CO2 solenoid, Yes or No?
 

Who uses a solenoid, who doesn't, and why? I use one, but just because I have it. The new location of my CO2 bottle doesn't have a plug for it though, so I'm just thinking of taking it off.

I don't.. if the power quites you aren't going to dump CO2 into the tank just the sump where it will be easy to disapate it, having said that I have shut off my reactor water and kept the CO2 running and the pressure wasn't enuf to put CO2 to the system and even if it was is your water return to the sump above the water? if so C)2 is just going into the stand not the tank.

just another power consumer that isn't needed for most people as far as I am concerned.

Steve

Thanks Steve, kinda what I was thinking. And 5 years n the hobby, I've had two short power outages..


edited by Christy

The only real reason I seem to use the solenoid on mine is if I want to shut off the CO2 (for whatever reason), without having to fiddle with the valves. Seems to take ages to fiddle with the needle valve to get it where I would like it, so once it's there I try to leave it. I could have a particularly fussy rig though.

I'm not too concerned about power failures. I guess it's a nice feature, but I'm thinking I've probably dumped more CO2 into the tank at times when trying to adjust the flowrates than gets dumped in in the 30 minutes of a power failure. I'm thinking it just temporarily pulls the pH down in the reactor more than anything.

If I had a plug, I'd use it. But if not, I doubt I'd stress over it.

why don't you just shut off the main bottle valve and leave the needle and reg valves alone?

Steve

Get a controller and you will love that solenoid. Won't run a system without it now. Set the pH span, the offset and the flow rate and I don't worry anymore due to pressure changes in the bottle etc etc.

Had a single probe controller and liked it so much I made a dual probe one so that I can control a Ca reactor and Kalk all in one. Or monitor Ca and tank in one setup.

Next to the auto-top off it is the best investment I have in my tank.

That would work in a pinch too, but it sure is easier to unplug/plug-back-in than turn that valve .. :lol:

Can you elaborate a bit? Two probes, two controlled outputs?

Tony,

Two separate pH probes independant of each other. Depending on which code I have loaded in the microproccessor I can have it either control two separate solenoids/pumps or control a solenoid and monitor only.

Well, since I don't have a plug in the hall closet, the solenoid came off. Got the reactor fired back up today, so now I'll start growing some coral!! :razz: