# Anyone using Coregas oxygen from bunnings?



## foxie (26/6/16)

Hi everyone 

I'm thinking of getting an O2 Set up and my questions are... Is anyone using this particular Product? What regulator are they using? is it necessary to buy a flow meter, or is the lowest setting on a welding regulator suitable for injecting wort with a .5 micron aeration stone? 

At the moment I am looking at a CIG Cut Skill regulator.

Cheers guys 

Foxie


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## jibba02 (26/6/16)

I use a argon regulator on mine. Set it to 1 lpm and works perfectly fine. I know the measurement between argon and oxygen is slightly different but I'm not saving lives with it. I use a .5 micron stone with in line filter.


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## foxie (26/6/16)

jibba02 said:


> I use a argon regulator on mine. Set it to 1 lpm and works perfectly fine. I know the measurement between argon and oxygen is slightly different but I'm not saving lives with it. I use a .5 micron stone with in line filter.


Thanks Jibba, what a great idea! you would't happen to know what the difference would be ? 

Cheers


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## jibba02 (26/6/16)

Actually it does have o2 reading on the other side of the Guage


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## foxie (26/6/16)

jibba02 said:


> Actually it does have o2 reading on the other side of the Guage


 Even better! where can i buy one of those ?


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## mb-squared (26/6/16)

I use the coregas O2 bottle with this regulator. works a treat.


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## foxie (26/6/16)

jibba02 said:


> Actually it does have o2 reading on the other side of the Guage


Also will the regulator connect up to the bottle being a different gas or do you need to buy a different fitting ?


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## Danscraftbeer (26/6/16)

I got the dual dial regulator from Total Tools. Note it doesn't have the 6mm hose fitting even though its in the picture: http://www.totaltools.com.au/cutskill-oxygen-regulator-210222/
Things like that piss me off like when you set up after hours and don't have that vital piece. So make sure to get that barbed hose fitting. Then its all good. Take bets on how many years it will last before a $70 swap and go? :unsure: I have no idea, but years B)


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## jibba02 (26/6/16)

foxie said:


> Even better! where can i buy one of those ?


I'm not sure where I purchased it. Probably ebay. It's close to 10yo. The fitting for welding inert gas is the same as oxygen cylinder. Be careful buying from China as most if not all other countries use a different fitting.


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## jibba02 (27/6/16)

In a homebrew environment the cylinder will last for years. Providing no leaks.


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## 2much2spend (27/6/16)

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291630368291. Not sure how it will go on o2? Says it's calibrated for argon.


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## Yob (27/6/16)

2much2spend said:


> Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291630368291. Not sure how it will go on o2? Says it's calibrated for argon.


link removed


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## dblunn (27/6/16)

Don't bother with a flow meter, get a regulator that has the correct fitting for the oxy bottle and wind the knob in just far enough for the bubbles to break the surface of the wort. Hunt around eBay etc for a regulator as there are plenty of old oxy acetylene sets out there.


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## jibba02 (27/6/16)

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/162110815802


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## Yob (27/6/16)

dblunn said:


> Don't bother with a flow meter, get a regulator that has the correct fitting for the oxy bottle and wind the knob in just far enough for the bubbles to break the surface of the wort. Hunt around eBay etc for a regulator as there are plenty of old oxy acetylene sets out there.


Tot.. Flow meters are cheap enough and if you get one of the ones listed, it's swap and go, they don't fill oxygen like they do LPG so you'd likely have to drop and come back next week to collect.

Bollox to that..


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## dblunn (27/6/16)

Hi Yob, I think the OP is considering a Bunnings type D size welding Oxy cylinder (around 2 cubic meters of gas I think) hence my position of using a standard welding regulator with an adjustable pressure output and no flow gauge rather than a fixed pressure regulator with a flow gauge. I agree flow gauges are cheap but you have to find the fittings and adaptors etc for no real value in overall use. It comes down to which type is the cheapest to obtain. Sure, you can say you're using 1 lpm but so what? After the second or third time you use it you will be just adjusting the regulator until the bubbles just break the surface and ignoring the flow gauge. I have an inline hepa filter but I think even that may be unnecessary (but still is cheap insurance).
Dave


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## foxie (27/6/16)

dblunn said:


> Don't bother with a flow meter, get a regulator that has the correct fitting for the oxy bottle and wind the knob in just far enough for the bubbles to break the surface of the wort. Hunt around eBay etc for a regulator as there are plenty of old oxy acetylene sets out there.


Hey Dave

This is what i was thinking of doing initially- I usually brew double batches and most of the info regarding O2 injection is for 19l batches and a lot of sources state using 1L/min for 1min of O2 to attain 10ppm. For a 40l batch how long would you run the O2 for, if the bubbles are just breaking the surface? 

Cheers 

Luke


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## dblunn (27/6/16)

Hi Luke, I also brew in 40 L batches but I no chill so I ferment in 20 L batches which I usually give about a minute of oxygen, so for a 40 L batch I would give about 2 minutes to get the same level of oxygenation. As for what sort of regulator is best it really doesn't matter because as I said, you will end up just setting flow rate by visual inspection. The trials done by someone (I can't remember who) used 1 LPM flow rate which is where that figure comes from. A typical argon flow meter is setup to indicate for values around 4-8 LPM for TIG welding up to around 18-20 LPM for MIG and up more still for thermal cutting since oxygen has a different density to argon you have to apply a conversion factor of 0.89 (see attached file which gives LPM indicated = lpm o2 * 1.05 /1.18) so the 1 LPM is now 0.89 LPM indicated on the argon flow meter. You can buy special low flow rate oxygen flow meters for not a lot of money but you still have mount them and stuff around with fittings and set them up and put them away again every time etc.

In practice too high a flow rate where the bubbles break the surface like a geyser is just wasteful of gas so you want to get as much gas dissolved into the wort as possible and some filling the head space of your fermenter. Bubbles will accumulate as you do this so give it 2 minutes for 40 L OR until the foam starts to piss out over the top the fermenter, whichever comes first.
As you can see in the home setup it is not an exact science so there is not a lot to be gained with the extra components, but in saying that, there is no harm either.
Regards, Dave 

View attachment MPB_Industries_Useful_Conversions.pdf


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## foxie (28/6/16)

dblunn said:


> Hi Luke, I also brew in 40 L batches but I no chill so I ferment in 20 L batches which I usually give about a minute of oxygen, so for a 40 L batch I would give about 2 minutes to get the same level of oxygenation. As for what sort of regulator is best it really doesn't matter because as I said, you will end up just setting flow rate by visual inspection. The trials done by someone (I can't remember who) used 1 LPM flow rate which is where that figure comes from. A typical argon flow meter is setup to indicate for values around 4-8 LPM for TIG welding up to around 18-20 LPM for MIG and up more still for thermal cutting since oxygen has a different density to argon you have to apply a conversion factor of 0.89 (see attached file which gives LPM indicated = lpm o2 * 1.05 /1.18) so the 1 LPM is now 0.89 LPM indicated on the argon flow meter. You can buy special low flow rate oxygen flow meters for not a lot of money but you still have mount them and stuff around with fittings and set them up and put them away again every time etc.
> 
> In practice too high a flow rate where the bubbles break the surface like a geyser is just wasteful of gas so you want to get as much gas dissolved into the wort as possible and some filling the head space of your fermenter. Bubbles will accumulate as you do this so give it 2 minutes for 40 L OR until the foam starts to piss out over the top the fermenter, whichever comes first.
> As you can see in the home setup it is not an exact science so there is not a lot to be gained with the extra components, but in saying that, there is no harm either.
> Regards, Dave


Thanks for your response Dave! makes a lot of sense. 

Cheers to everyone else for your input, I appreciate it.

Luke


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