CO2 regulator fail causing 6.2 PH in tank

[whatcaneyedo]

I'm actually in the same boat right now. I'd like to get a new CO2 regulator too but I'm not sure what the best is anymore either...

Keep in mind that it was about 5 years ago when i bought my stuff from aquariumplants.com so my house brand unit isn't even listed on their site anymore. But at the time it was promoted as 'the best' on Reef Central.

It took over a month for me to receive my package and they did not reply to any of my emails or answering machine messages.
The regulator seizes up several times each year (somewhere inside the unit before the solenoid) forcing me to dismantle and fiddle with it before it starts working again. Twice this has happened while I've been out of town...
I've never been able to get it to maintain a steady flow.

Note: I've got a check valve on the output to keep saltwater from ever backing up inside. I also run RO/DI water in the bubble counter which has another check valve below. My Apex switches the solenoid open and closed to maintain the Calcium Reactors pH between 6.5 and 6.6.

[vaporize]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

It took over a month for me to receive my package and they did not reply to any of my emails or answering machine messages.
The regulator seizes up several times each year (somewhere inside the unit before the solenoid) forcing me to dismantle and fiddle with it before it starts working again. Twice this has happened while I've been out of town...
I've never been able to get it to maintain a steady flow.

Thanks for this comment, so it basically shows that it is not any better than any other regulator, still have those stuck on/off issues et al.

Not worth to pay $200

[waynemah]

I took my regulator and bottle to OxyPro to have it checked out... I can't say enough good things about them, honestly amazing. They sent me to the tech to have the regulator looked at, I had a faulty seal which he diagnosed and replaced on the spot. He then went to check over the rest of the unit and replaced anything that seemed worn. During the test he found a bad gague which he replaced with a medical unit ($17).

If anyone runs into an issue with a bad regulator or even wanted it serviced, I would reccomend these people 100%.

[tang daddy]

Ive heard the same story with milwakee regulators failing, but mostly on planted tanks where they would do exactly like you described, dump co2....

While dual stage regs are the cream of the crop they are also very pricey, I would go for something inbetween like this tunze....

looks reliable.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Tunze_Pre...FICORE-vi.html

[waynemah]

This dumped out of the safety valve and filled the sump area with CO2, I'm thinking the skimmer pulled in the CO2 and mixed it in. The rebuilt unit is in the exact same place and working fine now... I guess we will see what happens.

[Werbo]

Anyone have any feedback on the quality of the reefgeek CO2 regulator?

http://www.reefgeek.com/equipment/CO...y_Reef_Fanatic