Geo Ca reactor setup

[TCU Reefer]

I've got everything on my 618 set up but am having some issues with the CO2 and the regulator (Milwaukee).

Do I need to turn the CO2 tank all the way, a little?

I turned it a little and there are no bubbles being produced in the regulator's bubble counter.

I seems as though the CO2 is escaping on the opposite end of the regulator (opposite from the bubble counter, there's a small hole).

I can hear it come out of this hole.

Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong?

 

[CastleRock]

Is this a new regulator?
If so did you follow the directions that came with it?

 

[stevem650]

Do you have the co2 tube connected from the regulator to the reactor? The co2 tank should be on all the way. You regulate the the co2 input by the valve on your regulator.

 

[TCU Reefer]

This is a brand new regulator and I followed the directions step by step.

I did not turn the CO2 tank all the way and the CO2 tube was not connected to the reactor.

Shouls I turn on the tank all the way and connect the tube to the reactor?

 

[CastleRock]

Yes the C02 needs to be all the way on and the valve(black front knob) needs to be turned out till no resistance is felt before you turn it on from tank,
then when its all the way on turn the black knob in till you get a 10 to 20 lb reading on the right gage, open the needle valve on the bubble counter to release C02 to the reactor.
I never noticed C02 coming out that hole on the left on mine

 

[jdieck]

I will strongly suggest you test if the regulator is leaking. The hole is usually a vent for gas to escape signaling potential internal failure of one of the components or to allow proper de-frosting of the internals in case of excessive CO2 goes trough the regulator.
To make the test is rather simple.
A) Releasing the pressure in the regulator:
Start by closing the cylinder valve all the way.
Loosen the pressure adjusting knob by turning it counterclockwise until it feels a bit loose. (The knob is the one in the center of the regulator body)
Open the needle valve and plug the solenoid to a power outlet
Slowly screw the pressure adjusting knob back in by turning it clockwise until the left gauge (Cylinder side) reads zero.
This procedure will vent any possible gas inside the regulator.

B) Pressurizing the regulator:
Start by loosening the pressure regulator knob (counterclockwise) until it feels a little loose to prevent damage to the low pressure gauge when opening the cylinder.
Unplug the solenoid valve to close the gas discharge
slowly open the cylinder valve all the way (there shall be no hissing or flow) the left gauge (high pressure cylinder side) shall read between 700 to 100 psi)
The regulator on the right side (Low preddure or delivery pressure) shall read zero if the pressure adjusting knob is loose.
Very slowly screw in the pressure adjusting knob until the right gauge (delivery pressure) reeds 40 to 50 psi. This will pressurize the regulator but there will be no flow as the solenoid is closed (unplugged).
Now close the cilinder valve all the way. This will close the CO2 but keep the gas presurized inside the regulator. Take a reading of the pressure in both gauges and leave it that way. If you have an internal leak the pressure in the regulator shall drop relatively fast after you close the cylinder valve but keep the solenoid closed, something like venting trough the hole you mentioned, if it drops the regulator needs to be checked for external and internal leaks.
If the pressure does not drop imediately leave it pressurized for a couple of hours and take a readin again, if the pressure has not dropped then there are no leaks, if the regulator looses pressure then there is a leak that shall be fixed.

To find the leak follow the procedure again but this time do not close the cylinder valve, use soapy water around the connections to find the leak and fix it.

Good Luck!

 

[TCU Reefer]

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try it and let you know how it works.

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7458902#post7458902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TCU Reefer
Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try it and let you know how it works.

By the way, the "hole" on the side of the body as I mentioned before seems to be a safety device of release and might be just loose, try to use a flat screwdriver to tighten the hole cap. Do not insert the screwdriver too far to prevent damage to the internal components of the device.

 

[TCU Reefer]

I tightened the hole and the CO2 stopped escaping from there.

I followed the above steps but still no bubbles. The left guage is now reading 100 psi and the right guage is way past 10.

I even unsrewed the entire regulator and began the steps from scratch.

What do I do now?

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7460093#post7460093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TCU Reefer
I tightened the hole and the CO2 stopped escaping from there.

I followed the above steps but still no bubbles. The left guage is now reading 100 psi and the right guage is way past 10.

I even unsrewed the entire regulator and began the steps from scratch.

What do I do now?

Note, the internal scale on the left regulator reads in psi and the reading shall be between 800 and 1000 psi. The right regulator shall reed about 15 to 25 psi inner scale (or 1 to 2 Kg/cm2 outer scale)
In any case as you have pressure in the discharge (right regulator) you should have bubbles as soon as you open the needle valve and energize the solenoid.

So after solving the leak issue now you can put it in service.
a) Losen the pressure adjusting knob
b) slowly open the cylinder valve until it is fully opened
c) Plug the solenoid to a power outlet to open it
d) open the needle valve about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn
e) slowly screw in the pressure adjusting knob until the discharge (right gauge) reads about 15 psi
f) adjust the needle valve for the desired bubble rate and let it stabilize a couple of minutes.
g) readjust the pressure adjusting knob if the discharge pressue is below 10 or higher than 20 psi.
h) readjust the bubble rate if needed.
i) use soapy water to double check for leaks.

Congrats you are in business.

 

[TCU Reefer]

jdieck-

Thanks for sticking this trhough with me. Geo is pm'ing me and I plugged the solenoid directly into an outlet instead of the controller. Now, it's releasing bubbles.

Now, I guess I need to adjust it.

Thanks again.

 

[jdieck]

Yes, try to adjust it manually for a stable PH before using the controller. Once is stable or is set for the PH to very slowly drop over several hours now the controller can be set to turn the CO2 off.
The reason to adjust it manually first is to reduce the consequences if the controller fails to close. Many times we rely on the controller to close the CO2 to prevent overdosing but we should assume that it can fail. Also with a more stable supply of CO2 without frequent ON/OFF events thus for beter dissolution and less lowering effect on tank PH.