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Silly question about mixing equipment

lilirose

Member
Joined
13 Aug 2020
Messages
289
Location
Ireland
Long story short- I'm a newbie to CO2. I ordered a high-end kit from CO2 Supermarket including two manifolds and bubble counters. They sent me one defective bubble counter and had been giving me no end of hassle over replacing it. At this point they have become quite rude with me, and I no longer wish to give them my custom.

If I buy items from another shop, like CO2 Art, will I be able to fit their bubble counters and manifolds onto the regulator I bought from CO2 Supermarket, or are the fittings likely to be proprietary? I wish I had gone with them in the first place but hindsight is 20/20...

Edit: response from CO2 Art is that I can't mix their items with CO2 Supermarket's items, and that I should return the whole kit and buy one from them. As I've already connected it to both a cylinder (which should last several months) and to a tank which desperately needs CO2, what can I do now?
 
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I’d check what the return policy is with CO2 supermarket. If you can return, buy the stuff from CO2 art, fit it when it arrives and then return the other stuff, thus not interrupting your supply.
 
Thanks for the response...

It appears that CO2 Supermarket's return policy only covers replacement of defective goods. I couldn't really afford this kit in the first place, so buying another before trying to return this one is a non-starter, especially if I might not get a refund.

The daft part is that I chose them by mistake/misunderstanding, and didn't realise I'd bought from the wrong place until I joined this forum, when the kit was already on its way. I'm hoping there's some way to make the best of it without having to give them more money.
 
Your statutory rights usually mean you can return within 14 days, and they are usually more generous for e-commerce purchase, not sure what the law is in Ireland.
 
At this point they have become quite rude with me, and I no longer wish to give them my custom.
I've recently had a similar issue with them becoming rude despite a very obviously defective item! I'll detail it in a longer post at some point.
I hope you get it resolved but I've nothing helpful to add I'm afraid.
 
I'd like to go back to the original question. Is it possible to put a different brand of manifold onto my regulator, or will I be stuck making future purchases forever from the place I bought the original regulator? Is it a warranty issue or is it a straight issue of incompatibility?

I have one day left to legally return this regulator and manifold I already have. Before I go to the immense trouble of uninstalling a working regulator and dumping a brand new CO2 tank, and leaving an aquarium full of difficult plants without CO2 until I get my money back, I thought I would ask one last time. It feels like I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face if I could simply buy a second manifold and bubble counter elsewhere.

@oatfish , thank you for posting, it actually makes me feel a lot better to hear that it's not just me... Though I have to say that it's the first time I recall having been spoken to in this way by an online retailer.

(Edited to add: when I say "immense trouble" I'm referring to the installation, which I know is normally not a big deal- my this case it was due to the location of the regulator v. the location of the nano tanks it's to be used on.)
 
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Well you should be absolutely fine mixing any equipment, its just a case of getting the right fittings. I managed to damage the needle valve on my dual stage reg, but was able to get a new replacement from RS components for a fraction of the price elsewhere, just needed to get the right fittings size.
 
Well you should be absolutely fine mixing any equipment, its just a case of getting the right fittings. I managed to damage the needle valve on my dual stage reg, but was able to get a new replacement from RS components for a fraction of the price elsewhere, just needed to get the right fittings size.
Yes in theory but I had a message from CO2 Supermarket to say I shouldn't be mixing equipment from different suppliers (in this case CO2 Art) despite the fittings being the same and that it was the source of all my woes! I beg to differ, but hey ho. It would seem lilirose has had similar advice.
 
You could use Liquid Carbon till you get your issues resolved!

That is what I was doing before I added the pressurised system. It wasn't working well even when overdosed, which is why I switched.

Yes in theory but I had a message from CO2 Supermarket to say I shouldn't be mixing equipment from different suppliers (in this case CO2 Art) despite the fittings being the same and that it was the source of all my woes! I beg to differ, but hey ho. It would seem lilirose has had similar advice.

Yes, only it was in the opposite direction- CO2 Art told me I can't use their manifolds with a CO2 Supermarket regulator.

My research says that the bits will likely fit together but of course neither side will support a mixed system.

I'm having one of those days where this hobby is having the exact opposite of its intended "relaxation" effect..
 
My view would be that if they physically for together the. They’ll work together. Your bubble counter is t going to mi d what it’s connected to, and neither will your pressure reducer. As long as it dit’s the bottle, and you can attach a solenoid valve that then it will work, etc. etc.
Out of interest, can you provide a link to the set you bought from co2 supermarket, so we can all take a look?
 
My view would be that if they physically for together the. They’ll work together. Your bubble counter is t going to mi d what it’s connected to, and neither will your pressure reducer. As long as it dit’s the bottle, and you can attach a solenoid valve that then it will work, etc. etc.
Out of interest, can you provide a link to the set you bought from co2 supermarket, so we can all take a look?

I didn't buy one of their pre-made sets- as I only have nano tanks, the plan was to get started with two tanks (a 54l and a 30l) and add more manifolds as I need them. So I got the Ultimate Pro dual-stage regulator along with an "extra output manifold" (the name puzzles me, it's kind of like a manifold manifold! :lol:), two bubble counters, two diffusers, two drop checkers, etc. I had no clue what I was doing when I ordered it, and they answered all my emails within minutes up until the point that the person I was conversing with decided to take advantage of my frustration (I was not rude to him, but I did mention that I was angry about a delivery issue that I made clear I did not blame him for, but his response was very rude indeed). I wish I'd come here first!
 
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