DIY : Co2 Generator, $10.

For the benifit of all those reading could you elaborate on exactly how and what you tested and the results....

I did two one gallon containers of sugar and yeast. Measured the output with two CO2 monitors (one local Honeywell and one remote Sentinel CHHC-1). Turned off all ventilation. It took over two hours to show any increase in CO2. It topped out at 600 PPMs (normal is 350).

I then turned on my thermostat and lights. When temps reached 80 degrees the ventilation system kicked in for three minutes. All CO2 enrichment was removed from my grow room and took over two hours to get back to 600 PPMs.

If you never had to ventilate it would maintain slight enrichment. But most of us need to ventilate now and then.

The brew lasted about 5 days then stopped making CO2 and did nothing more then a bad smell.

I tried lots of ways to get rid of my tanks. No low tech method could maintain any kind of usable enrichment (with the exception of dry-ice). Not to say it's impossible. You could make this work with 30 or 40 gallons of brew and changing it out every week. Dry-ice worked but would cost a small fortune to maintain.

The thing that makes tanks work so well is the immediate discharge of CO2 and the ability to refill your grow room within seconds of your ventilation turning off.

Best of luck, R.

thanks for the info, what size is your room out of interest?

My room is about the size of a broom closet:

hmmm, that’s odd, the calculations come out at 1 gallon container to maintain your size of space, which I estimated at 27 cubic feet (3 x 1.5 x 6)

I’m really curious as to what is different from my methods to yours as I found in the past when I measured the ppm that they measured very close to the calculated values

Indecently these were not created by me, but I found them useful in the past.

Did you add sugar dissolved in water every day or the entire amount at one time?

How much sugar did you use for the one gallon container?

As you say there are significant issues with this method, especially maintenance and smell, and which is why I don’t use it anymore (or any co2 for that matter) I wish I still had the co2 meter so I could test different methods to assess it better for others though.

more food for thought

I've done co2 "the real way" for years using generators tanks and controllers and I dont use it anymore if that says anything. I sold all my co2 gear in favor of a couple badass exhaust fans, and it sure as hell made my life a breeze (pun intended).

The reality of sealing up your room for a lot of growers creates potential for heat problems that can cause more yield and potency loss than gain- the potential benefit you receive from the co2 is negligible compared to the hasstle it creates trying to seal up your room to contain the Co2, and prevent humidity problems.

I spent more money on air conditioners and aircooled hoods in order to prevent the co2 from dissipating out of the room than I did on the actual co2 equipment itself... So the idea of putting a bubbling bucket of yeast in my growroom seems laughable to me... No offence, its just that the actual co2 injection technique itself is only the tip of the iceberg to creating a properly sealed and functioning co2 enriched growroom. The real vice is trying to keep it all from getting vented out into the atmosphere without nuking your plants in the process.

The bottom line is; if you want more yield, your better off buying another light.

Just my

I don't know, I am going to continue my endeared devil's advocate stance for Co2 injection.

Not all of us can properly vent our grow rooms.

Myself: I have a shedd, outside. I have neighbors all around me. No way I can intake and vent without that wonderful smell. Yes, we can purchase or make carbon filters but there is always a chance.

WP is correct that heat will cripple your crop and will rob you of gain. No doubt. But, if you can keep your temps under control with an a/c unit or maybe do like I do, run your lights at night, then Co2 injection was made for you.

I have used it for years on this type of setup and have had nothing but spectacular results> it has also helped overcome deficiencies in my own gardening style, such as distraction and heat.

If you have temp problems, which sometimes I do, because I do grow in a shedd outside, then the Co2 will help over come those issues since you can grow plants in a warmer environment with Co2 injection.

I don't all the way disagree with the Panther, I am just giving another angle to look at the issue.

Ultimately, it comes back to what is right for your style of growing.

in some instances, sealing up your room and using AC in order to keep it cool is the only feasable option, in which case... Co2 injection is a requirement or you might have insufficient co2 levels to sustain growth

so you're correct, it boils down to the individual growroom and situation... But most of the time active ventilation is used... so in general co2 is more difficult than it may initially seem for the average joe using an inline.

Roll on the time when we can add co2 to a grow filled with LED lights, and not have to worry about high temps...

I'm an active vent sort of guy... when my temps are cool, I add an alcohol based lamp near an inlet, or several tea lights.. adds humidity as well as co2, but I've never had the kit to measure the ppm, so its all guesswork for me. Running the extractor at minimum (which I can do most of the time), I figure that my co2 will stay in the chamber long enough..

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