C02 problem

FrannyB · Post by **FrannyB** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:23 pm

For the past two nights I have come home to find the C02 and the lights off. The tubing on the bottle was completely compressed the first night and I changed it. I took the filter apart and the reactor and cleaned them both.

Last night I could see the bubbles in the reactor. Tonight I don't see any at all. I disconnected the reactor again, drained it and blew through the tubing to make sure there were no clogs. Still no bubbles. The tank is not empty.

What could be wrong here?

ingg · Post by **ingg** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:52 pm

You've got a leak is my guess.

Get dishwashing soap and water, start painting all the connections and look for bubbles....

SCMurphy · Post by **SCMurphy** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:04 pm

Is the CO2 supplied through a solenoid? Does the solenoid turn off with the lights? Is the CO2 being fed into a reactor that had flow through it from a filter or pump? Do you know what a venturi is?

FrannyB · Post by **FrannyB** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:00 am

Yes all 4.
The original setup has not been altered since it was put together in July.

I took the reactor off again to drain and clean it. I blew through the tubing to the reactor - all clear. Reconnected the reactor to pump and solenoid, cranked up the C02 and the bubbles started.

If I go home and the lights and C02 tank have turned off again before the scheduled time then it could be the timer; however, that doesn't explain why the bubbles don't resume once it's turned back on.

SCMurphy · Post by **SCMurphy** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:58 am

There used to be a DVD you could rent titled "Solenoids Gone Bad."

Does the timer have a circuit breaker of some kind in it? The CO2 line collapses because the reactor forms a venturi and sucks the gas out of the tube. If it were just dissolving the line would fill with water. Your problem is probably something electrical. If the regulator or tank were bad you'd get a completely different set of symptoms. It sounds like the solenoid is bad, or the combination of the lights and solenoid cause something to shut them down, or the timer is frazzled.

FrannyB · Post by **FrannyB** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:59 pm

Thanks Sean,
I'll see what's what when I get home this afternoon.

FrannyB · Post by **FrannyB** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:28 pm

So far, so good.

DelawareJim · Post by **DelawareJim** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:06 am

Fixed? What'd you do?

Cheers.
Jim

maddog10 · Post by **maddog10** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:59 am

She got a bigger hammer!

FrannyB · Post by **FrannyB** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 11:18 am

LOL! I think the second clean out of the rector did the trick. I also reconfigured the the surge protectors and timer.

C02 problem

C02 problem

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