diy siphon break

[hubbahubbahehe]

hi , on my diy co2 line ....my tetratec check valves cracked and broke....and then my penn plax check valves don't even work....so i thought to myself,....there must be a better way!! then i vaguely remember that if you just put a loop above the water line, then that can prevent siphoning too.... can anyone verify this?

[SCMurphy]

Not in a CO2 line, the CO2 will dissolve forming a vacuum that sucks the water all the way back to your CO2 source.

[ninoboy]

Man, how did you break so many check valves so soon? I tried making a loop above water level (1 loop onlY) and then unplugged the tube from the bottle (w/o check valve). The suction created was too strong and basically sucked the water over the loop and started the syphon effect. I'm not sure if more loops would work.

Do you use a gas seperator or bubble counter ? If you do, put the check valve after it pass those items. Using either one will help reduce the moisture build up inside the check valve.

[Wasserpest]

For DIY CO2, you don't really need a checkvalve as long as you remember to clamp the line shut when changing the bottles. I use one of the little black metal clamps that are used to hold sheets of paper together. While in action, DIY CO2 is constantly producing pressure, so there is no danger of tank water siphoning back.

[hubbahubbahehe]

what if it's at the end of a month and the yeast stops producing co2 and you forget to replace the mixture?

[SCMurphy]

Then you find out what a mess DIY CO2 can be.

[Gomer]

I guess this is another reason to put the CO2 on the output (possitive pressure) rather than the input (negative pressure)

[Wasserpest]

If you use a "pressureless" method of diffusing CO2, like the bubble ramp, bubbling into a selfmade powerhead reactor, or bubbling into a fiter, NOTHING happens when CO2 ceases production. Apart from the fact that a non-producing CO2 mixture isn't really helpful, it will not empty your tank magically into a closed bottle. I promise.

If, on the other hand, you have the DIY connected to an external inline reactor, then DOOM-ON-YOU, all kind of nasty stuff can happen. But again, it is not so much related to the check valve, or dead yeast, as to the fragility of connections, leaky bottle caps, etc. A functioning check valve MIGHT UNDER SPECIFIC circumstances save your behind, so I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Oh, and if you connect the DIY bottle to the input side, you are asking for yeast-sugar-alcohol mixture in your tank, unless you use a very strong (not soda) bottle. But here again, a check valve will NOT prevent this.

Okay now?

[SCMurphy]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

If you use a "pressureless" method of diffusing CO2, like the bubble ramp, bubbling into a selfmade powerhead reactor, or bubbling into a fiter, NOTHING happens when CO2 ceases production. Apart from the fact that a non-producing CO2 mixture isn't really helpful, it will not empty your tank magically into a closed bottle. I promise.

Sorry, you are mistaken, see my previous posting. Well, you are right about not emptying your tank into a closed bottle.

[hubbahubbahehe]

ok ok now i'm getting confused..should the check valve be used to prevent aquarium water from entering the co2 bottle or prevent co2 yeast mixture from entering the aquarium??? or perhaps one should get both to prevent both instances?

[Wasserpest]

Hehe, it's too confusing. A check valve lets things through in one direction.

Since you want to get CO2 INTO the tank, the checkvalve needs to let this through. Therefore, you can't prevent water (yeast, sugar, alc) to go from the bottle into your tank via the checkvalve. Unless the bottle tips over, starts to foam like crazy, or is being sucked out by the negative pressure (vaccuum) of the inline reactor placed on the input side of the canister, this shouldn't happen anyway.

The checkvalve used to prevent water going from your tank into your CO2 system, which would be terrible for a high pressure setup, but doesn't really affect a closed DIY bottle.

[hubbahubbahehe]

I totally understand now. lol, thanks a million, wasserpest. I thought that gas can go through a check valve but I stand corrected. Now I get why you use that "black office clip thingie",


I guess using another bottle as a "gas separator" will be enough to prevent yeast mixtures from going into the tank


and there is no way that a tank full of water will go into those small bottles, but i guess what i was worried about was the tank water filling up all the bottle and all the tubing ..and then the yeast eventually getting into the tank... but i take it that that just does not happen?

[Wasserpest]

You would have to let a completely finished CO2 bottle (after 3 months?) stand there for another long time to replace all of the air space in it with water. I think I understand what Sean means by CO2 completely dissolving, but again, this will not happen for a very long time, and if you don't use it anymore, just disconnect the sucker.

[compulsion]

i got an idea. build a reactor with a gravel vac and a powerhead and some sponge..... dadaaaa
like the guys said its a bit charred if your seding the co2 into the canister or whatever. in or out. get a reactor seeing as all the sucessfull planters use them. it only figures.

[hubbahubbahehe]

Originally Posted by compulsion

i got an idea. build a reactor with a gravel vac and a powerhead and some sponge..... dadaaaa
like the guys said its a bit charred if your seding the co2 into the canister or whatever. in or out. get a reactor seeing as all the sucessfull planters use them. it only figures.

compulsion, i cannot for the life of me decipher what you are trying to say...


UPDATE on the loop siphon break. I've got good news and bad news.. bad news is the loop doesn't work. Water goes up and around the loop and into my yeast bottle. The good news is it never completely fills it up.. I suppose the water siphons into the bottle until a certain pressure is reached...then it will stop sending water into it. Take care everyone!