selenoid valve question !!!! help

[yeloowtang]

hi !!!

is it just me or the selenoid valve don't last long ????

this is the second milwakee co2 regulator i've tried and they seem to quit
after a few months !!!
the first one was a little used when i got my reactor and equipment,then i got a brand new one and IT lasted about 2 months.
just two days ago i realized that my ph level was down to 6.3 in the chamber and sure enought little bubbles were peeping out when they should not have been

it's adjusted now so that bubbles are so slow going out that it doesnt matter and when it is suppose to open the rate is just a little faster but it takes much longer for the PH to drop at the 6.5 mark before it shuts off again..

is this normal?
can we buy a separate selenoid to replace it with (better one)?
or just buy a better regulator all together,if so are the selenoids more reliable ???

thanks for your help and insights

steff

 

[psteeleb]

it should last longer then that so there may be something else influencing it's failure

for example; when off is there salt water backing up to the regulator (check valve or not)?
or maybe your C02 bottle is older and has some residual solids, like rust, in it that are getting trapped at the solinoid preventing it from seating properly when closed.

Milwalkees are not the top of the line but should last you years not months

 

[fishguy597]

I've had.to pull mine apart and clean the stem and seat before. works like a champrunning for 3 years.

 

[yeloowtang]

thanks for the replies guys

pretty sure there can`t be salt water backing up the way it is set up with the bubble counter and ro water..
my co2 bottle is brand new..

but i agree something has to be affecting it !! two of them and the same probleme..

i did not know i could take it apart to clean it,,i will try that on the one i have sitting,well the first one that went dead...

unless ro watrer going back in can effect it but then every one would have that probleme..maybe just dirty !!!

thanks i will try a few things

steff

 

[James77]

I have used 2 milwaukees, and they were both headaches. If you can swing the money, aquariumplants.com sells an electronic one that is rock solid and has a 3 year warranty that they stand behind.

 

[tkeracer619]

They are junk. I had a few go bad and got tired of crappy regulators. If you gave me a brand new Milwaukee I would toss it in the trash and spend my hard earned cash on a ap electronic regulator.

the aquarium plants electronic regulator is the best for our setups. pricey but worth every penny. My reactor has been rock solid since getting the regulator a couple years ago. All I do is change the bottle and adjust once in a while to compensate for the tank growing.

 

[yeloowtang]

thanks for the tips !!!

i knew they were ok and not the best but figured they would at least
last a while,some seem to have good luck with them..
figured if it lasts a year or so i would then take the plunge..

i guess i will go shopping,thanks for the link..
i will try to clean it this aft and see what makes it tick or not tick

steff