100% nail on the head, although once I clean out the garage I will have enough room to upgrade to an 8x4 tent.
Garage in total measures 20x10.
CO2 Generator With Sentinel CHHC-1 and 4x4 Tent
- Thread starter Bob Smith
- Start date
Garage in total measures 20x10.
regrets
Well-Known Member
You definitely have 4 burners. That's actually a free upgrade, you managed to get. However this may not be a great thing for your setup. Your system will create more co2 at once and hence burn up more propane at once, normally this doesnt really matter, although in very large rooms it helps to keep the ppms up easier, but in your situation you may end up losing a lot more of your co2 as you are trying to suck it through the vents.
Hmmmmmm................based on the chart at the bottom of this link, it seems that the propane/CO2/BTU ratios are identical across generators, so the larger the better, methinks:
https://www.greenair.com/page/co2-generator-size-and-timing-chart.html
Also according to that chart, I'll be filling up my propane (at most) once every six weeks (based on some rough numbers), which ain't a big deal at all.
Finally, and the most important question - as the generator is mounted and hanging from a cross beam, where would the majority of the CO2 come out? Would it come out of the top because it's heated (along with the heat and the water vapor), or would it drop through the empty bottom of the generator? If dropping through the bottom because it's heavier then air, that'd be fugging perfect - the heat and water vapor goes out the top, and the (somewhat cooler) CO2 drops from the bottom.
Anyone know how that chemical reaction works, and if the CO2 would drop straight down or, being (possibly) heated, would rise initially? I guess I can have the hose attached to different parts and see what that does to the temp and PPMs in there and how quickly it does it.
regrets
Well-Known Member
Thats a great questions, and I'm not really sure the answer though I would guess the heat would make most of it rise through the top. However with your set up I doubt it matters, since your intake fans will be sucking the co2 through rather than just allowing the co2 to dissipate naturally.
DubsFan
Well-Known Member
I think growers need to be more like fisherman. Efficiency...meh...I could care less really. It's the fight with the gear you want to use...It doesnt matter to me what the space is or where the grow is. The fact remains that this is the grow someone wants to do. It's the fish they wanna catch. I should probably use 8lb and 10lb test when reeling in these lunker Large Mouth Bass. But that loses it's fun. I like to use 4lb sometimes. Why? Why not.
It's what they have, it's what they're using and they're looking for suggestions to make "this" work. I say pump that Co2 in safely and you're fine.
It's what they have, it's what they're using and they're looking for suggestions to make "this" work. I say pump that Co2 in safely and you're fine.
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
The fishin line analogy isn't really a very good one. You know what happens to the guy that fishes with 4lb test to catch 8 lb fish? He breaks off his PB double digit fish when he should've had it.
Don't get me wrong, I've been known to throw 4lb test and 6lb test on my rig while fishing stripers when I know full well there's a lot of double digit fish down there. But it's not costing me $1000's.
I accept that he wants to do this whether it's efficient or not, that's why I stopped posting. If he wants to use a co2 burner/generator on a 4x4 tent, more power to ya. At least this new method doesn't involve a whole lot of build out and/or wasted space to achieve what he wants. Basically he's "upped the efficiency". It was the building a box for it, that's like building another grow room for your Co2 machine.
I know that this is going to further the debate, but since I've been dragging my feet on installing this, I will say that I believe that adding CO2 is much more efficient then adding more lights/plants/etc.
Increasing my yield by 20%+ for an upfront cost of $315 (plus installation fees) and an ongoing cost of $20 per harvest is a no-brainer, IMO.
Assuming I get 1lb. without it, that'd be ~3 extra ounces with it (off of one harvest), which pays for itself several times over.
Even if the CO2 only adds 10% (which it won't, but for the sake of argument), it still pays for itself (and then some) in one harvest.
laserbrn
Well-Known Member
$315.00? Not quite...Didn't you admit to being about $1500 into it already? So it's really $1815.00 that you're into it now?
Spend that money on a tent a fan and a 600w light. Hell, could even go with 2x 1000w lights and pull off an extra LB lb+/harvest. That's a no brainer.
Now if you ALREADY have spent the $1500 on the extra lights and space, THEN it can make sense to spend the money on the co2 to gain an extra 8-10oz's per harvest.
But that's the Sentinel, which was $500, and only ~$250 of which I attribute to CO2 - the other $250 I would need regardless, which is humidity and temp control (we can debate that allocation, but that's how I'm doing it).
Another $500 was the tanks, regulator, tubing, and tank refills, which is a sunk cost and can't really be attributed to the ongoing CO2 effort.
So, again, the ongoing CO2 effort is the $315 + $100 in installation fees, plus $250 (half the price of the Sentinel).
So call it $700, which will still more then make up for itself with my first harvest.
Long story short, I don't have room to add any more plants or lights right now (heading to goodwill this weekend, hopefully, to donate the TVs, stereos, couch, and other shit in the garage taking up space), and CO2 is my most efficient method of increasing my yield.
I certainly haven't gone about it in the most efficient manner, but you live and you learn - also, if temps are too hard to control in the summer, I might still use tanks and a regulator (in my new 8x4 tent).
All right, even I can't procrastinate anymore - heading to Home Depot now.
Went to Home Depot yesterday, got a tank ($50, was surprised it was that much), and am going to try and do some installation today, but I'm fairly hungover.
That being said, I'm trying to plan for the bad stuff that could happen (like the air just being way, way too hot to pump in there), and found this little guy:
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=10418
Gonna run it before I buy that, but I'm thinking that's gonna be a necessity at some point (like the summertime).
All right, lemme go do at least a little bit of work............
That being said, I'm trying to plan for the bad stuff that could happen (like the air just being way, way too hot to pump in there), and found this little guy:
http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=10418
Gonna run it before I buy that, but I'm thinking that's gonna be a necessity at some point (like the summertime).
All right, lemme go do at least a little bit of work............
regrets
Well-Known Member
I watched the youtube video on that set up twice, and those things are amazing, but you need more than just that $150 exchanger. These systems would only be worth while in my opinion in a set up running 8 1000w lamps. Here is a link to the full set up to run that system, it's fucking expensive.
http://www.icehousedistribution.com/downloads/kit_pricing.pdf
http://www.icehousedistribution.com/downloads/kit_pricing.pdf
Looked at the link, but that's for large light systems - I just need it to remove the heat generated by my burner, which should only be running for ~5-10 minutes an hour.
Can get a 50 gallon reservoir at Home Depot for $20, a 633GPH for $40, and I already have the tubing.
Think that and the $150 exchanger is all I would need.
BTW, made some progress - installed the fan onto the crossbeams, but my headache from this hangover wouldn't let me do anymore.
Now it's just a matter of duct taping the ducting together, and hanging the generator (drill two holes, should take five minutes).
Yeah, plus I lost about 2K last night playing online poker drunk at 1:00am..............annoying, to say the least.
Made some good progress on the system, here's where I'm at so far - just need to run the ducting from the fan to the tent (five minutes), hook up the tank to the generator, and light the pilot (kinda nervous about that).
After that, just test it out a bit.
Anyways, here's the pics:
After that, just test it out a bit.
Anyways, here's the pics:
tea tree
Well-Known Member
cool. I think it will boost your eild without using more power or electricity nice. How is the heat that comes off, also did it end up being a 4 burner or a 1 burner. I am sure you got that gap covered, a little sliding of pipe. What kind of wattage does the co2 burner use?
Not sure about the heat, not firing it up until tomorrow (Sundays are for football).
Everyone seems to tell me that it's a four burner, which I actually might be forced to "downgrade", but only time will tell.
As far as the gap goes, I left that on purpose - there needs to be sufficient O2 for the burner to operate, and I'm worried that a fan attached directly to it might not provide enough O2 or could blow hard enough to put the pilot out; therefore, the gap.
And as far as I know, the electrical wattage used by the unit is minimal - gotta be less then 100 watts, probably closer to ~25 (best guess pulled from my ass).
purrrrple
Well-Known Member
A few things. I had a sentinal co2 generator and chhc1 (they got stolen but..) i was never able to get it setup right. It does produce enormous amounts of heat because it is constantly burning. It also made my plants leaves droop and they wouldnt come back up until i turned it off for a few days. I have no explanation for this.
Anyway, to adress your situation i would do either one of two things. If you tents are not 100% sealed i would just setup the generator in the garage and bring up my whole garage to 1500ppm. OR you could build some kind of box (like you said) and put a little inline fan and duct it into your tents.
I noticed you said you needed a heater in your garage so this actually might kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
Good luck