DIY CO2 kit

26-09-2005, 05:08 AM

hi bros... I recently created a couple of CO2 kits (DIY). Probably this has been shared a million times by bros in this forum but would just like to share some problems encountered...

currently my CO2 kit is doing fine... have not measures the ppm yet but bubbling pretty fast.

I have used a standard soft drink bottle for the CO2 media. Should be 1.5 litres. Media consisted of about 2/3s full of water, 2-3 table spoonfuls of sugar. 1 table spoonful of glucose.1/2 cupful of rice uncooked... 1/4 teasoonful of yeast. Bubbling begins in 3-4hours.

Problems encountered... the cap!!! somehow i could not get the pipe to become airtight with the cap. I burnt a hole in the cap using a screw driver over fire. placed the plastic tubing through and sealed it with solid glue (those type you use for a glue gun). If I use the translucent air tubing the glue or silicone as i used previously would some how wear out and no longer stick to the tubing making it non-air tight. Transparent tubings work fine... those cheapo air tubings...

The glue gun kind of glue seals better than silicone in my opinion as the silicone tends to lose its tack with plastics...

too high a concentration of sugar inhibits the action of the yeast hence i only used a bit... but to ensure the yeast has a constant supply of sugars to last a long time I put in quite a bit of rice... (carbohydrates which is essentially compacted sugars but not soluble in water as sugars yet until digested hence does not inhibit the growth of yeast itself.) The rice is uncooked.

The ceramic diffuser seems to need a bit of initiation. Even when the pressure inside the bottole is very gereat it doesn't really start bubbling until I manually squeeze the bottle until it bubbles...
and once it start bubbling i dun need to squeeze the bottle anymore... the bubble stream just continues...

Ok that's so much for my log of setting up my own DIY CO2 kit... btw i only connected the tubing to the diffuser no bubble counter whatsoever... Any similar experiences or comments?

Ah_ZhaN · 26-09-2005, 06:59 AM

use blue tec to seal any opening on the bottle cap...and stick the tube tightly to the cap too...

26-09-2005, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryzcris

hi bros... I recently created a couple of CO2 kits (DIY). Probably this has been shared a million times by bros in this forum but would just like to share some problems encountered...

currently my CO2 kit is doing fine... have not measures the ppm yet but bubbling pretty fast.

I have used a standard soft drink bottle for the CO2 media. Should be 1.5 litres. Media consisted of about 2/3s full of water, 2-3 table spoonfuls of sugar. 1 table spoonful of glucose.1/2 cupful of rice uncooked... 1/4 teasoonful of yeast. Bubbling begins in 3-4hours.

Problems encountered... the cap!!! somehow i could not get the pipe to become airtight with the cap. I burnt a hole in the cap using a screw driver over fire. placed the plastic tubing through and sealed it with solid glue (those type you use for a glue gun). If I use the translucent air tubing the glue or silicone as i used previously would some how wear out and no longer stick to the tubing making it non-air tight. Transparent tubings work fine... those cheapo air tubings...

The glue gun kind of glue seals better than silicone in my opinion as the silicone tends to lose its tack with plastics...

too high a concentration of sugar inhibits the action of the yeast hence i only used a bit... but to ensure the yeast has a constant supply of sugars to last a long time I put in quite a bit of rice... (carbohydrates which is essentially compacted sugars but not soluble in water as sugars yet until digested hence does not inhibit the growth of yeast itself.) The rice is uncooked.

The ceramic diffuser seems to need a bit of initiation. Even when the pressure inside the bottole is very gereat it doesn't really start bubbling until I manually squeeze the bottle until it bubbles...
and once it start bubbling i dun need to squeeze the bottle anymore... the bubble stream just continues...

Ok that's so much for my log of setting up my own DIY CO2 kit... btw i only connected the tubing to the diffuser no bubble counter whatsoever... Any similar experiences or comments?

How long it last?

magic1980 · 26-09-2005, 06:44 PM

u r using a DIY co2 output and using a glass diffuser?
how did u do that?

cos i tot glass diffuser is for CO2 tank?

26-09-2005, 08:15 PM

Does using rice really helps? Wow, then why not just use a little sugar and use alot alot alot alot rice?? Or maybe even half cooked rice? as in, just softened in hot water.

Or even grounded rice??

Ha, I think I am going too far with the idea.

26-09-2005, 11:46 PM

yea can do that... the rice will make it last longer. slowly getting digested then used by the yeast.

Think the glass diffuser needs an initial jolt by squeezing the bottle so that the bubbles come out. after that the bubbles are able to permeate and it's constantly bubbling.

27-09-2005, 12:13 AM

yeap yeap...

cuz glass diffuser need high pressure...
the bubbling won't start too soon prob only 3-4hours later.
but once it start bubbling it works perfectly fine... bubbles are fine and all also...

So far I've used this setup for three tanks... the first one is still bubbling and that's after three weeks... i used cooked rice for that though... uncooked rice is just the same but can put more in my opinion and easier to handle than cooked rice. Sake in the making? Hahaha...

I'm using this setup for two of my two feet tanks and one three feet tank...

Ah_ZhaN · 27-09-2005, 12:49 AM

my ceramic diffuser after one day liao still no bubble...
=|

27-09-2005, 12:53 AM

ok first you need to check if your bottle cap is leaking...
apply abit of soap on the cap area... and squeeze...
pressure should be high...
if got bubbling at the cap, you're losing CO2 due to leakage.

If not leakage... you need to squeeze damn hard... until you see clear the ceramic and it starts bubbling... once that happens... the bubbling should carry on as per normal... this initial step is needed cuz the pressure from DIY CO2 kits are not as high as those from cylinders...

27-09-2005, 01:11 AM

before u squeeze, let the pressure in the tube build up until the point where there is no more water in the tube but just CO2. Even after all water is pushed out by the CO2 already, just let the pressure build up for a while more. then you squeeze the bottle to let the CO2 permeate then it will have a constant stream of bubbles... otherwise when you squeeze it bubbles then stops due to lack of pressure then you're back at square one.

26-09-2005, 05:08 AM	#1
ryzcris Guest Posts: n/a	DIY CO2 kit hi bros... I recently created a couple of CO2 kits (DIY). Probably this has been shared a million times by bros in this forum but would just like to share some problems encountered... currently my CO2 kit is doing fine... have not measures the ppm yet but bubbling pretty fast. I have used a standard soft drink bottle for the CO2 media. Should be 1.5 litres. Media consisted of about 2/3s full of water, 2-3 table spoonfuls of sugar. 1 table spoonful of glucose.1/2 cupful of rice uncooked... 1/4 teasoonful of yeast. Bubbling begins in 3-4hours. Problems encountered... the cap!!! somehow i could not get the pipe to become airtight with the cap. I burnt a hole in the cap using a screw driver over fire. placed the plastic tubing through and sealed it with solid glue (those type you use for a glue gun). If I use the translucent air tubing the glue or silicone as i used previously would some how wear out and no longer stick to the tubing making it non-air tight. Transparent tubings work fine... those cheapo air tubings... The glue gun kind of glue seals better than silicone in my opinion as the silicone tends to lose its tack with plastics... too high a concentration of sugar inhibits the action of the yeast hence i only used a bit... but to ensure the yeast has a constant supply of sugars to last a long time I put in quite a bit of rice... (carbohydrates which is essentially compacted sugars but not soluble in water as sugars yet until digested hence does not inhibit the growth of yeast itself.) The rice is uncooked. The ceramic diffuser seems to need a bit of initiation. Even when the pressure inside the bottole is very gereat it doesn't really start bubbling until I manually squeeze the bottle until it bubbles... and once it start bubbling i dun need to squeeze the bottle anymore... the bubble stream just continues... Ok that's so much for my log of setting up my own DIY CO2 kit... btw i only connected the tubing to the diffuser no bubble counter whatsoever... Any similar experiences or comments?

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26-09-2005, 06:59 AM	#2
Ah_ZhaN Arofanatic Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 339	use blue tec to seal any opening on the bottle cap...and stick the tube tightly to the cap too...

26-09-2005, 06:44 PM	#4
magic1980 Arofanatic Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 445	u r using a DIY co2 output and using a glass diffuser? how did u do that? cos i tot glass diffuser is for CO2 tank?

26-09-2005, 08:15 PM	#5
the_r0ck Guest Posts: n/a	Does using rice really helps? Wow, then why not just use a little sugar and use alot alot alot alot rice?? Or maybe even half cooked rice? as in, just softened in hot water. Or even grounded rice?? Ha, I think I am going too far with the idea.

26-09-2005, 11:46 PM	#6
SGRay Guest Posts: n/a	yea can do that... the rice will make it last longer. slowly getting digested then used by the yeast. Think the glass diffuser needs an initial jolt by squeezing the bottle so that the bubbles come out. after that the bubbles are able to permeate and it's constantly bubbling.

27-09-2005, 12:13 AM	#7
ryzcris Guest Posts: n/a	yeap yeap... cuz glass diffuser need high pressure... the bubbling won't start too soon prob only 3-4hours later. but once it start bubbling it works perfectly fine... bubbles are fine and all also... So far I've used this setup for three tanks... the first one is still bubbling and that's after three weeks... i used cooked rice for that though... uncooked rice is just the same but can put more in my opinion and easier to handle than cooked rice. Sake in the making? Hahaha... I'm using this setup for two of my two feet tanks and one three feet tank...

27-09-2005, 12:49 AM	#8
Ah_ZhaN Arofanatic Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 339	my ceramic diffuser after one day liao still no bubble... =\|

27-09-2005, 12:53 AM	#9
ryzcris Guest Posts: n/a	ok first you need to check if your bottle cap is leaking... apply abit of soap on the cap area... and squeeze... pressure should be high... if got bubbling at the cap, you're losing CO2 due to leakage. If not leakage... you need to squeeze damn hard... until you see clear the ceramic and it starts bubbling... once that happens... the bubbling should carry on as per normal... this initial step is needed cuz the pressure from DIY CO2 kits are not as high as those from cylinders...

27-09-2005, 01:11 AM	#10
SGRay Guest Posts: n/a	before u squeeze, let the pressure in the tube build up until the point where there is no more water in the tube but just CO2. Even after all water is pushed out by the CO2 already, just let the pressure build up for a while more. then you squeeze the bottle to let the CO2 permeate then it will have a constant stream of bubbles... otherwise when you squeeze it bubbles then stops due to lack of pressure then you're back at square one.

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