Lowering Co2 in a house?

[West1]

I’m trying to raise my PH for my reef and currently dosing kalk. In the summer I can hit above 8ph and now that it’s getting cold, I’m pushing 7.6 to 7.9 from manually testing throughout the day with a Milwaukee digital device.

Ive considered drilling through my floor to have the skimmer intake outside but figured I’d ask about the bigger issue of Co2 in the house w/windows closed.

So… how do you guys lower co2 in the house?
A buddy recommended a co2 monitor and possibly programming my hvac to turn the fan on.

 

[reef_1]

I had my tank in a very small office room and ph got down to 7.2-7.4 regularly.

I dont have a skimmer but I have airstone on the tank, so I moved the air pump outside of the room, still inside the house, but very close to a flat roofs air gap, now ph is stable 7.9+, while the tank is still in the small office room with high co2.

 

[mdb_talon]

The obvious option is kick and kids, dogs, and/or wife out.....alternatively you could all breath less.

Possibly more reasonable approach(but can be pricey) are air exchangers. Of course venting the house without using a fancy air exchanger works also, but in the wrong climate that's often not a reasonable answer.

 

[StatelineReefer]

CO2 scrubber is probably best if you can't open a window, or have a long run to pull outside air from. That way you don't have to suffer from oxygen deprivation, grow a jungle, or hermetically seal the tank for a controlled atmosphere.

 

[bnord]

I do have Air lines run to the skimmer from the outside. Filter on the intake. Had to go through 10 inches of concrete to get the line, so I appreciate your logistics concerns. This helped a lot.
I also do have a cheap Amazon CO2 monitor which helps me to understand how different things affect the ambient air. Cheapest best tool i have bought

even crack the window a little bit in the cold will help in my experience. That’s easier said for me in Georgia than you and Idaho, smile.

 

[West1]

Thanks for the reply all.

Ive considered a co2 scrubber but don’t like having to swap out media every 2 weeks.

Would running skimmer air into the crawl be the same as exposed to sunny side?

besides apex, GHL, hydros or seneye, anyone using a PH meter that logs data?
Hana Halo 2 seems like a good possibility?

 

[Dburr1014]

Thanks for the reply all.

Ive considered a co2 scrubber but don’t like having to swap out media every 2 weeks.

Would running skimmer air into the crawl be the same as exposed to sunny side?

besides apex, GHL, hydros or seneye, anyone using a PH meter that logs data?
Hana Halo 2 seems like a good possibility?

I have my airline to my drafty garage door. Not outside but very drafty. It does help.

 

[ScottB]

I do keep a monitor running. When it tracks over 550ppm I open a bunch of windows for a brief period. It is going to build back up gradually.

What's really surprising is how high the outdoor count can get in the Summer here. With a Southwest wind, I get NYC air which can easily exceed 550. No point in opening windows then.

Anyway, I do run KALK at about 4 liters a cycle -- mostly overnight.

 

[spsick]

ERV unit installed ideally, but for me a drill bit and a hole through the side of my house was a cheaper solution for my reef. This of course does not address the co2 in the house much.

 

[Pseudoskill]

Ever consider getting some house plants?

 

[spsick]

Ever consider getting some house plants?

House plants are great but you basically need a jungle to make a meaningful impact on co2.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Thanks for the reply all.

Ive considered a co2 scrubber but don’t like having to swap out media every 2 weeks.

Would running skimmer air into the crawl be the same as exposed to sunny side?

besides apex, GHL, hydros or seneye, anyone using a PH meter that logs data?
Hana Halo 2 seems like a good possibility?

Have you thought about recirculating the air in a co2 scrubber with the skimmer? You should be able to get a couple of months usage of the co2 media before having to change it out this way.

 

[Sasquatchv]

MVHR installed, CO2 in bedroom at night spikes to 450ppm(with 2 people sleeping). Rest of the day 400-420.

 

[Someshmuk]

I never understood CO2 reactors when you could dose sodium hydroxide straight into the tank. Just make sure you don't overshoot the immediate ph change and you calculate the amount by your alk consumption. Its something I would highly recommend with the caveat of using a doser that doesn't lose its memory during a power outage. That can raise your ph by 0.25-0.5 depending on what % of your alk you're supplementing with the sodium hydroxide.

 

[spsick]

I never understood CO2 reactors when you could dose sodium hydroxide straight into the tank. Just make sure you don't overshoot the immediate ph change and you calculate the amount by your alk consumption. Its something I would highly recommend with the caveat of using a doser that doesn't lose its memory during a power outage. That can raise your ph by 0.25-0.5 depending on what % of your alk you're supplementing with the sodium hydroxide.

I think because sodium hydroxide is nasty stuff (I deal with it at work and the risks cannot be understated) and a lot of people don’t want to handle it or have it in their homes.