Slight hissing sound from check near check valve for CO2,but its not leaking

[maverick2402]

I just hooked up my pressurized CO2 system.I am using a Boyu glass diffuser in the tank and I have a Tetra check valve hooked in to the the CO2 line right as it comes out of the tank.I am noticing a slight noise( sort of like a hissing sound) in the area of the check valve.I have checked it for leaks using soap and water and even went as far as to use a CO2 meter that is carried on my fire truck that we use to check for CO2 problems in peoples houses and neither showed any leaks.Can the check valve be causing a disturbance in the air flow or should I be using a different check valve.Has anyone else had this experience?

 

[djlen]

maverick, I can't imagine a hissing sound and no gas being lost somehow.
Is the check valve in a position where you can simply dip it, lines and all, into a bowl of water to look for bubbles escaping?
How are your CO2 ppm with the new system?

Len

 

[maverick2402]

Len,
I dipped the check valve in the water and no leak at all.Its sounds sort of like if you pour soda in a glass or open a can of soda .I am wonder if its the check valve making noise internally as I think the Tetra valave has a rubber diaphram that sort of looks like when you blow up a balloon and pinch the end of the balloon.What kind of check valve do you have or is yours built into the bubble counter.My CO2 ppm are running at 33ppm ,so I slowed the bubble count down the slightest little bit to try and get it at 30ppm.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[maverick2402]

I've narrowed it down to a fizzing noise coming from the tank as the co2 disperses.

 

[happychem]

Is there a leak from the tank or regulator? Check anywhere there's an interface. If you've got one around the station use a gas leak sniffer. It measures helium I think. It looks for a difference in helium between a tiny intake and a reference intake, in other words it works on all gases.

Gas lines do make a hissing noise of sorts when they pressurize, as in, when you first open the line and they fill. But that noise usually doesn't last for very long. However, if your check valve is maintaining a sharp pressure drop across it then you could get an oscillation in gas flow as the pressure changes upstream from the valve.

Another possibility is that if your diffuser needs a certain pressure applied to work that the pressure isn't constant. In other words, the pressure builds up then rushes into/through the diffuser resulting in a pressure drop, then you hear a hissing sound as the pressure builds back up.

 

[maverick2402]

There are no leaks at any of the connections.I think I should have been alittle more detailed when I said its fizzing at the tank.I meant to say the aquarium tank and not the CO2 tank.I am wondering if I should disconnect the diffuser and run it without it just to see if anything changes in the sound.It sounds like a soda can that is fizzing when you stick your ear up to it .Sometimes it is louder than other times.I'm still not too sure about the check valve that I'm using either I think it is causing a disturbance in the flow.

 

[phanmc]

It would take alot of CO2 to generate a hissing sound in the tank, not familiar with the glass diffuser but how many bubbles per second is going into the tank?

Edit: ignore me, didn't read carefully.

 

[djlen]

If you have determined that there is absolutely no leakage anywhere in the system and are getting 30 - 35 ppm I wouldn't worry about the 'noise', unless it's so loud that it disturbs you. May just be the gas going through that particular section of the system.
How much pressure have you set on the regulator for outgoing pressure? I use 8 psi and am of the opinion that anything over 10 psi is unnecessary and can cause problems.

Len

 

[maverick2402]

If you have determined that there is absolutely no leakage anywhere in the system and are getting 30 - 35 ppm I wouldn't worry about the 'noise', unless it's so loud that it disturbs you. May just be the gas going through that particular section of the system.
How much pressure have you set on the regulator for outgoing pressure? I use 8 psi and am of the opinion that anything over 10 psi is unnecessary and can cause problems.

Len

I just dropped it down to 10psi.I had it at 20psi to get the regulator to settle because I was getting a psi drift on the outgoing side for the first couple of days that it was set up.

Jim

 

[djlen]

Please let us know if this alleviates the 'hiss'. You could drop it down to 8psi with no problem at all and will take even more pressure off your hosing and it's connections.

You should be getting ZERO drift on the outgoing side of your regulator. If you are still experiencing movement, I suggest contacting the company you bought it from.

Len