# An EASY DIY money saving CO2 Injector



## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

I read this in an article

For around a 30 gallon tank.

one 2 liter bottle.
2 cups of sugar
1/4 tsp of yeast "Fleischmann's active dry yeast" I use.You can use what you want.

You need to drill or punch a hole in the cap, then insert some airline tubing so about its an inch *inside the cap. Use a sealant to seal the air tubing in place. Let it set overnight to be safe. Rinse it lightly the next day.

Have the yeast come to Room temp first.Then add the sugar and yeast into the bottle.Fill the bottle up with warm water(not hot) half way. Shake up. Fill the bottle about 4 inches from the top.

For best results in my expierence, use a bucket or a small tank with a small heater.Fill the tank or bucket so that the DIY Co2 bottle is in a heated bath.If your house is in the 70's you might not need to do this.

I put mine below my tank with a check valve inline.
So far at 78 f, I get a bubble a second or every two.

Make sure your yeast is not older than 6 months.
Make sure you refrigerate the yeast or the yeast has been refrigerated(if open)
I found yeast in a seeled jar (with the air locked saftey cap) is best. Other yeast was not active for me(from a farmers market)

You can hook up two bottles with a connecter for bigger tanks.


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

Hmmmmm. Something doesnt seem right with my DIY CO2 bottle. I get a bubble every minute or so. I have done the same as you. Made sure everything is air tight. Put the sugar in. Then the yeast. Added the warm water and then put my hose in the intake of my filter and I get a bubble every minute or so. My house is at about 72 degrees constantly....Hmmm I dont get it...


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## musho3210 (Dec 28, 2006)

try using 78 degrees


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

Hmmm. and it is by a window so that prolly makes it colder. But I dont know why it wouldnt still be pushing out MORE then just 1 bubble every minute or 2


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## Jaysn (Dec 13, 2006)

When brewing, one trick I use is to start the yeast before pitching it. You need to know the temp at which your yeast will die, 70 is usually fine though. Mix a heavy concentration of your sugars, half of what will be used or so for this volumn, and about a cup of 70* water. If the sugar won't all dissolve in that volumn water you can heat it up, but don't add your yeast until it cools to 70* or so or you will kill it. Add the yeast, wait 8-12 hours, then add it to the rest of your sugar water. This activates the yeast and lets it start to reproduce in a nutrient-heavy environment before diluting it. It's the only way I will start a batch of beer, the fermentation seems to go much smother with a starter culture than without. For comparison, I brew in 5 gallon jugs and after two days or so it is down to one bubble about every 10 seconds, so one a minute per 2 liters may be all that volumn can produce.


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

Hmmm that is a very good though. one bubble every minute may be all that that bottle can produce. I'm a little confused on your directions of brewing it AHHH


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## Jaysn (Dec 13, 2006)

Basically make a simple syrup (1/2C sugar and 1C water), add your yeast to that once it cools to 70*, then after 8-12 hours (it may be foamy by then) add it to the rest of your sugar and water in your 2L bottle and cap it. You're increasing the amount of yeast in the colony by doing this, which will give you a faster start. When did you start fermentation? If you just pitched the yeast into a full 2L of sugar water, it could take a while, 18-24 hours, before you see rapid fermentation.


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

This is exactly what I do. I pour 2 cups of sugar into the bottle. then I put the baking powder in. then i put the yeast ontop of that. then I fill it with warm water about 4 inches from the top. Cap it. I usually start seeing a bubble in the next day. It is foamy inside the bottle for a bout a couple days...I know I should be getting more than just a bubble every minute though. I'm not doing anything wrong..?


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## Jaysn (Dec 13, 2006)

What's the baking powder for? Other than that, sounds good from a fermentation perspective. Try making a starter first, see if you get a more rapid fermentation that way. Faster fermentation = more CO2 (and more alcohol ) being produced, so it's usually a good thing.


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

Sorry its just a pinch of baking soda. I think it helps make it last longer. I'm not sure. I am going to try to get a no return valve and hook that up to the tubing and see how that works....I'm not sure what else to do. Josh up top gets about a bubble every second or two. Thats extremely good compared to mine


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

I stopped using mine because of that reason. Never got a steady pressure and it ran out sooner than it should. I even ran 4 two liter bottles for a while and still couldn't get a descent rate for more than 2 days switching out two of them every week. 

Something to try is wine yeast, supposed to produce better and lasts longer. Also, try either opaque or clear bottles and see if one works better for you. I had the green tinted ones and they didn't produce as well. The ones that were clear produced better. I have also heard from some that opaque bottles worked really well and even covering the bottle in black tape worked. Try it and see what works better for you. 

Lowering your bottles may help also so the CO2 isn't flowing down then up above the level of the DIY bottles. I never did but some swear by it. Check valves are recommended for this so you don't get a nasty mess from backflow. 

Silicone you tubing where it goes in the bottles, use the white plumbers tape for the threads and if you can find it, get the CO2 tubing as it is supposed to work better.


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