# Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions added)



## GHNelson (16 Jul 2010)

Hi gang
Just installed the UP atomiser,Ive been reading that you need 1.7bar to force the Co2 through the diffuser?
Is this correct? 
Should the chamber be empty or full of water?
Installed is a JBL m001 regulator......the needle valve is nearly fully open 1 bubble every 5 seconds and its struggling.
The regulator pressure left hand gauge is 50, right hand is just above 1 bar any ideas how to get this to work without removing the UP atomiser and going back to a ceramic in-tank diffuser.
Regards
hoggie


----------



## mdhardy01 (16 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser*

If you have the silver fixed pressure jbl reg then there is nothing to be done
If you have the green jbl reg then there is a hex
Screw that can be turned with an Allan key to 
Turn the output pressure up
And I wouldn't recommend dismantling the reg
At all


----------



## GHNelson (16 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

Hi 
Here is the regulator
http://www.aquaristikshop.com/cgi-bin/n ... temartic_e
Its says the working pressure is adjustable.
Any ideas how to adjust the pressure.
Regards 
hoggie


----------



## chump54 (16 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

sorry no idea how to adjust the working pressure on your reg... but my chamber (as it were) has some water in it. It took me a while to get mine sorted out, I got rid of my bubble counter as it wasn't up to the extra pressure required and I managed to get a steady flow of fine mist.

Chris


----------



## GHNelson (16 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

Cheers Chris
I found the booklet provided with the regulator.The needle valve needs to be open to attempt a re-adjustment.
I suppose this needs to be done on the cylinder with the valve open?
Only things is that there no instruction in the booklet to advise you which way to turn the setting screw...?
Can anyone advise
May have a go tomorrow.
Regards
hoggie


----------



## andyh (17 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

its easy, just turn the allen key slowly and watch the dial that shows working pressure you will see the needle moving.

The Up atomizer is full of water until the co2 comes on and they u will see it slowly disappear/forced through the ceramic tube with the initial flow of gas.


----------



## GHNelson (17 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

Andy 
Thanks for your reply,will have a go at it this morning,hopefully i wont have to remove the atomiser.
Cheers again
hoggie


----------



## andyh (17 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*



			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Andy
> Thanks for your reply,will have a go at it this morning,hopefully i wont have to remove the atomiser.
> Cheers again
> hoggie



It will work, they are excellent bits of kit IMO. I use JBL regs with mine, no problem.
PM me if you have probs


----------



## GHNelson (17 Jul 2010)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser(edited)*

HI gang @ukaps
The JBL regulator m001.... can be adjusted as per instruction from the booklet and help from Andy thanks to him for guidance.
Works exceedingly well.For guidance for others read below........
Remove the small black plastic cover from the front of the regulator.
Turn open the cylinder valve.
Open the needle valve.
Insert the correct allen key, turn to the right to increase the pressure, the needle on the gauge will slowly move towards 2 bar.
Adjust the needle valve for correct flow.Remember to open your solenoid if you have one.
All done.
Regards
hoggie


----------



## Billypete (1 Apr 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Hi All.

     I have an Aqua Medic regulator that's fixed at 1.5 bar - will this work with this atomiser ??

    Cheers

     Pete.


----------



## GHNelson (3 Apr 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*



			
				Billypete said:
			
		

> Hi All.
> 
> I have an Aqua Medic regulator that's fixed at 1.5 bar - will this work with this atomiser ??
> 
> ...


Only if it has a adjustable working pressure look at the manual provided if any.
Or post the model here so we can google it.....for information.
hoggie


----------



## andyh (4 Apr 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*



			
				Billypete said:
			
		

> Hi All.
> 
> I have an Aqua Medic regulator that's fixed at 1.5 bar - will this work with this atomiser ??
> 
> ...



Probably not   

The UP really needs about 1.6bar


----------



## faizal (12 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Hi everyone. I had been literally awake the entire night redoing my tank ( preparing the plants, filters, planting,etc) And finally at 5:30 am today I hooked up the new UP-Atomizer that I had been so eagerly awaiting. You could imagine my dismay when after about an hour & a half into the injection period,...my DC was still a deep dark blue. 

My regulator is Taiwanese make. It's called Aquatic Plant. It's a single stage regulator with dual guages. The gauge that measures the delivery pressure says 2kg/cm2 OR 35 psi. Now I checked this with an online psi to bar converter and found that its equivalent to 2.4 bar.

I don't understand what's happening. I hooked it up exactly as per UP's flow diagram on the products cover EXCEPT that I have ONE CO2 cylinder which is connected to the UP Professional Bubble Counter, from here it's connected to  a split valve that splits the co2 supply to the 2 units of Atomizer that are each connected to the outflow of my 2 cannisters ( Tetra Tec Ex 90) and Aquanic AQ 500. I had to use 2 cannisters to get the 10 times flow rate. I am using the JBL CO2 tubing.

I don't see any mist coming out of the spray bar at all. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this please.

My concerns,....

1. Is the split valve causing a decrease in co2 delivery pressure?
2. Should I discard my bubble counter?
3.HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR ONE TO SEE THOSE MIST LIKE TINY BUBBLES ? My test injection rate was 3-4 bubbles per sec this morning & I waited for 1.5 hours and yet there were no bubbles.

Please help

faizal


----------



## foxfish (12 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Hi, I am sorry but you have confused me with this bit ........

"I hooked it up exactly as per UP's flow diagram on the products cover EXCEPT that I have ONE CO2 cylinder which is connected to the UP Professional Bubble Counter, from here it's connected to a split valve that splits the co2 supply to the 2 units of Atomizer that are each connected to the outflow of my 2 cannisters ( Tetra Tec Ex 90) and Aquanic AQ 500. I had to use 2 cannisters to get the 10 times flow rate. I am using the JBL CO2 tubing."

I don't understand why you have split the C02 supply, have you actually got two atomisers?

I seem to remember your tank is not that large, one UP will manage at least 300lts, mine feeds my tank with 2 x bps for around 200lts.


----------



## faizal (12 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Hi Foxfish. Yes I did actually hook up 2 atomizers ,....one for each filter but after reading your post,..I realize now that this was a mistake. I am currently running the tank with Excel because the atomizer doesn't seem to be working. 

Foxfish do you think that this could have happened because I had split the co2 supply? When i get back home I am going to disconnect the other atomizer.

how long does it take for the mist like bubblews to appear from the time you switch on the gas?


----------



## foxfish (12 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Yes that is your problem, just use one atomiser.
You should be able to see the micro bubbles after a few mins, as soon as the pressure builds up enough to force the C02 though the atomisers membrane.
"Mist" is just a term, dont expect to see your tank change that dramatically!
You will need to look closely to see the micro bubbles.
Sometimes these devises take a few days to settle down so you may need to adjust the bubble count a few times or not!
I find they work pretty well for a couple of months before requiring more pressure to operate, i would set your regulator at 2bar.
Also - the 10 x rule is just a guideline, you want to make sure the C02 is reaching the plants but not blasting them over!
This does not necessarily require lots of powerful pumps just some careful adjustment because you can easily go the other way & overpower the flow


----------



## faizal (13 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

That was a very valuable advice  . Thank you foxfish. I really thought that my luck was running out there for a moment when the atomizer had failed to work.  I will hook up just one atomizer then.   




			
				foxfish said:
			
		

> i would set your regulator at 2bar.



Foxfish,...kindly excuse my annoyingly simple questions but my regulator has 2 guages. I think the FIRST guage measures the tank's pressure (because it measures from 0 to 150 kg/cm2 ) and the SECOND guage measures the delivery pressure ( 0 to 10 kg/cm2 ; it also has the units in psi ). My current reading on the second guage shows 35 psi ,...so this equals 2.4 bar ( I checked it on an online converter site). 

So do you think that I have enough pressure to operate the atomizer?



			
				foxfish said:
			
		

> You should be able to see the micro bubbles after a few mins, as soon as the pressure builds up enough to force the C02 though the atomisers membrane.
> "Mist" is just a term, dont expect to see your tank change that dramatically!
> You will need to look closely to see the micro bubbles.
> Sometimes these devises take a few days to settle down so you may need to adjust the bubble count a few times or not!
> I find they work pretty well for a couple of months before requiring more pressure to operate,




Thank you for that valuable piece of information again my friend. I wouldn't have anticipated.  

So do you actually soak them in bleach for a day once they start requiring more pressure to operate? If so,...do you dilute the bleach to 1 part bleach : 10 parts water then?


Thank you for taking the time to help me.

Faizal


----------



## foxfish (13 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

I have my regulator set at 2 bar, the unit requires 1.7 to work efficiently but I have to turn up the pressure after a few months to 2.2 to keep the bubble count up. Once I reach this stage I order another one because I tried cleaning the unit without much long term success & considering the cost of a new one!
The only problem I see about 2.4 bar is about possible leaks along the line, as the unit starts to clog up the pressure on your fitting will be tested to the limit.
So to answer your question - yes you have more than enough pressure to operate the atomiser.


----------



## faizal (14 May 2011)

*Re: Assistance needed UP atomiser (Resolved instructions add*

Thank you. Have you had any experience with the Cal Aqua Labs inline glass co2 diffuser units? They cost a bomb though!! I know Clive has it in his tank after reading his post. I think he mentioned that it made a big difference after hooking it up to his tank.  But he's right y'know? It is really expensive here in Malaysia!! You can buy about 5 UP Atomizers for the price of a single cal aqua unit. But then,....in the long run don't you think that they would be easier to clean? I wonder how Clive does it ,....Hope he sees this post.


----------

