more Co2 BS

[DNRDustin]

to those of you who do use Co2 burners, or natural gas to get more specific for me personally: how long of a burn would you say it takes to come up to your levels? this is a shoot off of the other thread that i didnt think really applied. basically i wanna know how much heat we're talkin about producing with this technique.

[johnnyballbag]

That's going to depend on several factors, like what unit you're using, how many burners it is, and the size of your room. And when using a co2 gen, you should use a monitor/controller as opposed to just using a repeat cycle timer.

Someone mentioned a CAP fuzzy logic unit... at the risk of offending ppl, CAP is shit, period. I know because i've owned several of their pieces. Look into a Green Air SPC-1, think i got mine for like 400, and have been using it for several years now with not a single problem. I don't know why ppl wanna spend the money on a "digital" co2 monitor, i can't think of anything they can do that that $400 Green Air unit can't do, or be made to do. Like say you wanna set a thermostat for your "maximum temp overide" so your fan turns on when/if it gets too hot. The thousand dollar plus co2 controllers will simply stop the release of co2, whereas the $400 Green Air won't do that. But you could have a very simple relay unit built that will allow you to use the units piggy back cord to do the same exact thing, for far cheaper, using way better parts.

[YukonBikerGuy]

I use a CD-3 LP burning CO2 generator from Green Air.... on a repeat cycle timer. Sorry Jonny, lol.

I use the specs on the CD-3, size of my room, and ambient temps to guestimate how much to use. In the summer I tend to have heat problems even without the burner going, so I dont use it. In my small space, even the pilot light is adding signifigant CO2, and a small amount of heat. A 5 minute burn does increase the heat in the room somewhat, so I moved down to four 3 minute burns during lights on.

All that said, environmental/CO2 controllers/monitors are certainly much more efficient, and 1 of the missing bits of kit on my want list. Thanks for reminding me that Green Air has smaller control units Johnny. I always go rite to the big shiny (much more costly) whole environment ones when I'm looking (dreaming).

You may also consider something like a cooled CO2 burner...
http://www.hydroinnovations.com/product2.htm
In fact HydroInnovations has a whole range of products that could increase cooling efficiency and reduce cooling energy costs by up to %30 (thier claim). The Icebox heat exchanger can remove all heat from a heat shielded 1K bulb at the scource, and by lowering the water temp in the chiller can actually add some AC into the room. Neato shite mang, have yerself a lil peep.

[johnnyballbag]

I use a CD-3 LP burning CO2 generator from Green Air.... on a repeat cycle timer. Sorry Jonny, lol.

Haha, i meant if you're new to co2. I'm sure you can handle it YBG ;)

And yeah man, Green Air makes some very good gear for a very good price. If you ever do decide to upgrade your co2/climate gear, let a ballbag know and i'll show ya how to save money by doing some custom shit that'll actually make your controller ever more useful. Really the most expensive part is the co2 measuring sensor... buy that and then add a humidistat, a thermostat, and a relay and now you have a full-fledged climate controller, for way less than an "out the box" controller.

[DNRDustin]

cool thanx. i have climate controls and am pretty well dialed in. currently i get a 70 gal bottle about every 2 weeks. but if there's a way to be lazy and get the results im all for it. so i wanna run a natural gas line to my room. def be cheaper too.

[johnnyballbag]

Yeah man if you've got natural gas or propane at your house already, a generator would be WAY easier on you. A lot of ppl tend to forget that most air conditioners have a "recirculating" feature, so if heats a problem, just make sure you're using your air conditioner correctly. Hell i forgot mine had that feature when i first bought it, ran through a tank in like 2 days lol.

With the right conroller setup and co2 generator, all you'll have to do is install it and walk away. The beauty of automation. ;)

[DNRDustin]

haha word man. regardless i try to rely on my automation as little as possible. yah it'll take care of itself for the most part, but i try to check on everything every day. like a week ago im in my room and a light shuts off. im like fuck! switchin the bulbs isnt helpin. the balast is clearly on. so i replace it with a spare. then yesterday. same fuckin thing. different light. luckily its a simple copacitor replacement. so eritating, shits designed to fail eventually. haha now im just waitin for the other 2 i got at the same time to go out. kk thats my stoned story for the day.

[johnnyballbag]

Aww man, you're looking at it all wrong. Automation is your friend! Haha. But def not a replacement to checking your garden daily.