DIY inline reactor finally built

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So gas comes in the bottom?

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No, the top. My hope is that the co2 comes in, gets shoved by the flow straight down to the dead end, then does a u-turn and out of the wye piece. I should have put something in there like the pot scrubbers or lava rock as I was originally planning or made the reactor longer, with the fx5 cranked all the way up I'm getting quite a few bubbles being shot out of the spray bar. Not enough to make it look like carbonated water but enough to be noticeable. I turned the flow down from 100% to 85-90% and the bubbles have disappeared.


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I just checked my bubble counter and realized I hadn't adjusted it from what it was at when I was using a glass diffuser. Adjusted it, turned the flow back to 100%. Now that the bps isn't so fast I can't even see the separate bubbles there are no longer any bubbles coming out of the spraybar with the fx5 at full force. Drop checker is green.


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Is that wye piece 3"×3"×1.5" and what size barb does the co2 connect into?

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My concern for this design is that the length between where water goes in and leaves is pretty short, and you might have more bubbles escaping than you would with a traditional RG reactor. It might end up being a non-factor depending on where the bubbles actually go, but if you're having a lot of large bubbles coming out, that would be the reason.

Also, you don't need to put anything in the reactor. People routinely do, but they're trying to add efficiency to a system that's already ~100% efficient being empty. With lava rocks, I would worry that it would actually speed up the follow by reducing the cross-section area, whereas something like pot scrubbers physically impede water much less.
 
My concern for this design is that the length between where water goes in and leaves is pretty short, and you might have more bubbles escaping than you would with a traditional RG reactor. It might end up being a non-factor depending on where the bubbles actually go, but if you're having a lot of large bubbles coming out, that would be the reason.

Also, you don't need to put anything in the reactor. People routinely do, but they're trying to add efficiency to a system that's already ~100% efficient being empty. With lava rocks, I would worry that it would actually speed up the follow by reducing the cross-section area, whereas something like pot scrubbers physically impede water much less.


I was worried about the length as well, but I think the width of the pipe helps. It's 3" pvc and while the length to the curved section of the wye is short, the water is coming in straight down. Obviously I can't see inside it, but I'm thinking everything is flowing to the bottom then turning around and being forced out of the wye piece. I'm not seeing any bubbles coming from the spray bar at all and my drop checker is showing green.


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I have another question for you. Can you post a link for the bushings? Those are the last things I need to find to complete my price list. There are so many that I want to write down the right one.
Edit: http://m.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-...in-Male-Pipe-Thread-Adapter-UP138A/202721874/ are these the right barbs?
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http://www.mscdirect.com/product/de...gle-PLA+-+Test&CS_003=7867724&CS_010=36999779 Bushings, I had to get a different size, online the ones I needed were an insane $12 on Amazon, at Plumbers supply they ran comparable to the price at mscdirect.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AB5XBGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. That's the barb I used, mine are flared to give better grip, it doesn't look like yours are. Shouldn't be an issue though, just want to use hose clamps.


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