Could I get the low down on CO2?

manifest

Member
How much faster is the growth rate/yield?

What all do you need to produce it if one purchases a generator, what other products are necessary?
How do you measure the ppm of your air?

And lastly should it only be done in a closed sealed room? Does one run an exhaust fan, carbon filter ect... when using CO2?

And lastly is this a good product, holding everything needed for a room of horticulture?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Burner-CO-2-Generator-Pro-Grow-Natural-Gas-Propane-with-Regulator-/130701259249?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6e66f1f1
 

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
CO2 helps a lot if you can't hook up ducting to a window or outside vent. Don't run CO2 if you're ventilating your room. You can use a filter to scrub the air inside the room, but it should be sealed.

PPM monitors monitor PPM and controllers can control the solenoid valve on your tanks. I don't have experience with gas burners. They'll probably heat up. Time to spring for an A/C. I'll tell you one thing for sure, buy a bigger AC unit than you think you'll need. I've got a 36k BTU split unit for an 8kw room.
 

xxEMOxx

Well-Known Member
Pretty much what Clown Said.....

If you have heat issues and are running an aircooled room.... CO2 is kinda tough to use.... if you have a sealed room, or sealed lamp ducting and cooling CO2 can help raise yields by as much as 30% and also can allow the temps in your room to run higher.... not alot higher but higher none the less. ( although I wouldn't do it on purpose )
 

Opm

Active Member
Really to take advantage of C02 you need some special conditions. Like they said a sealed room is one. More light and a tad higher temps is also needed to get the most out of it. This can be a money saver when your temps are running mid-low 80s and you don't want to run an expensive AC unit spring/fall.

The average bump in crop is about 20%-30% and I saw this the first time I used it. I prefer the tank method due to heat issues and fire paranoia running a burner. I will go through a tank in roughly 21-26 days in a 110 sq ft room and it only costs $15 to refill. I don't use a ppm meter just a cycle timer (yet) so I can't give exact ppm increase to yield figures. The regulator is the most expensive part at about ~$120 and the cycle timer was ~$80. You could use a regular timer with ~10min intervals though.

Here is a good calculator for figuring out flow rate and on/off times.
http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/co2_calculator.asp
 

IlovePlants

Well-Known Member
In my experience: CO2 helps them form heavier bud set earlier, and better handle heavy crops. Nothing takes the place of good ol' fashioned training, but in an optimized situation CO2 helps to push yields that much further. If your room is ventilated you can have the venting fans turn off whenever you run CO2, so for like 15 minutes the temp, co2, and general humidity will rise slightly, but this is a good thing and helps with CO2 absorption.

When in doubt test it out. I wouldn't say that 30% yield increase was out of the question, but it is strain and technique dependent. I use a lot of fans in my room and I didn't really notice a huge increase yield wise, ~10%, but definitely vigor wise. Pressurized tanks or open flames just sitting around in my house freak me out, I had a water heater blow a second after I walked away, it put a dent in my freezer the size of a human head and fucked up our laundry room. I know you were thinking of getting a burner which would alleviate the pressurized situation, but they generally still run on a pressurized gas tank.

I wouldn't run CO2 until you are sure that you are doing your absolute best without it, with proper training and canopy management you can get massive yields. CO2 is very rarely your limiting factor, some people would take a highly vented room with overkill amount of air movement over CO2 supplementation. CO2 levels indoors are generally higher than they are outdoors. Many people pump air in from basement, and vent out into the attic. CO2 will always settle in your basement. Especially if it was originally an unfinished basement, as they generally have inadequate air flow, so it's harder for CO2 to escape. I repeat, when in doubt test it out. Find what works best for you, and your plants, and you will be a happy grower.

I've only used; CO2 tanks: worked well but I always forget to change them, tea candles : CO2 a little CO and delicious smell but even more frequent replacement, yeast: seemed to harvest 3-5 days earlier same problems but with consistency issues, and mycological CO2 system : by far easiest to maintain plus it made amazing compost and it is free other than a fan and ducting to hook it up to your room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3EWYrxrsns
A lot of people demonstrate with dry ice and I think that undersells the true density of CO2.
Best of luck in your growing endeavors,
ILovePlants
 
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Trousers

Well-Known Member
I agree with the sealed room. You also need your temps above 80.

I run a co2 tank in a tent. I know, I know...

I set it to run 15 minutes and hour when the lights are on. It can not hurt. I noticed my veg time was significantly reduced.

If you don't mind spending the money, co2 is great.
 

matt7835706

Well-Known Member
C02 is a pain!

If you want to reap the benifits of C02 you have to do alot of work on your room. Get the c02 system setup, make your room air tight, Install and setup A/C to control temps and then you need a way to monitor the ppms in your room for optimum growth..... *sigh*
If you want a bigger Yields, train the plants you have or grow more plants, it will be much simpler.
Thats just my two cents

Peace
 
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