Electronic Co2 regulators??

[wildernets]

So my regulator is giving up the ghost again and it is time to replace. I have been looking at the electronic regulators. Anyone have experience here? I've only seen the carbondoser.com and the aquariumplants.com versions. I'm tired of replacing every year. These have a 3 year warranty so really the cost is about the same.

 

[glxtrix]

aquariumplants.com

the ONLY one there is.

 

[wildernets]

Yep. After looking they just gave it a name.

 

[acroholic]

I have one on my 465...love it. Works very well. The first one I got was bad for some reason out of the box, and they switched it out, and it has been working well for 20 months or so.

I got the regulator with the electronic valve. You can buy an add on digital bubble counter that tells you the total number of bubbles flowed through the controller, but it is an unnecesary add on, IMO.

 

[joseayes]

Sorry it's not my thread, but I need to ask something

How a doser can go bad? Opening to co2 so fast and having backflow through it?
After this two, are this the only two reasons they can go bad?
Im sorry for my newbie questions. Something read makes me a little confused. Thanks.

 

[acroholic]

joseayes;976002 wrote: Sorry it's not my thread, but I need to ask something

How a doser can go bad? Opening to co2 so fast and having backflow through it?
After this two, are this the only two reasons they can go bad?
Im sorry for my newbie questions. Something read makes me a little confused. Thanks.

The APD Carbon Doser operates a bit differently than standard regulator/solenoid assemblies.
The part that screws onto the gas cylinder, the Regulator, is the same as others, but the APD electronic valve is different from the solenoid you get on other assemblies. In a regular assembly, the solenoid opens and stays open until the controller shuts it. The APD electric valve opens and closes for each bubble it lets through.

Either type assembly could be ruined by saltwater siphoning back into the assembly, Which is why you always use a check valve to prevent that. But each type could also have a bad electrical component that wasn't caught in manufacture. The electric valve on the bad APD unit I got could have had a simple clogged opening.

 

[joseayes]

Thank you so much Dave, I'm actually asking because I have got an aquariumplants carbon doser, but I was told one of the gauges (top gauge) sometimes seems like misreading, would drop down or something like that, other than that it was accurate on dosing, I think it went bad, I don't known, the top gauge, I might be sending the unit for a repair, and I was wondering if ectronic bubble counter was worth as well.
Thanks Dave.
Sorry Nathan

 

[acroholic]

joseayes;976029 wrote: Thank you so much Dave, I'm actually asking because I have got an aquariumplants carbon doser, but I was told one of the gauges (top gauge) sometimes seems like misreading, would drop down or something like that, other than that it was accurate on dosing, I think it went bad, I don't known, the top gauge, I might be sending the unit for a repair, and I was wondering if ectronic bubble counter was worth as well.
Thanks Dave.
Sorry Nathan

Which gauge is it? Is it the tank gauge (reads 400, 500 600, ..1000 PSI) or the stepdown gauge (reads 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, etc)?

 

[joseayes]

It's the one with the ascending numbers 1,2,3,4,5....
However was thinking on send it for a checkup, don't know what could be the cause of the issue. It's now reading at number two and a half but its not connected to anything
Not saying it won't work, hopefully will work, but more asking what a possible cause could be and if the electronic counter add on is worthed

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[wildernets]

Nah this is good stuff.

 

[acroholic]

joseayes;976093 wrote: It's the one with the ascending numbers 1,2,3,4,5....
However was thinking on send it for a checkup, don't know what could be the cause of the issue. It's now reading at number two and a half but its not connected to anything
Not saying it won't work, hopefully will work, but more asking what a possible cause could be and if the electronic counter add on is worthed

That is the step down pressure gauge. You can email the guy at Aquariumplants.com the picture and ask if it is an issue.

But before that, keeping the regulator like it is (not connected to a tank), plug in the carbon doser and adjust the seconds per bubble as far left as possible. This in case you have some residual pressure between the electric valve and the step down pressure gauge. If this is the case, the step down gauge should go to zero. Then you know you do not have an issue.

And FWIW, the add on counter is worthless, IMO. I cannot see how you or I would ever use it in a reef
application. If it gave a per minute count, I could see it, but as it is cumulative, I can't see its use. I could be wrong. I suppose you could write down the total, then time it for a minute, then get a total, but I have a bubble counter for that.

Maybe the add on counter eliminates the need for a liquid counter?

 

[snowmansnow]

they are great.

 

[joseayes]

Would do the suggested Dave, thanks again for your advice!!!

Hey B! They are great for sure!!! Thanks again for the deal man!