Has anyone ever thought of using dry ice for CO2 production?

[1love1earth]

Just curious, I realize for "big boys" it is much more effective to use a computer system to control CO2 release based on current levels in the air, but for plain jane folks, what about dry ice?

It is slow releasing, cheap as hell, and likely highly effective. Hell, it'll even help keep your temps down (in theory).

Just place a insulated cup (otherwise known as styrofoam) filled with dry ice under each plant.

Maybe it'd get to be a hassle, but I think for the average grower, it'd be an easy way to get into the CO2 game without spending $500. I'm going to give it a go with my grow.

Now getting dry ice is very easy and cheap for me, maybe not for everyone else, you need to have the right source, otherwise you'll pay through the nose (relative to what it really costs).

Anyways, I'm sure it's been discussed before, but I just figured I'd bring it up, as I'm wanting to try it when it comes time to flower, and am curious as to what results folks have had with it in the past.

 

[wafflehouselove]

Yes Dry Ice is very effective, that's the only co2 additive method i see that you can see instant results from(i have tried co2 burners, tank, and dry ice). The thing with them is that they will get really expensive.

 

[1love1earth]

Well, how many pounds of dry ice per sq ft are needed per day?

 

[wafflehouselove]

i dont know, thats not the point, the thing is to keep your dry ice available to your plants when they are needed which is when lights are on. Those thing melt or dissapear really fast you can store it because the pressure will blow whatever you are storing it with. You can help it to dissapear slower but you will need a expensive machine to control its melting point to really control your grow. So yea it gets really expensive and time consuming replacing it.

 

[1love1earth]

I see, so if we were to just fill up a 12 oz cup with dry ice, it might be gone in an hour or two, vs. last the whole 12 hour cycle or close enough...

I mean, you can easily store it, but you need an insulated container with a proper lid.

Usually they just get stored in thick bins with a hook on the lid to keep it shut, and the bins really aren't any bigger than a large garbage can. Sure they get cold, and a little ice forms, but I've never EVER seen one blow.

Still, you'd need a smaller version of this to store the dry ice, or to just bring it in daily, and that's if it'll last through a 12 hour cycle, though surely some extra CO2 is better than none. I'm just curious to see if it is worth the time.

I guess the other question would be exactly how concentrated is dry ice. IE, how much dry ice would it take to equate to that of a typical CO2 tank (depends what you mean by typical as well, I'd say typical hydro shop CO2 tank)

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

youd need atleast 1 or 3-4 lbs of dry ice per day ive done it before, it even cools the room a bit. you should decrease airflow otherwise it evaporates real fast.

 

[BlindDate]

I guess the other question would be exactly how concentrated is dry ice. IE, how much dry ice would it take to equate to that of a typical CO2 tank (depends what you mean by typical as well, I'd say typical hydro shop CO2 tank)

Dry ice is pure. A 20 lb block of dry ice is the same as a 20 lb CO2 tank (typical hydroshop).

I'm a CO2 expert. If you tell me the size of your room, I'll calculate how much dry ice is needed each dose.

But really, the problem is storing dry ice. Unless you have a super cold freezer.