CO2 Canister Generator for 4x8 Tent Using Bicarb Soda + Citric Acid

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cancerkiller

Well-Known Member
RockStonedJesus said:
Hey all,

I started doing some research late last night with regards to CO2 generators, and found many different threads with plenty of opinions, and only a couple regarding these metal CO2 canisters which you simply mix Citric Acid, Baking Soda and water to complete the reaction. Quickly sealing the canister will allow the build-up of CO2 over the course of a few minutes to a few hours.

View attachment 4928275

I guess my question is - Has anyone used these, and can you vouch for them over alternative methods? There are plenty of other ways to generate and produce CO2, however, most are either expensive in the long run (Such as Exhale bags), or potentially dangerous for an indoor grow (Butane/LPG burners).

I am yet to do my own due diligence and research further into this topic, though I wanted to hear some fresh thoughts on these canisters - I was thinking of purchasing two 2L canisters, placing one in each half of the 4x8 tent. I believe these can produce up to 70-100 Grams of CO2, though I'm not sure if that's much at all? I also came across a useful YouTube video that might be beneficial - in said video is a response from a Reddit user who broke down the methodology to the madness, and provided accurate mixtures to get the optimal reaction from the CO2 bottles.

Part 1 -
(Skip to 0:44 - How Much Co2 Is Produced? )
Part 2 -

With that being said, it was recommended for a 1:312 ratio (bicarb:citric), or 100g bicarb and 131.2g of citric acid. Though not sure on the amount of water - I presume approximately 150-200g of water for the mentioned mixture.

This definitely has my keen eye and I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Let's discuss!
Click to expand...
i bought one. fzone 2.5 litre with the solenoid.
i put 230 grams baking soda, 200 grams of citric acid, and 300ml of water.
got it 7-6, and had it on like 3 bubbles a second for a couple of days, and then cranked it up to a whole bunch of bubbles per sec, and yesterday it was still bubbling but about to run out.
i need a cheap co2 meter, not complete junk, and i'd like to experiment with it in an airtight space.
it's a nice product, idk if it will help this plant i just flipped to flower, i'll let u know.
 
R

RockStonedJesus

Active Member
cancerkiller said:
i bought one. fzone 2.5 litre with the solenoid.
i put 230 grams baking soda, 200 grams of citric acid, and 300ml of water.
got it 7-6, and had it on like 3 bubbles a second for a couple of days, and then cranked it up to a whole bunch of bubbles per sec, and yesterday it was still bubbling but about to run out.
i need a cheap co2 meter, not complete junk, and i'd like to experiment with it in an airtight space.
it's a nice product, idk if it will help this plant i just flipped to flower, i'll let u know.
Click to expand...
Hey mate,

I've been running the CO2 for a while now, and I must say, the plants are thriving!
PPM sits around 1000 - 1600 depending on how many bubbles.

I purchased a solenoid valve so that it wouldn't be wasting CO2 during lights off.

These pics were pre-solenoid, but just to get an idea, I've got some olive oil instead of water (it won't evaporate), and I've got the CO2 being spread using a small oscillating fan. I'm confident the CO2 is helping, as compared to other grows in the past, the plants seem to be thriving much better - I am also using the same regime as previous grows, so nothing has changed, except for introducing the CO2.

On a side note to that, if I understand the chemistry correct, you will need 0.524g per 1.14g of citric acid - for example, I have the 4L double CO2 tank, so I would need to use 210 Grams of baking soda and 456 Grams of citric acid - this ensures that all the baking soda is reacted with the citric acid.

chemistry.stackexchange.com

Baking Soda + Citric Acid + Water = CO2, how much though?

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) + citric acid react when mixed with water to form some amount of carbon dioxide gas ($\ce{CO2}$). I am trying to determine what percentage of the products is carbon
chemistry.stackexchange.com chemistry.stackexchange.com

With a 400G Bicarb and 400G Citric Acid mix, that lasted me a good 1 week and a few days. I noticed a lot of the bicarb was left over - it remained unreacted. So this time I've done a higher citric acid ratio, and I trust that it will provide a longer reaction time.

This method is significantly cheaper than purchasing exhale bags, as example, so I'm definitely very happy with the outcome!
 

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Nizza

Nizza

Well-Known Member
I've read mixed things about reishi mushroom co2 bags but it may be worth looking into. First I'd get a co2 meter though, I bought the pulse pro and found out I needed more intake air
 
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