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Up Aqua CO2 Atomizer dead?

4K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  darkcrisis 
#1 ·
I installed my new Up Aqua inline CO2 atomizer and it worked great right after the install. I was running it at about 30psi and there were TONS of tiny bubbles coming from the spray bar.

At night a timer shuts off the CO2 for about 16 hours. It comes back on before the lights turn on.

I came home from work today and after several hours of the CO2 being on there is no mist in the tank and the drop checker is blue.

I started increasing the low end pressure throughout the evening and never saw any bubbles or change in color on the drop checker. Finally the hose blew off the check valve from the pressure (around 50psi) At that point I disconnected the check valve and attached the CO2 tubing (about 3 feet long) directly to the atomizer. Even at 90psi I was getting very little mist.

I plan on going back to my previous method of diffusing CO2 tomorrow since this just isn't working.

I think I got a bad inline atomizer, but what confuses me is that it worked fine before being shut off for several hours. There is a little condensation in the atomizer chamber that the co2 tube connects to if that means anything.

Any thoughts, comments, or experience with this? I probably should have spent the extra few dollars and purchased it from GLA.
 
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#3 ·
i use an up aqua atomizer for a couple weeks now. works really good. cant say much that would help you. i run it through about 5 feet co2 tubing, 2 cheap check valves, and into an eheim 2215 @ 35-40 psi from a milwaukee regulator. the only time i thought it wasnt working was when my eheim flow cut down to almost nothing because my prefilter was clogged.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Soak it in bleach for 12-24 hours, then rinse and douse in a cup of water and 10X the normal prime rate, then rinse, air dry and try again.

*edit* realized as I posted that you had an inline diffuser. I *think* you can still use the same method with them, but I've never owned an inline Atomic.
 
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