CO2 Inquiries

[Agnate]

Ooookay, so onto another day of Paul's new DIY ideas! I'm wondering if anyone has experimented with, say, creating a PVC cyclinder, installing a valve, putting in some dry ice, sealing it, and creating a pressurized CO2 chamber for use in aquariums?

It may seem a little far fetched, but I can get an absurd amount of dry ice from my lab technician friend, and we've already experimented with putting the dry ice into 2L pop bottles (which works marvelously well). My problem is that I don't think standard tubing can handle the pressured CO2, and that installing a valve on a pop bottle would jeopardize its integrity. So, next best (and cheap) thing is to use my 4 inch PVC piping, pick up some caps, seal it with silicone/epoxy (or something), and give it a try.

So, if anyone has some experience creating a CO2 canister with PVC piping (or with some other material), I'd appreciate any mistakes/problems you had so I don't make the same ones!

If I don't get any responses, I'm going to start the construction and see if I can get a working model going.

[Nick]

I don't know that I'd pressurize PVC, it's not made to handle it, that's why its only used for drain water in homes. I'd look into polycarbonate instead, which also has the advantage of being clear.

[yunachin]

I have never made a DIY CO2 drip. I have always used a CO2 tank.

[Agnate]

Supposedly certain grades of PVC go through pressure tests, as some paintballers tested out some 1.5" PVC and got a pressure rating of approximately 280 PSI. *Shrug* I'll look into polycarbonate, though.

[Jase]

Everything I've designed similar to this was meant to go boom. dry ice makes a lot of pressure, so make sure what ever you choose can handle it before it goes near anything valuable.

[Nick]

Dry ice will generate MUCH more pressure than liquid CO2 used by paintballers.