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Re: A Co2 Diffuser idea...needs comments. Especially Gomberg & Karen



Dwight wrote:

I've come up w/ an idea that also adds to Karen's design but before I
invest the effort in a prototype I'd like your opinions.  The top diagram
is my modification.  The bottom diagram is Karen's original design (plus
some modifications suggested by others)
http://www.mindspring.com/~boukmn/Co2Diffuser.jpg

My hope is since the powerhead's impeller premixes the Co2 the overall
apparatus should produce a richer more Co2 saturated out flow.  What do you
Lurkers think?

I reply:

I use something very similar to this and I think it works great and cheap
too. I think mine is a little better ;-) because it is more compact and
easier to make but the idea is definately sound. I use a submersable pump
which is stuck on the back of the tank. The outflow off the pump goes into a
1" diameter header which runs along the full length of the top of the tank.
I tap into the header in the middle and at the two ends of the header so
that the pump has three outlets that pump water across the surface of the
tank. I filled the 1" header with a bunch of narrow rings cut from a garden
hose. The CO2 is injected into the intake of the pump. I also cover the
intake of the pump with a sponge so that the intake does not get clogged. It
looks to me that the main difference between your design and mine is the
shape of the cannister.

Since I use DIY CO2 the most important thing for me is to make sure the the
pump intake never becomes clogged in such a way that it creates a vacuum in
the yeast/sugar bottle as it can collapse the bottle and suck in the bottles
contents into the tank. Another important consideration is to make the
device out of something opaque. Clear containers and tubing become clogged
with algae and will require maintainance. I have been using this final
version of my setup for 6 months now and so far no maintainance has been
required.

There is one improvement I would like to make but I have not been able to
find the parts. The tanks in Petsmart have pump outlets made from a
segmented flexable plastic tubing that can be made to point in any direction
and hold that position. Does anyone know of a source for that type of
tubing? I also see them on some types of machinery for spraying coolant or
blowing away chips or sawdust.

Wayne