DIY DIY CO2 generator

[A4]

So, I have been looking at ways to increase CO2 in my grow room on the cheap. After looking at natural gas and propane generators I decided to buy a small oil lamp and see what kind of CO2 it would generate. The lamp was super small and cheap, I paid $3 for it at a local store. When I fired it up my CO2 was at 433, the first picture is about 5 minutes later, I couldn't believe it was increasing that quick and ran upstairs to grab my camera. After 33 minutes my CO2 was at 800. The room size is 10x10x10 so 1000 cubic feet total, it increased by ~400ppm after 33 minutes. It pretty much stabled out and bounced back and forth between 750 and 800 for another two hours when I turned it off. I will be investing in a larger lamp for further testing but as you can see, a very small flame will increase the PPM quite a bit in an enclosed room. I don't know how comfortable I would be with it in a tent but this room has concrete floors and blocks up 2' high so I am not much worried about it in there. I will update after I get a larger lamp.

 

[BII]

How does this compare to your just being in the room, exhaling a higher CO2 concentration?

 

[A4]

How does this compare to your just being in the room, exhaling a higher CO2 concentration?

Not too sure Bill. Honestly I have never paid attention to it when I was in the room. I was out of the room with the door closed when the readings were taken, I only stepped in to snap the shots and closed the door real quick. I will doing some updates as I try different things.

 

[Ozone69]

Yeast is another cheap idea for generating Co2 that I've thought of trying. Might be worth seeing what effect it has with your meter if you've got any about the kitchen. Little safer than leaving a flame going, but a good oil lamp on a steady surface away from combustibles is going to be stable unless someone bumps it.

(from another forum)

The way I produce yeast is this:
1 plastic bottle with screw-top, hole in the lid surrounded with putty to seal it with a plastic tube leading to another bottle, which is half full of water. The plastic tube leads under the surface of the water in the second bottle, which stops yeast overflowing into the room if it goes ba-boom one night, and shows me by bubbling when the co2 is being produced.
In the bottle I put 1.5 tbsp of yeast and 1.5 of sugar in about a pint of water.
The effects are really noticeable- luckily I've got a small cupboard so I only need to add something like 0.05 cubic feet of co2 to reach optimal levels.
This way there's nothing burning and no additional paranoia!

 

[Discretepete2676]

Nice find A4! Scary in a tent tho like you said

 

[NotAllThere]

A4, that's great info! There are tons of "cheapo" CO2 generators - fermenters, vinegar/baking soda rigs commercial and DIY but to be honest I never thought of just burning a kero lantern or candle.

I have a little 2x4x6 tent and since I got an LED grow light haven't needed much if any ventilation. Ideal for CO2. I think I'll be trying your tek when my latest lady gets growing but any info you gather would be much appreciated.

 

[Corgy]

@A4 this is cool, I dabbled a little with CO2 of the yeast/sugar variety, and came across the info in the below links(read at your own risk....), and the kerosene lamp sure beat messing around with yeast, sugar and tomato paste(sure, that too to increase the production according to one recipe I found which made kinda sense!)........and when the generator is spent there's all that alcohol begging to be distilled into a vintage and ever ever so gently aged cannovadko...I digress.......

I believe that the chief contortionist and tinkerer @HubbaBubba recently put his very life on the line in the quest for scientific advancement by sleeping with a number of canna girls, a CO2 monitor and high hopes about waking up again..... And if I remember correctly, it transpired that @HubbaBubba was not only reeking CO2, he was belching it in copious amounts (the Chili con Carne recipe is now a closely guarded state secret).....and allowing for the fact that plants breathe oxygen and produce CO2 when lights are off, the HubbaBubba generated gas easily reached the debatable sweet concentration spot for canna, ref below link, so it's just a matter of getting used to sleeping with the lights on.......

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=221893 there's a smattering of Ethylene info here too, which is interesting too for those interested in finding out if canna is climacteric or non-climacteric, I am.......

https://www.420magazine.com/forums/frequently-asked-questions/56571-co2-you.html

 

[HubbaBubba]

@A4 sleeping with a number of canna girls, a CO2 monitor and high hopes

Grow in the bedroom for super simple CO2 supplement.
If I'm gonna have beautiful women in my life, then I definitely want them in my bedroom.
3 Mephisto's SODK x Aliens in one .5 liter pot has surprisingly lush flowers, the extra C02 must be helping.

Note to self: Take photo and Insert here

 

[BII]

Another potential option, where available and cost-effective, could be to buy a good-sized block or bag of dry ice (frozen CO2), put it in a cooler or other insulated container inside or near the tent, and let the dry ice sublime (go from solid to gas) over days. CO2 delivery rate could be controlled by the extent you insulate the dry ice (or not).

Otherwise, I saw indication that there are concerns that higher CO2 levels, such as from a small flame, could be hazardous. Elevation of CO2 levels at the parts per million or even 1000s levels we are talking about is pretty meaningless in terms of toxicity. Keep in mind, CO2 is an inert gas, and that the small amounts here are not going to significantly reduce the level of oxygen in the air (about 20%) in any meaningful way. And modern humans have evolved living with fire/CO2. You could increase ambient CO2 levels, about 400 parts per million (4/100,000), many many times in a closed room without adverse effects. And I presume this is common, such as well-sealed rooms and buildings, theaters, etc. having much higher CO2 levels than have been cited here so far.

 

[Corgy]

This may be

the thread........ Apologies in advance, but just in case someone think Climacteric refers to my menopause or some such, here's the lowdown on THAT and why it may, or not, be yet another canna dial to turn.....probably not or a canna gardener somewhere would have been beaming such tidings far and wide to the canna world ..... I mean, surely there's NO stoned stone left unturned by now..... Right..........

.............

http://www.quisqualis.com/Climacteric.html
Climacteric and Non-climacteric Fruit List

Fruits were once classified as only either/or Climacteric/Non climacteric but with time many variations between the two types have been found. this original classification is better seen as two extremes of the process. Ethylene/CO2 production is generally thought as a major part of ripening but the kiwifruit has no rise in production until near the end of the ripening process when they become soft. In kiwifruit, structural alterations in cell walls became apparent at advanced stages of softening and showed predominantly dissolution of the middle lamella^. This middle lamella dissolution has also been found in several other fruits including apples and pears.While ripening is no longer perceived as always being driven by ethylene production or by a rise in respiration the usage of the terms Climacteric and Non climacteric remains a useful method of categorizing fruit ripening.

The table below has Climacteric and Non climacteric listings as well as flower information for a number of species of fruits. As more information available (reader's contributions welcomed) the list will be expanded. In very general terms a climacteric fruit can be picked from the tree at full size or maturity but before it is 'ripe' and allowed to ripen off the tree. Generally there is an increase in flavor quality, juice, sugars and other factors. Again, in general terms, non climacteric fruits tend to maintain what ever quality they had at harvest without many beneficial changes.

More technically, in climacteric fruit 'ripening' is controlled by the fruits production of Ethylene and a significant increase in CO2 production. Non climacteric fruit produce little or no Ethylene and no large increase in CO2 production. Some fruits are picked full sized and green in color and held under refrigeration with Ethylene gas added to make them suitable for sale. It seems that much of what we know about the ripening of non climacteric fruit remains poorly understood.

Some varieties of different fruit may exhibit a change in ripening when picked but still be mostly non-climacteric (some literature suggests that some grape varieties are climacteric, some citrus are considered better flavored after chilling or storage (some oranges, some grapefruit)). As information is supplied by readers the list will be updated.

^lamella:a thin plate, scale, membrane, orlayer, as of tissue, or cell walls.
CL = Climacteric NC = Non-Climacteric

= Image (Not Yet Implemented) Common Names Table Link

Latin Name Common Name
Type

~~ A ~~

Actinidia deliciosa Kiwi
CL

Adansonia digitata Baobab
CL

Anacardium occidentale Cashew
NC

Ananas comosus Pineapple
NC

Annona cherimola Cherimoya
CL

Annona hybrid Atemoya
CL

Annona muricata Soursop
CL

Annona squamosa Sugarapple
CL

Artocarpus altilis Breadfruit
CL

Artocarpus heterophyllus Jakfruit, Jackfruit
CL

Asimina triloba Pawpaw
CL

Averrhoa carambola Carambola
NC

~~ B ~~

Bactris gasipaes Pejibaye
--

Borojoa patinoi Borojo
NC

Brosimum alicastrum Breadnut
--

Bunchosia armeniaca Peanutbutter Fruit
CL

~~ C ~~

Carica papaya Papaya
CL

Casimiroa edulis Casimiroa, White Sapote
--

Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus Watermelon
NC

Citrus aurantiifolia Lime, Kinnow
NC

Citrus grandis Pummelo
NC?

Citrus limetta Mousambi, Sweet Lemon, Sweet Lime NC

Citrus paradisi Grapefruit
NC?

Citrus reticulata Mandarin
NC

Citrus sinensis Orange
NC

Cucumis melo Cantaloupe, Muskmelon, Rockmelon NC

~~ D ~~


Dimocarpus longan Longan, Dragon's Eye
NC

Diospyros digyna Black Sapote, Chocolate Pudding Fruit CL

Diospyros kaki Oriental Persimmon CL

Diospyros virginiana Persimmon
CL?

Dovyalis caffra Kei Apple
CL

Durio zibethinus Durian
CL

~~ E ~~


Eriobotrya japonica Loquat
NC?

Eugenia brasiliensis Grumichama
NC

Eugenia uniflora Surinam Cherry
NC

~~ F ~~


Feijoa sellowiana Feijoa
CL

Ficus carica Fig
CL

Flacourtia indica Governor’s Plum --

Fortunella sp. Kumquat
NC?

Fragaria × ananassa, Fragaria sp. Strawberry
NC

~~ G ~~


Garcinia cambogia Citrin, Gambooge CL

Garcinia mangostana Mangosteen CL?

Garcinia prainiana Button Mangosteen
CL




Latin Name Common Name
Type

~~ L ~~


Lansium domesticum* Langsat,
CL?

Lansium parasiticum* Duku --

Litchi chinensis Lychee, Litchi
NC

Lycopersicon esculentum Tomato
CL

~~ M ~~



Macadamia integrifolia Macadamia Nut --

Malus domestica Apple
CL

Mangifera indica Mango
CL

Manilkara zapota Sapodilla
CL

Monstera deliciosa Monstera
CL

Musa sp.
Banana, Plantain CL

~~ N ~~



Nephelium lappaceum Rambutan
NC

~~ P ~~


Passiflora edulis Purple Passion Fruit
CL

Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Yellow Passion Fruit
CL

Passiflora quadrangularis Giant Granadilla
CL

Persea americana
Avocado
CL

Poraqueiba sericea Umari Roxo
NC

Pourouma cecropiaefolia Amazon Tree Grape --

Pouteria caimito Caimito
CL

Pouteria campechiana Canistel
CL

Pouteria sapota Mamey Sapote
CL

Pouteria sp Ross Sapote
CL

Prunus persica Peach
CL

Prunus armeniaca Apricot
CL

Prunus spp., P. domestica, P. salicina Plum
CL

Prunus spp., P. avium, P. cerasus Cherry
CL

Psidium friedrichsthalianum Cost Rican Guava
CL

Psidium cattleianum Cattley Guava
CL

Psidium guajava Guava
CL

Punica granatum Pomegranate
NC

Pyrus spp., Pyrus communis subsp. communis Pear
CL

* There is some discussion as to Lansium domesticum being a synonym of Lansium parasiticum. Due to the difference in the two I have left them separate. L. domesticum fruit have a short shelf life and seem quite Climacteric in nature where the fruit of L. parasiticum seem somewhat non Climacteric less so.



Latin Name Common Name
Type

~~ R ~~


Rubus fruticosus Blackberry, Thornless Blackberry
NC
Rubus idaeus Red Raspberry
NC
Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry
NC

Rubus sp. Raspberry
NC
~~ S ~~



Salacca edulis Salak
--

Sandoricum koetjape Santol
--

Syzygium malaccense Malay Apple
NC

Syzygium samarangense Wax Jambu
NC

~~ T ~~

Tamarindus indica Tamarind
--

~~ V ~~

Vitis sp. Grapes
NC

~~ Z ~~

Ziziphus mauritiana Indian Jujube
CL

Ziziphus spina-christi Christ's Thorn Jujube CL?


CL = Climacteric NC = Non-Climacteric

Help us improve this table. Please let us know which plants are Climacteric and which are not - send us the Latin name and common name and details if you can. We would also like a photo for each fruit - full credit will be given.

....now