Homemade co2

[Dieboldly]

Hey guys and gals my main question is, can I use a 1 gallon mason jar to make co2 for my tank instead of a plastic 2l bottle? I sealed up the mason jar with silicone and the connector piece that I have attached. The lid can unscrew off but once I close it, the only way for that forced air to come out is through the tubbing and into the water. Is there a possibility that the mason jar will break on me? Wouldn't the plastic bottle break as well? First time attempting a homemade co2 thing lol

 

[Dieboldly]

Here is what I did picture wise.

 

[Dieboldly]

Anyone? Lol

 

[J. H.]

Is there a possibility that the mason jar will break on me? Wouldn't the plastic bottle break as well?

It should work, those jars are for canning things, which can build up a decent bit of pressure. People use the 2L bottles because they are free and made to handle a lot of pressure. I would be a little scared though, because sometimes the bottles do fail (explode) and make a mess... a glass jar would not be pretty. Just make a weak spot for it to fail somewhere not so bad and put it in a box to contain the possible explosion. I used schedule 40 pvc to build the reactor for my 55, and it works fine.

 

[Dieboldly]

So it did work. I put it in a box with ductape to make sure it does go bomb on me in the garage and mess everything up lol I went to my local pet store and they misplaced a co2 kit that is normally $50. So I got that for $25 and starting to use that instead. The diffuser isn't that great tho. I usually get a large bubble to come out with the smaller bubbles

 

[markstrimaran]

Mason jars, will hold a 15 pound vacume, easily.
At around 20 psi? Fermenting berries will blow them up. I would not trust one beyond 5 psi.
A plastic 2 liter coke bottle, will blow around 60 psi. +/-. Alot safer.

 

[J. H.]

Mason jars, will hold a 15 pound vacume, easily.
At around 20 psi? Fermenting berries will blow them up. I would not trust one beyond 5 psi.
A plastic 2 liter coke bottle, will blow around 60 psi. +/-. Alot safer.

He's talking like he knows something. All I had was a guess. Pressure should increase at about one pound per square inch per 2 1/3 ft of water height over diffuser, plus resistance due to hose and diffuser. I guess there is a lot of resistance. Sorry for the bad advice.