Aquarium Engineering Ca Reactor troubleshooting

[TAHK]

Dear all,
I have installed the Aquarium Engineering 8in reactor. There must be a CO2 Leak somewhere. I have gone through 2 CO2 6lb tanks in two weeks. Normally, I would cover connection points with soapy water and see for bubbles. However, I think it might not be a good approach for the aquarium stuff. How do you check for CO2 leaks and where are the common places you could see them on these reactors? My regulator is set to 12 psi. There doesn’t seem to be a water leak on the reactor chamber...
Thank you in advance.

 

[jda]

That is how you do it. You can also submerge non-corrosive connections in RODI.

These can really be a pain to find, so be patient and keep your wits.

 

[Rick.45cal]

Did you remember to put a disposable seal between the bottle and the regulator? That’s alot of CO2 to go through. There should be a way to also test the high pressure side of the regulator to make sure it isn’t leaking. I believe you introduce pressure to the regulator from the bottle, then close off the bottle. (leave the regulators knob fully disengaged so the low pressure side, the side you control, remains at zero). Wait a couple hours and see if the regulator’s tank pressure gauge drops, if it drops you have a leak on the high pressure side of the regulator.

 

[TAHK]

Did you remember to put a disposable seal between the bottle and the regulator?

That’s a great point - I will check. My impression from my diving hobby was that DIN (screw on) type connectors do not require o-rings. I will check and report back.
good point on checking the integrity of the regulator by filling with CO2 and seeing if the pressure drops- that will at least check the first connection.
Thank you!

 

[Rick.45cal]

That’s a great point - I will check. My impression from my diving hobby was that DIN (screw on) type connectors do not require o-rings. I will check and report back.
good point on checking the integrity of the regulator by filling with CO2 and seeing if the pressure drops- that will at least check the first connection.
Thank you!

Yeah they don’t work the same was as a SCUBA tank.
You likely need one of these then Nylon CO2 washer set

 

[TAHK]

Yeah they don’t work the same was as a SCUBA tank.
You likely need one of these then Nylon CO2 washer set

Thank you. I’ll give it a try.