Embarassing ... House plants are really just asthetic.

[pocketreef]

Yeah, I always found funny folks getting plants to filter their air. But there are strong psychological effects and comfort of having green around specially for those living with cold winter.

I would like to see a similar analysis for Chaeto growing Maybe reefers know better.

 

[ge4rhead]

i use a co2 monitor as well. ive got a natural gas stove. every time we cook, the co2 levels go up around 1200ppm. ever since i got the co2 monitor, ive tried to keep the house somewhere around the 600ppm mark. seen as low as 370. if i keep the co2 in check my PH is good

 

[HuduVudu]

i use a co2 monitor as well. ive got a natural gas stove. every time we cook, the co2 levels go up around 1200ppm. ever since i got the co2 monitor, ive tried to keep the house somewhere around the 600ppm mark. seen as low as 370. if i keep the co2 in check my PH is good

How does your ventilation work to keep it at that level.

I have an old house and I am just starting to work on how to ventilate the house. I am currently using a fan that put in my window but it is a PITA and since I have severe asthma I have to wear a mask while I am doing it because of the particulate. I could use some ideas, if you have the time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yeah, I always found funny folks getting plants to filter their air. But there are strong psychological effects and comfort of having green around specially for those living with cold winter.

I would like to see a similar analysis for Chaeto growing Maybe reefers know better.

Photosynthesis in the reef tank, and hence consumption of CO2, whether from macroalgae or corals, has a clear effect on pH. If there wasn't, you would see no pH swing day to night.

 

[Hydrored]

How does your ventilation work to keep it at that level.

I have an old house and I am just starting to work on how to ventilate the house. I am currently using a fan that put in my window but it is a PITA and since I have severe asthma I have to wear a mask while I am doing it because of the particulate. I could use some ideas, if you have the time.

I installed an Aprilaire fresh air exchanger and made a world of difference along with running the skimmer line outside. I see a consistent 8.28 PH dropping to 8.02 at night

 

[((FORDTECH))]

This article though not scientific sums up what I am seeing empirically:

Do Houseplants Increase Oxygen Levels? Busted Myth

Do houseplants increase oxygen level in your home? Which plants are best? How much oxygen do houseplants add to the air?

www.gardenmyths.com

I finally broke down and bought a CO2 monitor (AirThings) and have been monitoring the CO2 in my house. Now with a house full of plants, I see absolutely no effect of the houseplants on indoor CO2. There could be a small effect that is too small to be noticeable but I need a gross overall effect to ensure lowered household CO2.

One interesting thing about getting the monitor though, is how high the CO2 gets in the house. I have fully aired the house and the outside air seems to be at 470ppm and then I didn't open the windows for 36 hours. The CO2 level quickly crept up to 1900ppm. Holy cow!

So it looks like it is back to the drawing board for me.

I just bought a CO2 meter myself within the past week or two and I’ve been doing the same testing have not read your thread yet I will now but before I do just wanted to make my comments I found CO2 coming from my hot water heater in my stove being the culprits

 

[((FORDTECH))]

This article though not scientific sums up what I am seeing empirically:

Do Houseplants Increase Oxygen Levels? Busted Myth

Do houseplants increase oxygen level in your home? Which plants are best? How much oxygen do houseplants add to the air?

www.gardenmyths.com

I finally broke down and bought a CO2 monitor (AirThings) and have been monitoring the CO2 in my house. Now with a house full of plants, I see absolutely no effect of the houseplants on indoor CO2. There could be a small effect that is too small to be noticeable but I need a gross overall effect to ensure lowered household CO2.

One interesting thing about getting the monitor though, is how high the CO2 gets in the house. I have fully aired the house and the outside air seems to be at 470ppm and then I didn't open the windows for 36 hours. The CO2 level quickly crept up to 1900ppm. Holy cow!

So it looks like it is back to the drawing board for me.

My inside CO2 also reaches 1800 within a day or two

 

[((FORDTECH))]

The affect is pretty significant. I have been closing my window and air exchanger for the last couple days because of the wild fire. The indoor CO2 level went from 400~500 to 900~1000. The impact is visible in both PH and alk consumption.

100% correct I’ve been testing this the exact same way myself and have come up with the same results

 

[ge4rhead]

fresh air is the only way to keep it at that level. which honestly i cant keep it low like that all the time. its a never ending battle lol. regardless of temp outside, 100 degrees outside open a window for some fresh air to the house, 0 degrees outside, open a window. its not the best method. its still a work in progress though. i have a second story as well too. once in a while ill walk around the house and plug in the monitor in different rooms. you will have to see where the level is the highest and lower those areas first. even if its the opposite end of the house from the fish tank. figure out which way the wind is blowing in your area. create a draft to where the wind will blow into the house and exit close to where you have the highest co2 level. or even the other way around doesnt really matter. just try and create a draft to where the levels will lower the quickest and cover a large area. basement, main level, second level. even turning on bathroom fans for a draft works. as long as you get air moving in and out of the house you should be good. if you have a furnace (not base board heating) turn the fan on without heating or cooling and that will help circulate air too. this isnt the best thing to do as it would cost money, but there are ways to make your own co2 air scrubber. buy a huge bag of co2 absorption media from bulk reef or wherever, get a large reactor to put it in and get some sort of fan to push air through it. recirculating air scrubber for your house. i havent tried that but it has crossed my mind many times

 

[ScubaFish802]

Side note . . don't plants output their CO2 in the dark?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Side note . . don't plants output their CO2 in the dark?

Plants are a net consumer of CO2, but they take up a lot during the day and then release a small amount during the night.

Nonphotosynthetic organisms (fish, crabs, etc.) are always releasing CO2.

 

[ge4rhead]

I just bought a CO2 meter myself within the past week or two and I’ve been doing the same testing have not read your thread yet I will now but before I do just wanted to make my comments I found CO2 coming from my hot water heater in my stove being the culprits

i ended up getting rid of my standard hot water heater and going with on demand water heater. has a power vent. got rid of any gases that dont go up the exhaust vent. gets vented out the side of the house now instead of through the roof.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

i ended up getting rid of my standard hot water heater and going with on demand water heater. has a power vent. got rid of any gases that dont go up the exhaust vent. gets vented out the side of the house now instead of through the roof.

Yes I have been considering to replace water heater aswell. And when stove is on it’s a new rule the vent fan has to be on also to combat that

 

[ge4rhead]

im screwed on that part. gas stove with no vent to outside. just the cheap recirculating fan under the microwave lol

 

[ge4rhead]

ill rip it out and install a vent myself at some point though. stove is the worst part on my end for bad CO2 levels

 

[HuduVudu]

Yes I have been considering to replace water heater aswell. And when stove is on it’s a new rule the vent fan has to be on also to combat that

Is your heater gas?

 

[ge4rhead]

yep

 

[ge4rhead]

navien 98% efficiency

 

[ge4rhead]

98% efficient condensing technology – Traditional tank water heaters only have a 0.55 to 0.95 efficiency factor which is only a fraction of what the Navien is capable of. Eco-friendly ECO Premixed Burners – An eco-friendly design that cuts down the emissions of NOx and CO by 75% making it a wonderfully green product. (copy and paste)

 

[ge4rhead]

sorry comment above was for fordtech