CO2, and how readily available it is..

DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
I just installed a propane CO2 generator. Before install, I sealed everything up, intake, exhaust, just to see where the numbers were. After hooking up the Spartan controller, I saw my ~400 (average atmospheric ppm) of CO2 go from ~400 to 260. The Propane installer came the next day and installed the line and hooked up my Ares 8 burner. I have it set at 1200 ppm with a deadband of 100. When the level gets to 1199, the burners will kick in and burn for about 4 and a half minutes to reach 1300. It will then float up to around 1350 and then back down to 1199 over the course of an hour or so. We had 3 people in the 20x30 room yesterday larfing and cleaning up some overgrowth, and the Ares 8 had just kicked off when we went in there to work. We were in there for 2 hours, and the system never kick on at all.. Matter of fact, with just 3 people in there breathing, it went from 1335ppm to 1561 without any assistance from the system. So, I guess it's true when they say talking to your plants is good for them.... but only if you're in a sealed room. Classrooms of schools have readings of ~3000ppm, submarines are 7000-8000ppm. Anywho... just some interesting stuff. If you are on a budget, have 7 peeps show up to your grow and just breathe for a few hours everyday LOL!
 
Keesje

Keesje

Well-Known Member
Advice: When working in the room, turn it off for a while.

Where I live for example, the maximum in a classroom is 1200 by law. 1000 is the max for schoolinspectors.
In offices it is also 1200 and only if there are some special circumstances, you are allowed to go temporarily to 1500.
And: All these numbers are the max. It does not mean it is healthy to work in such circumstances.
Already working in environments with 1000/1200 for a long time can lead to problems with concentration.
 
DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
Keesje said:
Advice: When working in the room, turn it off for a while.

Where I live for example, the maximum in a classroom is 1200 by law. 1000 is the max for schoolinspectors.
In offices it is also 1200 and only if there are some special circumstances, you are allowed to go temporarily to 1500.
And: All these numbers are the max. It does not mean it is healthy to work in such circumstances.
Already working in environments with 1000/1200 for a long time can lead to problems with concentration.
Click to expand...
OSHA states that max exposure is 5000ppm per 8 hour work day. I would assume this would be in places like car dealership shop areas, etc. So 12-1300 for a couple hours a day seems safe to me. I already have trouble concentrating :p
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
I think we can handle 1200 PPM while working in the room. I have been running CO2 for the last 25 years or so out of 30 growing and haven't had issues yet. If it was 2000+ I would vent to push it out.
 
EvilScotsm@n

EvilScotsm@n

Well-Known Member
Interesting thread though. I had no idea there were co2 legislations in the working environment. Not something that's ever crossed my mind but I'm curious now so gonna go see what Scots law says about it.
Our working regs are fuckin mental so there's bound to be something regarding it.
Would be interesting to see how the laws compare geographically.
 
DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
I was a little concerned myself as i put this propane burner in a sealed up 20x30 room, but after reading more and more about it, it seems like a safe level. Hell, the streets of NY prob read 4000ppm. I know I would not be comfortable in a submarine at 7000-8000 for months at a time. I spend 90% of my time outside in the countryside during the spring, summer and fall, so I aint worried about spending 2-3 hours a day in 1200ppm. Even on the lower end when it was at 261 before the installer showed up, me and my dad were in the room talking for about 20 min and it came up to 365ppm...almost average atmospheric readings.
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
DoubleAtotheRON said:
I was a little concerned myself as i put this propane burner in a sealed up 20x30 room, but after reading more and more about it, it seems like a safe level. Hell, the streets of NY prob read 4000ppm. I know I would not be comfortable in a submarine at 7000-8000 for months at a time. I spend 90% of my time outside in the countryside during the spring, summer and fall, so I aint worried about spending 2-3 hours a day in 1200ppm. Even on the lower end when it was at 261 before the installer showed up, me and my dad were in the room talking for about 20 min and it came up to 365ppm...almost average atmospheric readings.
Click to expand...
Most people would likely be surprised at the CO2 levels in their homes, especially older homes that lacked any sort of fresh air intake and were sealed up over the years by home owners adding insulation, siding, windows.
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
I bet!.. can you imagine the amount that was in that capsule?.. Bottom line is IF you do have a CO2 generator, make sure your room is air tight!.. I opened the door to the processing room where we have moms and seedlings growing, and the unit ran for a long time to make up for the lack of CO2 in there.... I love this science shit.
 
710in780

710in780

Member
DoubleAtotheRON said:
I just installed a propane CO2 generator. Before install, I sealed everything up, intake, exhaust, just to see where the numbers were. After hooking up the Spartan controller, I saw my ~400 (average atmospheric ppm) of CO2 go from ~400 to 260. The Propane installer came the next day and installed the line and hooked up my Ares 8 burner. I have it set at 1200 ppm with a deadband of 100. When the level gets to 1199, the burners will kick in and burn for about 4 and a half minutes to reach 1300. It will then float up to around 1350 and then back down to 1199 over the course of an hour or so. We had 3 people in the 20x30 room yesterday larfing and cleaning up some overgrowth, and the Ares 8 had just kicked off when we went in there to work. We were in there for 2 hours, and the system never kick on at all.. Matter of fact, with just 3 people in there breathing, it went from 1335ppm to 1561 without any assistance from the system. So, I guess it's true when they say talking to your plants is good for them.... but only if you're in a sealed room. Classrooms of schools have readings of ~3000ppm, submarines are 7000-8000ppm. Anywho... just some interesting stuff. If you are on a budget, have 7 peeps show up to your grow and just breathe for a few hours everyday LOL!
Click to expand...
Just having your grow tent in your bedroom like I do with two people sleeping in it. PPM for c02 does get quite high at around 1000 or so. Now how much effect it has on growth compared to sealed rooms keeping constant c02 levels I do not know. I can see the difference from when my tent was in the basement with no one sleeping in it. Surprising difference. Im nowhere near ready to try my hand at c02 in a grow but the results look enticing lol.
 
DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
710in780 said:
Just having your grow tent in your bedroom like I do with two people sleeping in it. PPM for c02 does get quite high at around 1000 or so. Now how much effect it has on growth compared to sealed rooms keeping constant c02 levels I do not know. I can see the difference from when my tent was in the basement with no one sleeping in it. Surprising difference. Im nowhere near ready to try my hand at c02 in a grow but the results look enticing lol.
Click to expand...
It's real man. Doesn't surprise me that you're getting better results in a room with people sleeping in it. That's a good 8 hours of high CO2 levels... just shut the door tho!
 
Keesje

Keesje

Well-Known Member
DoubleAtotheRON said:
OSHA states that max exposure is 5000ppm per 8 hour work day.
Click to expand...
Wow, different countries, different rules.
Where I live it would be shut immediately.

I also worked with CO2, and noticed that it got me a bit more tired if I didn't turn it off.
(But I have the same in a house that is not well ventilated.)
My generator ran on natural gas. Really cheap and not all he hassle with bottles etc.
The CO2 was sucked in at the backside of watercooled AC and then pushed out at the front through plastic tubes with holes in it.
The tubes were hanging in between rows of 600 W HPS lamps.
Holes were directed towards the plants.
This serves 2 purposes: It was like ventilation (because wind and cooled air came out), and the CO2 was directly at the plant.

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