My grow room contains an old gas hot water heater with the gas pilot light. I'm thinking this is generating co2 while burning, including the always on pilot light. While this is probably helping my grow I'm not sure of the co2 level and the sensors on the market are $expensive$. ANy ideas on how to check without spending a lot. One time test kits or something like that. And am I right in thinking the water heater is helping the co2 level. The room is large and I use a fan placed by the heater to blow towards the grow. Ideas welcomed. Thanks
Burning flames certainly produce CO2, especially the radiant heaters (I think); I'm more of a home-brew CO2 guy. You can get fairly cheap CO2 test kits that do one or two tests, around ten or twenty bucks. Remember, CO2 is heavier than air, so you need to keep it circulating up and over the plants for it to be effective. -mu [edit]here's one on eBay you can buy the replacement tubes on their own, too[/edit]
OK lets hope that you are not gettin' much C02 from the water heater....cuz if ya' are you are also playin' with her ugly sister Carbon Monoxide....the fan may be pushing the exhaust away from the vent....it needs to rise thru that open spot between the top of the water heater and the flue pipe about 1 1/4" above it ....it relies on convection to leave the living space....Blow it around and it is HEAVY and will settle AND WILL KILL YA'.......prolly get the Cat or Dog first they are down there by the floor...and any birds in the home are in Danger first
Thanks for the info guys, I'm going to get the ebay kit. I must have been brain dead searching ebay, i used the wrong words on search. The safety info is much appreciated, I'll only consider the water heater as a winter heat source.
Anyone know any other ways of producing C02? Something like sugar yeast and water in a bottle or things to that effect, would that work?
PlanA I saw a set of instructions on this site for exactly what you are talking about, I think in Advance Growing techniques. Used milk jugs, sugar, water and yeast.
You dissolve around 5 cups of sugar in a gallon of water, or around 1/2 cup in a twenty oz bottle. Sprinkle brewing yeast on top, wait a few minutes, shake it, and poke holes near the top of the bottle. Right now I have 4 20 oz bottles and a gallon jug in my grow room, and my plants have more than doubled in size in the 4 days Ive had them in there.
There's a few threads about it. I just use a big bucket, and make wine while I'm at it. If you keep things clean, the yeast lasts for months, just replace the sugar+water every week or so. -mu
The gas pilot light thing just sounds like a bad idea on a few different levels. Weed grows real good with plain ol air. I would bet the gains from that pilot light would be insignificant. Keep the fire out of the grow room unless its a burning joint. Talking to your plants brings in alot of extra CO2 and is safe. Peace, R.
one thing i have heard of people doing is getting a dropper thing from a pet store its like an eye dropper that constantly drips and you can tighten it and loosen it to control the drippines and then they fill it with vinegar and have it drip onto a pile of baking soda
It should be added... if you are serious about using CO2, get a proper CO2 cannister. The main reason being that generating CO2 adds to global CO2 levels, where as the cannisters are at least filled from recycled gas. It's also easier to control, and the CO2 levels will be higher. -mu
^^^^ I dont think that a few bottles of sugar and yeast are going to affect global warming dude. And i'm sure that most people are on a budget. Personally i would love a canister. But simply cant afford one. This is my next best option.
I use the system myself. But if I get serious about CO2, I'll get a cannister, no matter how much it costs. It all adds up. -mu
^^yeah i suppose that if everyone had my view we couldn't tackle global warming. ANYWAYS few bits of advice about the sugar yeast and water thing./..... I did it last night, Seemed to work fine. woke up this morning and the bottle had fallen over and leaked ALL OVER THE FLOOR! the light heated it up ect, and Now it smells like fucking DEATH in my grow room. So, anybody doing this, make sure your not a DICK HEAD like me, and put it somewhere it wont fall over!
I have heard of and seen folks spraying with carbonated water. I feel it's a bad idea. The amount of CO2 your room would get from a misting would be about the same as talking to your plants for a minute and a half. During flowering you want to have as little humidity as possible. Keeping your room and buds dry is much more important then a few PPM of CO2. Just my take on that. R.