Need help with co2 please.

It's possible the diffuser is blocked, allowing only a tiny amount of air to escape. It's possible there's a leak in the line somewhere. It's possible the needle valve is broken. Easiest first - put soapy water on all the connections.

Hi,

The needle valve and the diffuser are new. Can it be that my max working pressure of 27psi is not enough to run the GLA atomic diffuser properly ? I see the diffuser gets out a lot of fine mist.

Did the soapy water test, no leaks. Aren't you suppose to get as many bubbles/second as you want by adjusting the needle valve ?

Yes, you are. Which is why I worry your needle valve might have bought the farm. If you have a balloon, disconnect the diffuser from the end of the hose and adjust the needle valve with a balloon at the end of the airline. If you see a difference in the speed at which the balloon inflates, the needle valve is working.

Lol, no ballon but, what a good suggestion. I'll let it work a little more in order to settle down and see what happens. Btw, I have 3 new Favbcos, switched them around with the same results. What are the odds of all 3 being faulty? It seems to work a bit better right now. Maybe it takes talent to adjust the nv. Thanks kevmo911.

You have to take your time. Do not close them all the way(firmly). Needle valve are not meant to shut off gas.

The back pressure from the atomizer is going to make things adjust a little slowly. So, make slow adjustments then move again.

over_stocked said:

You have to take your time. Do not close them all the way(firmly). Needle valve are not meant to shut off gas.

The back pressure from the atomizer is going to make things adjust a little slowly. So, make slow adjustments then move again.

Click to expand...

Yep, it works a little better now, 1b/s and I do not want to touch it right now, you are right. My diffuser is close to the filter intake. Is this OK ?

Now, I am having a problem with my second set up. This is for two tanks using a Victor 453b. I got everything working, set up the pressure at 15psi and everything worked out just fine. Then , I decided to bump up the pressure to 38 psi and boom...........the co2 started to come out via the relief pressure valve on the regulator. I shut off the co2 tank and now every time I attempt to open the tank, all the co2/pressure comes out through the relief valve. I know I can not touch that valve b/c it is written "not to alter " on it. What do I do now ?

Darn, why I did not stick with the "Metricide set up" I was getting decent healthy plants, no algae and so on. Yeah, I was not getting an extraordinary plant growth but, so what.

Was the CO2 cylinder newly filled? It may be that it was slightly overfilled, and the regulator is venting the extra pressure that it cannot handle.

A worst case scenario is that the diaphragm of the regulator is broken.

Darkblade48 said:

Was the CO2 cylinder newly filled? It may be that it was slightly overfilled, and the regulator is venting the extra pressure that it cannot handle.

A worst case scenario is that the diaphragm of the regulator is broken.

Click to expand...

Hi,

Yes the tank was just filled. I disconnected and connected it again and the same thing is happening. I replaced the Victor with another regulator, a Concoa and, it works fine. How do I know if is the extra co2 pressure or the diaphragm ? The Victor is brand new.

Is your regulator knob loose (i.e. turned counterclockwise) when you are opening the main CO2 cylinder valve?

Perhaps you have accidentally set your delivery pressure too high, and the regulator is venting the gas?

If the Victor regulator is brand new, and bought from a reputable source, then it should not be a defective diaphragm.

Darkblade48 said:

Is your regulator knob loose (i.e. turned counterclockwise) when you are opening the main CO2 cylinder valve?

Perhaps you have accidentally set your delivery pressure too high, and the regulator is venting the gas?

If the Victor regulator is brand new, and bought from a reputable source, then it should not be a defective diaphragm.

Click to expand...

It's possibe since it worked ok until I decided to bump up the pressure from 15 to 38psi. I bought it from ebay from a decent seller. I am going to try to connect it again to the spare tank I have and see if it does the same. Thanks darkblade.

Well, I did hook it up to a 5lb co2 tank and it does the same.

Orlando from GLA will repair it for me at no charge. I am happy b/c I like this Victor a lot.

Unless you bought it brand new from an eBay seller, the diaphgram would be my first thought.

Darkblade48 said:

Unless you bought it brand new from an eBay seller, the diaphgram would be my first thought.

Click to expand...

Hi darkblade,

It was advertised as brand new, and it looks brand new but, how can one be sure. Anyway I'll send it to GLA and I am sure, Orlando will find out if it was brand new.