Window a/c unit to combat high co2 levels in the summer?

[Dolphins18]

Hello,
Curious if a window a/c unit would help combat high co2 issues in the summer? It is way too hot here to open windows, due to large surface area on the top of the tank co2 scrubber is not very effective for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Most AC units have no air exchange inside to out.

A few do, but that's usually adjustable.

 

[Dolphins18]

Most AC units have no air exchange inside to out.

A few do, but that's usually adjustable.

Ahh gotcha, so this would not be much of a solution?
Trying to think outside of the box... lol. Hooked up a second co2 scrubber to the existing one, I doubt that does anything, but setting up a recirculating skimmer this weekend that will run in an indoor/outdoor room. The tanks in this room have much better PH, so I am hoping this will help with the large one indoors.
Thanks Randy.

 

[TCoach]

Ahh gotcha, so this would not be much of a solution?
Trying to think outside of the box... lol. Hooked up a second co2 scrubber to the existing one, I doubt that does anything, but setting up a recirculating skimmer this weekend that will run in an indoor/outdoor room. The tanks in this room have much better PH, so I am hoping this will help with the large one indoors.
Thanks Randy.

Before you go to far down this road, have you measured your CO2 in your home? I purchased an inexpensive logging monitor from Amazon, and find my house can vary from ~450ppm with doors open, to close to 2000ppm. Opening doors or windows even for a short period (30-60 min) can have a big effect on how high the reading is.

 

[Dolphins18]

Before you go to far down this road, have you measured your CO2 in your home? I purchased an inexpensive logging monitor from Amazon, and find my house can vary from ~450ppm with doors open, to close to 2000ppm. Opening doors or windows even for a short period (30-60 min) can have a big effect on how high the reading is.

I may do that. Thank you, pretty sure its very high, these old labs spend all day farting and breathing! Lol

 

[jeffp1]

I put a strong fan in my bedroom window and open the window on my storm door for about 15 minutes early in the morning before it gets too hot. CO2 will drop from about 2000 ppm to 300 ppm in that time frame. I live in fla. Makes a big difference in my pH.

 

[Anthony Scholfield]

Here is my recent experience cause I’d been curious. I live in a small apartment and it’s just me and the fish. I borrowed a monitor from a friend to do some testing. I found with the windows open the co2 was between 400 and 500. If I shut the windows and ran my ac unit the co2 quickly reached a 1000 within a few hours.

If I then cracked the windows like an inch with ac still running the co2 would drop to about 700 fairly quickly. Then I opened the windows another inch or so and the co2 fell back to that 500 range.

I would run a line outside but I have 3 systems and that seems like a lot of work in an apartment so when it’s warm and I need ac I keep the windows cracked while running it to keep co2 lower. Yeah I’m paying a little bit more but when it comes to a thriving reef it’s worth it to me.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

For combating high CO2 in the home, a HRV or ERV (for those living in the southern climates), is the best method. This will exchange the stale high CO2 air within the home, with fresh low CO2 air while recovering the heat or energy used to maintain the indoor temperature. They have a huge impact on the PH of the tank.

The downside is that they have to be carefully installed in a well thought out way. They take up space as the are about the size of a tankless water heater, and they cost money to operate. Though they can recover a high percentage of the heat/energy, they will never achieve 100%, so there is always a loss during operation.

They make a huge impact both for the air quality indoors for the tank owners and the tank itself and are worth every penny.

Dennis

 

[BoxKing]

I was having similar issues. Thought my CO2 scrubber was junk. I have the Small Ice Cap Scrubber- and the Ice Cap, pellet style media is junk. Swapped to the BRS media, and got better levels immediately. I live in an apartment so I couldn’t do some custom rig… nor can I afford to leave the windows open this time of the year. The pic shows what I did. I used 3M white duct tape to seal the small opening in the window, which gives a clean look while keeping the hot air out.

 

[Dolphins18]

I've ordered a co2 sensor which will be arriving tomorrow, looking forward to running tests in different areas!

 

[Dolphins18]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Today I did the first water change in 2 weeks in which I have full confidence the water that went into the tank contained no cat urine, I see my PH going up very fast compared to previous water changes where I was not so sure. Is it possible that this is has been the cause of my low PH issues? This is in a tank of about 270 gallons so I wouldn't think the urine would have much effect. I know this is a crazy question..
Prior to having this kitten my ph was 8-8.1 using the co2 scrubber.
It has been 7.6-7.8 the past few weeks.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Today I did the first water change in 2 weeks in which I have full confidence the water that went into the tank contained no cat urine, I see my PH going up very fast compared to previous water changes where I was not so sure. Is it possible that this is has been the cause of my low PH issues? This is in a tank of about 270 gallons so I wouldn't think the urine would have much effect. I know this is a crazy question..
Prior to having this kitten my ph was 8-8.1 using the co2 scrubber.
It has been 7.6-7.8 the past few weeks.

How can you be sure? Did you um, taste it? ;Cat

 

[Dolphins18]

How can you be sure? Did you um, taste it? ;Cat

She has no access to it anymore!

 

[Dkeller_nc]

If your cat was indeed relieving herself in your water change water, then whether or not this would have a big effect on your pH would depend on a lot of factors, not least of which is the quantity of cat urine in the WC water, how much you change on what frequency, and how hydrated the kitty is (urine varies in concentration of urea and other substances greatly depending on how hydrated the critter is).

That has to be one of the strangest situations I've heard on the R2R Chemistry forum!