Co2

[GARYH]

Hi,
I have a co2 system connected to my freshwater aquarium.The gas bottle is a 3.15kg bottle with a good quality regulator and diffuser.I was running the co2 at approximately 280bpm and marked the regulator wheel.I have replaced the bottle 6 weeks ago and it was running fine,however lately i have noticed that when the regulator adjustor is set to the previous mark it only runs at 150bpm and if i turn it up fully it will only achieve 210bpm.I have refitted all the equipment twice and checked for leaks numerous times.How doicheck if the regulator is faulty or has anyone any ideas as tothe cause.
Many Thanks, Gary

 

[foxfish]

You dont say how the C02 is distributed into the tank ie atomiser, Lilly pipe ?
If it is a high pressure diffuser then that could be blocked.

 

[DaveWatkin]

What is the bottle pressure? Sounds like it's running down. What regulator is it? Do you have a needle valve in the line also?

Opening up the regulator fully should essentially vent at bottle pressure and would give a LOT more than 280bpm for a full bottle.

 

[GARYH]

It is from co2 supermarket and the bottle was changed approx 8weeks ago and the last one lasted 6 months so i dont think it is the bottle .I have an inline bubble counter.I attach photos of the regulator with co2 running.

 

[Zeus.]

Over time you CO2 diffuser will get blocked with detritus etc so it will require a higher pressure to get the same BPS/BPM. However the BPS/BPM is only an indication of the CO2 injection rate, has the DC (Drop Checker) become more green than before - if not the change in BPM is irrelevant.
One of the drawbacks of single stage regulators is the injection pressure is fixed and can not be changed, so you can open the needle valve fully and get little or no change in BPM. Duel stage regs can adjust the working pressure which when the working pressure in increased the injection rate also increases even when there is no change in the needle valve.
On my 500l tank I adjust the working pressure to change the injection rate and leave the needle valve alone.
Recently I changed the atomiser on my 50l which has a single stage reg, when the needle valve was fully opened I got a few bubbles then they stopped and nothing from the atomisers, so my single stage reg is unable to provide enough PSI for the atomiser to work. The single stage reg is fine, I used cleaned the old atomiser of a different make and all was well.