# Equipment needed for Fire Extinghuisher CO2 - With Links!



## aaronnorth (25 Aug 2008)

Here is a how a typical set up goes:

FE > Regulator > Solenoid (optional) > Needle Valve > Bubble Counter > Check Valve > Diffuser/ Reactor. CO2 Airline is also needed.

We will start of with the Fire Extinghuisher, Dan Crawford regularly sells 2Kg's for Â£15 + Â£7 P+P. And he can also get 5Kg's for Â£30 + Â£7 P+P.  See Here For Details. If they are unavailable, then they can also be founded  Here

Next along the line is the regulator. These bring the pressure of the bottle down to a useable level. 2 Gauges are needed. The left gauge measures the bottle pressure, usually 50-65bar. This will start to decrease as soon as the bottle is getting empty. The right gauge measures the opertaing pressure (the pressure at which the gas is coming out). This should be around 2 bar. Here are some options for regulators:

CO2 Regulator
CO2 Regulator, with solenoid, bubble counter, check valve and needle valve - The connection between the bubble counter and regulator is not very good and in most cases people find them leaking. A good way around this is to put some PTFE tape around the join and the problem is fixed  
CO2 Regulator, with solenoid, bubble counter, check valve and needle valve - I can't comment on this one so maybe someone else can help. But from looking at it everything is connected via the CO2 airline which can be more secure.

Next is the solenoid, unless you go for one of the full kits above then you may want a solenoid. This allows you to turn the CO2 off at night when plants dont use it, therefore stretching out your supply of gas by almost half. Some people prefer to run it 24/7.

Solenoid - I have heard good reviews on this German solenoid

Needle valves (or thumbwheels) allow you to change the amount of gas injected. This can be measured by bubble counter. Basically if you turn the wheel one way, it either makes the hole bigger or smaller thus allowing more, or less CO2 injected. Again unless a full kit is bought, then a needle valve will have to be bought seperate.

Needle Valve

When you are changing the needle valve, using a buble counter can help you measur the amount of CO2 Being injected, the vary in all different shapes, sizes materials etc so i will leave it up to you on which model you would like, i will give a few as examples.

Bubble Counter

bubble counter

A check valve is essential in order to stop the water returning down the ipe and into your regulator or solenoid. They are very cheap and again come in different shapes and materials.

Check Valve

You have to decide how to diffuse the CO2 in the water - reactor, diffuser or other.

You can get internal or external reactors they are a 'box' in which the CO2 passes through and it get dissolved as it is in contact wih the water. These are ideal for larger tanks, also if you have an external reactor (attaches to outflow of filter pipe) It is less equipment in the tank!

Internal Reactor

External Reactor

Another option is via a ceramic diffuser. These have extremely small holes on a ceramic plate, the gas is pushed through and small micro bubbles are produced. It is a good idea to have this in the flow of the water so the bubbles get pushed around the tank.

Glass ceramic diffuser

another option sto run it through a powerhead or your filter. This may make your filter slightly noisy and it is still undecided wether it can damage your filter although it is rarely heard of.

You will need some CO2 airline to connect everything up. It needs to be CO2 otherwise regular airline will crack & leak.

See Sam's Excelent guide on how to put this all together here

CO2 also needs to be measured, a good way to do this is via a Drop Checker - There is a guide on this here

I hope this helps you all get your fire extinghuishers set up and running smoothly!

Thanks, Aaron


----------



## beeky (28 Aug 2008)

Excellent, that's really useful. I'm tempted to get the welduk reg and the needle valve. Adding an FE and some tubing and you've got a pressurised setup for around Â£50! Bargain!


----------



## nickyc (28 Aug 2008)

Thanks Aaron!  V useful


----------



## Ed Seeley (28 Aug 2008)

beeky said:
			
		

> Excellent, that's really useful. I'm tempted to get the welduk reg and the needle valve. Adding an FE and some tubing and you've got a pressurised setup for around Â£50! Bargain!



You will need a fitting to connect the industrial regulator to the tubing though and a check valve as I don't think the welding regs usually have them as water back-flow isn't an issue.

I've got one of the Aquatic Magic regs with a splitter, two needle valves and two bubble counters and simply sealed the bubble counters with PTFE tape like Aaron suggested and that really is just add FE and tubing and go.  I'd certainly get another.


----------

