bottles are rented and I probably bought a stolen one or at least one that I'd have to return for free.

Anyway I just plugged the controller in to see how much CO2 I got just working in the room and it was up to 1250 in half an hour or so. Then I tried a candle and in 20 min it was hitting 1500+. My controller just has led lights that indicate ppm. Goes from 1000 to 1500 and blinks if lower or higher. Ultra Simple CO2 controller from GroZone but was still almost $300. Canadian made too.

I made an alcohol lamp with a mason jar that I drilled a hole in the lid and soldered in a short 3/8" piece of copper tubing and pushed a tiki torch wick thru. Made a 2 wick one as well but both got the ppm up over 1500 in a short time so was running up and down the stairs to light and put out the fire every 20 min or so. Then I made one with 3/16" tubing and a cotton shoelace and it can run all day using only 150 - 200ml of methyl hydrate per day and keeps the CO2 up around 1250 easy enough. $10 for a 4L jug so get 20 days use out of a jug. $15/mth and I don't use it all the time.

The author of that article says he doesn't use it during the stretch as it promotes stretch. I don't agree with that as I mostly ScroG and that's a huge growth spurt when the plant can use lots of extra CO2 and extra stretch isn't a problem. I do actual ScroGs where I'm tying down everything that grows up until stretch is over. Not just putting a screen in with colas towering over the screen. That's not a ScroG, just screen supported stems.

It's cool down there so with anything short of a 1000W HPS my exhaust fan may not come on all day so if I have lots of green in there it soon depletes all the ambient CO2 and growths slows to a crawl or stops completely so extra CO2 is needed. The room is only 360 cubic feet and I'm running a 600W hps in there now for one ScroGed plant but will be adding more plants soon.

:peace:
Re the CO2 use or not in stretch: it’s up to the grower for what they are trying to achieve, promote, or not promote. It’s just another “tool in the shed”, like manipulating lights on and lights off temperature differences as an example. However 100% required for photosynthesis.
CO2 use can be beneficial during all stages for different reasons...I.e running a sealed room and really dialling in the environment. Ex: it’s 38C and 35% RH outside and you’re in veg or start of stretch. Do you want to be constant air exchange? No. However you could use your enviro controls and then just supplement CO2 at near ambient levels. Yes.
 
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OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Re the CO2 use or not in stretch: it’s up to the grower for what they are trying to achieve, promote, or not promote. It’s just another “tool in the shed”, like manipulating lights on and lights off temperature differences as an example.
CO2 use can be beneficial during all stages for different reasons...I.e running a sealed room and really dialling in the environment. Ex: it’s 38C and 35% RH outside and you’re in veg or start of stretch. Do you want to be constant air exchange? No. However you could use your enviro controls and then just supplement CO2 at near ambient levels. Yes.
I'm still planning on setting up a sealed grow room. Need a dual hose portable AC unit as it's too cold here for a mini-split in the winter. The AC unit does dehuey duty as well and costs the same as the same BTU mini-split. Single hose unit uses room air to cool it's parts but the dual hose draws outside air for that and sends it out the 2nd hose so no room air is lost. Hard to find in winter and I don't have a spare G-note atm either. ;)

Not sure how much longer we'll be living here so not that eager to get deeper into this right now. Already spent around 3G on gear the last 3 years.

New 8" inline fan and adapter on the way via amazon. The VISA card has taken quite a beating the last little while. :(

:peace:
 

Old Newb

Active Member
CO2? Wow, you folks are pretty hard core if you are venturing into that kind of stuff. It's too bad you couldn't somehow suck air in from outside, or even from within your house (or wherever your setup is). Plenty of CO2 out there for sure. Just ask the climate change nuts.

The only CO2 I dealt with was for carbonating my beer :cool:
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
CO2? Wow, you folks are pretty hard core if you are venturing into that kind of stuff. It's too bad you couldn't somehow suck air in from outside, or even from within your house (or wherever your setup is). Plenty of CO2 out there for sure. Just ask the climate change nuts.

The only CO2 I dealt with was for carbonating my beer :cool:
Go big or go home! ;)

When you can't move fresh air in you have to give them what they need. Climate control in the grow room is job 1.
 

2com

Well-Known Member
Anyway I just plugged the controller in to see how much CO2 I got just working in the room and it was up to 1250 in half an hour or so. Then I tried a candle and in 20 min it was hitting 1500+. My controller just has led lights that indicate ppm. Goes from 1000 to 1500 and blinks if lower or higher. Ultra Simple CO2 controller from GroZone but was still almost $300. Canadian made too.

I made an alcohol lamp with a mason jar that I drilled a hole in the lid and soldered in a short 3/8" piece of copper tubing and pushed a tiki torch wick thru. Made a 2 wick one as well but both got the ppm up over 1500 in a short time so was running up and down the stairs to light and put out the fire every 20 min or so. Then I made one with 3/16" tubing and a cotton shoelace and it can run all day using only 150 - 200ml of methyl hydrate per day and keeps the CO2 up around 1250 easy enough. $10 for a 4L jug so get 20 days use out of a jug. $15/mth and I don't use it all the time.
That's pretty cool, man.
Thanks for sharing.
 

2com

Well-Known Member
Yeah, if you sleep in the same room as your grow, co2 is pointless Imo. I'm glad I figured that out within the return window of my purchases :cool: :P
Nice one, haha. I definitely want a monitor, to see what's going on, before I'd get/recommend getting co2 tanks or a burner. Good call.
 

LarsVegasNirvana

Well-Known Member
Nice one, haha. I definitely want a monitor, to see what's going on, before I'd get/recommend getting co2 tanks or a burner. Good call.
I got a $27 air quality monitor from walmart.com. It told me that I have elevated CO2 levels, but not elevated enough for it not to be worth installing a CO2 system.
 

LarsVegasNirvana

Well-Known Member
My eyebrows always raise when someone argues that you need to keep your flower room at low RH. The study he links to is cherry picked, and not at all representative of the scientific consensus.

Here is a more recent study on a different species that shows the exact opposite:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304423889900782

"It is concluded that increased plant growth resulting from increased RH might be caused by an increase in stomatal aperture which in turn facilitates CO2 absorption and utilization."
 

LarsVegasNirvana

Well-Known Member
It's battery powered so you can set it on top of your lights and read it through the window of your tent. It also has an average ppm reading so if you don't have a window you can just check it periodically by unzipping the tent.

If you plug it into a 5v USB you can just leave it running 24/7 in your tent. Might be cool to do a time-lapse with a webcam or something.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
My eyebrows always raise when someone argues that you need to keep your flower room at low RH. The study he links to is cherry picked, and not at all representative of the scientific consensus.

Here is a more recent study on a different species that shows the exact opposite:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0304423889900782

"It is concluded that increased plant growth resulting from increased RH might be caused by an increase in stomatal aperture which in turn facilitates CO2 absorption and utilization."
What is important with RH is the Vapour Pressure Deficit. Keeping the RH in the right zone maximizes growth potential.

VPDinStages.gif
 
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