It has to do with whether or not the combustion is complete or not.
Perfect flame without disturbance and all fuel is burned and turned into H20 and CO2.
Disturb the flame a bit and you get CO (Carbon Monoxide) CO2 and H20. bad bad bad.
Regulating water heater exhaust
- Thread starter Erin Kerrik
- Start date
It has to do with whether or not the combustion is complete or not.
Perfect flame without disturbance and all fuel is burned and turned into H20 and CO2.
Disturb the flame a bit and you get CO (Carbon Monoxide) CO2 and H20. bad bad bad.
Mr. Stinky
Member
on cold nights we leave the oven on warm with the door open and a fan on the stovetop... no different than a water heater exhaust. (we shut it off before going to bed of course)
i have a 2 inch pipe running from a T in the exhaust of my water heater to the room, and a 4" pipe running out of the room into the intakes for the corn burner, and the furnace. (the combustion intakes) this pulls the smelly exhaust out of the room and thru a flame before exiting harmlessly and un-smelly outside. this setup draws a little co2 into the room as well as fresh cool air from the chimney most of the day while the water heater isnt burning. i have a CO alarm in the opposite corner of the room with a piece of ductape on the speaker, so if there is any reason to worry, it will be squawking (fairly quietly so as not to alarm neighbors or other members of the household) a little when i open the door...its never gone off
i have a 2 inch pipe running from a T in the exhaust of my water heater to the room, and a 4" pipe running out of the room into the intakes for the corn burner, and the furnace. (the combustion intakes) this pulls the smelly exhaust out of the room and thru a flame before exiting harmlessly and un-smelly outside. this setup draws a little co2 into the room as well as fresh cool air from the chimney most of the day while the water heater isnt burning. i have a CO alarm in the opposite corner of the room with a piece of ductape on the speaker, so if there is any reason to worry, it will be squawking (fairly quietly so as not to alarm neighbors or other members of the household) a little when i open the door...its never gone off
junior_grower
Active member
this is a bad idea. I will personally nominate you for the Darwin.
Mr. Stinky
Member
not even close to dangerous...darwin would tell you to do some research. id be 1000 times more worried about the shoddy electric hookups some of these growers do than near-harmless natural gas exhaust, especially from such a small intermittent flame as a water heater... you can go to the store and guy a gas ventless fireplace that burns far more than a water heater...and people lay down on the couch and go to sleep next to those things
SickBoyZap
Member
Yeah I just started using the CO2 discharged from my water heater. So far things look awesome!
I have a nice regular CO2 set up tank and Wizard ($1600). But I get tired of dragging the tank in front of my neighbors to the local hydro store. I converted a Golf bag to cover up the tank, works great, but too much hastle and I'm broke!
So what I did is I just turned the pipe above Water Heater (has an adjustable 90 degree elbow) and I plugged a light into the Control wizard outlet for my tank regulator and every time the CO2 level gets too low the light comes on in the house and I turn on the hot water in the kitchen for 4 mins and then shut off the water. In less than 45 secs the light goes off. Lately I have been using a trickle aproach. Just leaving the hot water trickling for a while. I go in occasionally to make sure its staying between 1000ppm and 2000ppm.
I would never recommend doing this in a place where people are sleeping or are in some form of contact with the exhaust.
The trick is to adjust the air exhaust fan in your grow room to allow fresh air to keep it constantly flowing. This is my 1st time using this and it seems I'm gonna have a major yeild! I only intended to use this as a temporary solution but I'm broke right now and this has been a major money saver (until I get the water bill). I won't do this regularly because it's a collosal waste of water.
I've never been that worried about asfixiation or because it's natural gas and althogh natural gas can definately kill you, the amount of CO that I've monitored is no different than if My mother was cooking Thanksgiving day Turkey and fixings, you know all burners and oven going at once. So far nobody ever died in our fanmily on Turkey Day!
I hope this helps.
I have a nice regular CO2 set up tank and Wizard ($1600). But I get tired of dragging the tank in front of my neighbors to the local hydro store. I converted a Golf bag to cover up the tank, works great, but too much hastle and I'm broke!
So what I did is I just turned the pipe above Water Heater (has an adjustable 90 degree elbow) and I plugged a light into the Control wizard outlet for my tank regulator and every time the CO2 level gets too low the light comes on in the house and I turn on the hot water in the kitchen for 4 mins and then shut off the water. In less than 45 secs the light goes off. Lately I have been using a trickle aproach. Just leaving the hot water trickling for a while. I go in occasionally to make sure its staying between 1000ppm and 2000ppm.
I would never recommend doing this in a place where people are sleeping or are in some form of contact with the exhaust.
The trick is to adjust the air exhaust fan in your grow room to allow fresh air to keep it constantly flowing. This is my 1st time using this and it seems I'm gonna have a major yeild! I only intended to use this as a temporary solution but I'm broke right now and this has been a major money saver (until I get the water bill). I won't do this regularly because it's a collosal waste of water.
I've never been that worried about asfixiation or because it's natural gas and althogh natural gas can definately kill you, the amount of CO that I've monitored is no different than if My mother was cooking Thanksgiving day Turkey and fixings, you know all burners and oven going at once. So far nobody ever died in our fanmily on Turkey Day!
I hope this helps.
SickBoyZap
Member
Absolutely Mr. Stinky, I think these people should be more worried about their stove than anything else. Its not that their is no danger, because people have been put in comas or have died from using their stoves as soures of heat, but this is clean burning natural gas, not wood or charcoal!
With all things be careful. I think a large OP would have to burn so much that it could get dangerous but I'm growing just my limit and the small amount is just fine for me.
With all things be careful. I think a large OP would have to burn so much that it could get dangerous but I'm growing just my limit and the small amount is just fine for me.
Meen Green
New member
It Works Great!!!
It Works Great!!!
I vent my water heater exhaust into my veg room, and duct my veg room into bloom room. I also vent my bloom room 70 degree air into my veg room. The only exhaust I have is my A/C has a box built onto the bach with a 8" H.O. fan pulling the hot air through a 10" Big Blue ozonator. I use a controller made by Hydro Innovations that has a piggyback plug used for a water cooled co2 generator. You are supposed to plug in the water valve to fresh cold water, and the gen turns on when the levels of co2 drop below 1300, the switch lets cold water through to cool unit while it burns NG or Propane, then shut off when room gets to right levels.
I use the water valve
to run hot water through it(drain to waste). So when my levels in my big room go below 1300 ppm, the hot water from where my washer used to be, goes through this device into the drain. It takes less than 5 minutes for both rooms to be at perfect fluctuating levels anywhere from 1200- 3000 ppm. All you buy is controller and water valve, then go buy
3 hose clamps 3 barbed ends, and a few feet of hose. Total cost is about $400, and you can run an entire house, multiple rooms, for the cost of your hot water turning on very infrequently.
Hope all this helps. Let me know if you have any questions...
I also have a Carbon Monoxide alarm in my room that will tell me if there is a problem.....there isn't and I don't think there will be, but...
It Works Great!!!
I vent my water heater exhaust into my veg room, and duct my veg room into bloom room. I also vent my bloom room 70 degree air into my veg room. The only exhaust I have is my A/C has a box built onto the bach with a 8" H.O. fan pulling the hot air through a 10" Big Blue ozonator. I use a controller made by Hydro Innovations that has a piggyback plug used for a water cooled co2 generator. You are supposed to plug in the water valve to fresh cold water, and the gen turns on when the levels of co2 drop below 1300, the switch lets cold water through to cool unit while it burns NG or Propane, then shut off when room gets to right levels.
I use the water valve
I also have a Carbon Monoxide alarm in my room that will tell me if there is a problem.....there isn't and I don't think there will be, but...
SickBoyZap
Member
Sweet Mean Green! I've got the trickling water in my kitchen sink so tuned in now that it keeps my flower room between 1200 to 2200ppm which is fine with me, but "good looking out" on the info!
YOUR SYSTEM IS WHAT MY SYSTEM WANTS TO BE WHEN IT GROWS UP! LOL!
Now tell me are these not some of best reasons to grow! (Other than the obvious benefits.) To be able to invent, and problem solve. That's the shit.
from a fellow left coaster,
peace.
YOUR SYSTEM IS WHAT MY SYSTEM WANTS TO BE WHEN IT GROWS UP! LOL!
Now tell me are these not some of best reasons to grow! (Other than the obvious benefits.) To be able to invent, and problem solve. That's the shit.
from a fellow left coaster,
peace.
Meen Green
New member
Thanks Zap. If I would have found my post a long time ago, I would have saved myself a shitload of hours, money, and failures. Hopefully this reaches out to many heads that are paying way to much for co2, and risking the trips filling up tanks. Even the propane users can quit having to fill up. Now all we have to do, is take a nice, long, hot shower, and our babies love us.
