# DCIC Cheap chinese Co2 system review.



## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

After all the advice on Dual Stage DIY regulators and despite all warnings about cheap Chinese Co2 kits, I'm going to take one for the team and review their full Co2 set up.

It seem as if no one has brought these chinese knock offs so I decide to take one for the team and review these.

DCIC has some pretty colour Co2 regulators but they are a chinese based company and I'm sure these are knock offs of basic Co2 regulators. 

They have two versions, the compact colour ones and the larger normal one. 
I opted for the bigger regulator because the gauges are easier to read.

Everything is up and running and I'm steady at 1 bps with Mineral Oil used in the JBL bubble counter. 

I'll post back my findings later but right now, it is in fact working as advertise.

There is a 1 year warranty card from the company inside. The manual is in english which was a pleasant surprise. 

Here are some pictures - 


































My non Co2 tank in the background
























Is the numbers right for a brand new 5lb tank? It is just recently set up.

Here is the result, I added a wooden chop stick (it's nice being asian sometimes) the wood works really well but I am going to grab some glass ceramic. 









This is just a temporary tank with various plants.


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## joder (Dec 7, 2011)

My co2 tank fills to about 700psi. The co2 guy told me if you freeze the tank overnight,
more can be squeezed in. I don't know if he was pulling my leg tho.


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

joder said:


> My co2 tank fills to about 700psi. The co2 guy told me if you freeze the tank overnight,
> more can be squeezed in. I don't know if he was pulling my leg tho.


This is true, but I wouldn't recommend it. Once you tank returns to room temperature the pressure inside will go higher than normal. You'll be risking a rupture in the safety valve or worse, an explosion. 


- Zain


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Cool, I'll follow this. I've been looking at the AI systems since I'm close to there as well and rather buy something local if possible, (plus its a great excuse to go to AI).


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

So how cheap is cheap?


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

I should of really changed that titled, it not cheap and is comparable to other retail Co2 regulators.

It's cheap for people within my area considering the other alternative is Big AL or a DIY with tons of shipping cost.

The whole Co2 regulator with everything beside the 5 lb tank is 100 flat, the whole set up with 5lb tank is 210. 

It is comparable to a Milwaukee or an Aquatek, but us Canadians have such options as a $200 Aquatic Life Co2 or $250 AquaMed Co2.

The Milwaukee here is still $139 so I guess it's cheap around Toronto. If I can change the title, I would. It's just a review of the DCIC Co2. 

By the way, the colour regulators which are smaller in size are also the same price.

Day 2: I woke up this morning and found that the working pressure gauge is 39 instead of 42. The higher pressure gauge still reads 800 psi. After reading the "Leak test" thread, it said the working pressure is fine with +/- 8, is this normal? 

Also, the package does include a hexagon wrench to adjust the working pressure yet I can't find any info in the manual if the pressure is adjustable. I would like to lower it to 20 - 30.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Interesting to see how this pans out for you and if its a good quality one, I may have to make another trip to AI. I already need more Netlea anyways, so what's a CO2 system on top of it. l ol.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

that thing totally looks like my aquatek regulator...

For comparison:









vs:


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> Interesting to see how this pans out for you and if its a good quality one, I may have to make another trip to AI. I already need more Netlea anyways, so what's a CO2 system on top of it. l ol.


Funny you said that, I went for AquaSoil and came out with this.

Not only does this thing look like your AquaTek, it is surprising similar to Aquatic Life Co2 regulator. 










Also their compact regulator looks similar to Aquatic Life's compact rig. I brought and return the Aquatic Life compact which is sold locally here for 199.99 The box said made in twain. It also did not come with a bubble counter.


Does it matter if the LOWER working pressure drops to 39 from 42? I turn it off last night and this morning it's at 39.


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## biogenetic40379 (Jan 19, 2012)

let me know how this goes. i am jumping off the deep end and building mine based off a 2 stage concoa i won on evilbay


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

You got yourself a great dual stage regulator, why the interest in this?

I brought this mainly because it's a local option beside the big chain stores, yes I realize there might be some problems but if I can save others from going through them, it be worth it.

It has been steady with 1.5 bps but I want to try to lower the working pressure to 30 instead of 40. The box included a hexagon wrench but the regulator is factory set with no adjustable knob. Maybe it's under the logo on the regulator, not too sure about this.

The store said to leave the working pressure alone, kind of weird how the box included the wrench. It wasn't like the store just toss in a wrench, there was one inserted into the pre cut foam. 

I did the soapy water test and saw no bubbles. Hopefully there is no leak. The flow been steady but I think its far too early to tell how well this keeps up.
Also, the two gauges are covered with protective tape that I have not yet removed. The lens flare is due to my iphone 4 flash. 

@ Naekuh : My working pressure is pretty much the same as your. Did your kit include any hexagon wrench?


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## Bettatail (Feb 12, 2009)

1. looks like a British/EU/International standard CO2 tank connection thread to me, this type of thread is actually fit on US standard co2 tank because the thread size is only slightly larger than the US standard, and for both standard nuts, the threads per inch are the same.
You might feel it a little bit looser when you screw the UK thread nut on.
Not really sure about the safety issue of using a UK nut on US co2 tank.

:The US standard CGA320 NUT can not use on UK co2 tank, can't fit.

2.


> The regulator comes with a built in plastic washer but I also used the rubber washer to connect it, I am told NOT to reuse the rubber washer and just connect it straight as there is a plastic washer built in.


I am not really sure about the original washer material, but if it is sure for multiple use, you still need to replace it when it "missions accomplished"

I use only one washer at a time, and new washer for each use is surefire for safety.


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## Bettatail (Feb 12, 2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajxvr7HmSdA&context=C313f694ADOEgsToPDskJhJ7vefKHPX9aNohzUe0tF

not really a problem if the plastic seal is ok. let's say your solenoid coil position is at 12 O'clock, you can actually loose the holding screw(on top of the solenoid coil), turn the solenoid coil and turn it to 3, 6, or 9 o'clock positions, then secure the screw.

This is true for similar solenoids(burkert), but may not hold true on the one you have.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Ok first off I would like to tip my hat to Bettatails. I know I am going to get a lot of "I told you so" but I'm really regretting buying this unit and not one from him or others on this forum. 

Loose Solenoid: 

The problem started yesterday when I adjust the needle valve, I notice that the solenoid was coming off a bit. The solenoid's bottom black twist knob was semi-connected and each turn had no resistance. 

It was disconnected from the push rod in the top manifold. So no matter how much you turn or tighten the knob, it would just spin around. The solenoid was working fine and my bps was stable, it was just the fact that the solenoid was not firmly in place.

I went back to the store and had to explain to them that normal solenoid were not suppose to move like this. They tried to replace the black twist knob but it was the push rod that was the problem. I got a new replacement and I'm glad to say that it is firmly in place. 

US/UK Connection:

After some googling, it says that you can connect a UK to a US but not vice versa. Also, you can buy the typical US thread and replace the UK one. I checked twice for leaks and the gauges never changed after leaving the unit running for a day.

Washer: 

The guy at the store insisted that I did not need any washer and that the white part in the regulator is a built in washer. Just to be on the safe side I would like to use a rubber washer like the one that came with the box. 

Is it safe to re-use a 1 week old washer? If I were to buy a new washer, which one should I get? A rubber one or a plastic one? Is there a size or name of the washer so they know exactly what size it should be?


Hey, thanks again for all the help. The amount of support from this forum is amazing.


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## herns (May 6, 2008)

FlyingHellFish said:


> It is comparable to a Milwaukee or an Aquatek, but us Canadians have such options as a $200 Aquatic Life Co2 or $250 AquaMed Co2.
> 
> The Milwaukee here is still $139 so I guess it's cheap around Toronto. If I can change the title, I would. It's just a review of the DCIC Co2.
> 
> ...


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

herns said:


> FlyingHellFish said:
> 
> 
> > It is comparable to a Milwaukee or an Aquatek, but us Canadians have such options as a $200 Aquatic Life Co2 or $250 AquaMed Co2.
> ...


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Update: Feb 18

Well fellas, another problem came up. Shocked? 

So after leak testing and letting the thing run for 24 hours, it seem stable. Both gauges were the same and there was no leaks to be found so I decided to give it the green light.

I unplug the solenoid and went to bed expecting the bubble count to decrease like it did before, usually within 20 mins it drops to zero as the solenoid is unplug.

I woke up this morning to my Lamp Eyes gasping for air and generally on the verge of death.

Did a water change and added an air stone to try to get some life into them.


Solution: 

After some googling I found Orlando's post about purging the solenoid of all dirt which was to remove the bubble counter and plug in and out the solenoid. 

I set the needle valve to full blast and plug in and out the electric sockets which gave me a few clicks. I notice the Co2 was decreasing when the solenoid was unplug but it was still on. So a few more in and out' I manage to stop the Co2. 

As a final test, I crank the needle valve up and unplug the solenoid and it was stop dead in it's track. Seem to be ok right now, I'll watch over it a few more times.

Ain't you guys glad someone is testing these babies out? Arghhh

Oh and the Lamp Eyes are all back from the dead, swimming nicely and slowly getting their colour back.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Here's a thought about that washer.

I have had two Milwaukee regulators, and in both cases I was unable to remove the nylon washer at some point - the "turn it on its side and pound it on the desk" wasn't working to pop the nut down the nipple shaft. It's not the traditional nylon washer which is the same shape as a normal metal washer, just thicker and white. It's got a sort of flange on the side that points toward the regulator, as the regulator nipple has a flange on it that sits inside the washer. The pic of your nipple and nut sort of look like that.

I discovered the solution to removing the washer after a lot of frustration: Use something solid and pointy, like needle nose pliers, and pin down the washer (white part) while rotating the nut. Looking at the inside of the nipple, I think it's a counter-clockwise rotation. The nut will screw itself down toward the regulator. You'll be able to see the sides of the washer and pry it out. The Milwaukee came with a couple nylon washers, so they're clearly meant to be replaced at cylinder changes.

I don't know if that's what you have, but a nylon washer should definitely be replaced every cylinder switch, so you may want to give it a try. I've read that the only place for replacement washers for the Milwaukee is through them, so you may want to contact the manufacturer directly.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

^ Good info, thank you.

Any idea about the rubber o - ring? 

My working pressure is now at 50 and goes down to 40 when the solenoid is connected. Argh.... no idea why, I do remember it took a day to stabilize around 40. 

For the leak test, is there any other method beside the soapy water? I was thinking about blowing smoke near all the joints.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

I've seen Bettatail recommend bubble solution from the toy aisle. Never tried it, but green/blue residue on some older fittings tells me I should.

As for a "rubber o-ring", I'm not quite sure what you mean. If you're referring to a permaseal, that may or may not work, depending on who you ask. I did try a permaseal once with a Milwaukee, and it ended up cracking the flange in the middle of the Milwaukee nipple. Had to chisel the rest off to make it useable with a standard nylon CO2 gasket ...which may have actually been a blessing. 10 cents via Evilbay is fairly cheap compared to the hassle of getting in touch with the folks as the manufacturer.

If you're not talking about the rubber seal on a permaseal, then I'm not sure what you mean. I don't know of any rubber-ish washers that are designed to be used at the CGA connection between a reg and gas cylinder, though they may exist. I just haven't read about any options other than the nylon gasket, a permaseal, or a compressed paper gasket/


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

FlyingHellFish said:


> ^ Good info, thank you.
> 
> For the leak test, is there any other method beside the soapy water? I was thinking about blowing smoke near all the joints.


Funny, just the other day, after purchasing my first e-cig, I thought about its use in discovering gas leaks. If you're not familiar, e-cigs basically vaporizes a water/nicotine mixture so you can inhale without the negative effects that cigarette smoke causes. From a chemistry perspective, it's a completely ineffective method of introducing nicotine harmlessly into the body (despite the ads you've likely seen), but it does produce a vaguely believable placebo effect. In any case, it produces harmless "smoke", which may actually be effective in discovering leaks. I intend to try it at some point 

A single e-cig costs $10 or so at your local pharmacy or convenience store. Bubble fluid costs a buck or so.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

I appreciate your help Kevmo911, not getting a lot of love, just a lot of "I told you so."

This is the rubber o-ring that was included:









Any idea about the working pressure? Goes from 40 with the solenoid plug in to 50 when the solenoid is off. I know the working gauge was stable at 40 before the whole replacement of the solenoid fiasco happened. Maybe it takes a few days to stabilize. 

Again, any other way to check for leaks? The tank pressure gauge does not move and is at 800.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

That's interesting. I've never seen a setup which includes both a nylon washer and a rubber gasket. I would guess that the rubber provides a good seal with the nylon ring. I wouldn't worry about CO2 leaking at that junction.

As for a legitimate test other than soap, the only thing I can recommend is checking Bettatail's sig for the link to a pressure test. If that needle valve is capable of shutoff (I *think* it is), close it all the way. Then turn the cylinder off. Then wait. If, after a few hours, there's a reduction in working pressure level, you have a leak between the cylinder and the needle valve. If the nv isn't capable of shutoff, and you still get a reduced psi, then there's a leak somewhere along the line, before or after the nv.

Regulators, in general, will have a change in working pressure during "off" hours. As long as it goes back to normal daily, you're fine.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

kevmo911 said:


> Regulators, in general, will have a change in working pressure during "off" hours. As long as it goes back to normal daily, you're fine.



How much of a difference are we talking about?


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Update: Feb 21

A quick run down of things - 



1. This regulator is suffering from "Creeping pressure" as the outlet pressure climbs to a higher than normal value. 

2. I have the same problem as another member here with the same regulator. His outlet pressure is a bit more extreme, it goes from 20 psi to 100 psi. Mine randomly goes from 40 psi to 60 - 70 psi. 

3. The connection is a UK standard and can be used with US tanks but is generally not recommended. The o-ring that came with the system is for Europe tanks.

4. The top of the regulator is a cap containing the inner body (diaphragm , spring , seat etc) it is not adjustable and I'm not sure if this is a pressure regulator or a "Flow Regulated Orifice Gauge (FROG)"

5. The new solenoid I got is emitting so much heat that the side of the solenoid is melted inwards. The plastic has a groove that can be felt and I had it on for only 7 hours. The plastic side leading to the manifold (metal) was extremely hot. The heat is comparable to a spoon left in hot soup. 

6. The regulator is not UL listed, which makes me sleep easy at night. 

7. After some googling, I somehow made onto a asian aquarium forum much like this one except in chinese. Google translator helped me navigate to the DICI section and there were problems much like what I'm experiencing. 

8. :bounce:

9.:icon_neut

10.:icon_conf

11.

12.:frown:


Summary of my experience: 8 - 12

The other user of the product's experience can be view here.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Hey Flyinghellfish, 
I just now realized you had a thread going for a review of this regulator. I'll add to your experience, which is well documented above, with a bit of my own. First I bought the smaller dici regulator http://www.cndcgs.net/en/chanpin2.asp?f_id=836 but experienced very similar things to you. I began using my system Feb 12th and right off the bat I noticed the solenoid was noisey. I figured it would be because of vibrating causing the magnet and other parts inside to make noise. But after a bit of adjusting and moving around I was able to silence the solenoid completely. I had no issue tightening the little nob under the solenoid like you did, and also noticed the solenoid can be easily moved even when the nob was tightened. That I could live with, but then I noticed, as you put it "creeping pressure" mounting once the solenoid when off. At first I saw the working pressure go up to 60psi, then 80 and finally 100/110 before it stopped. I wonder if it had anything to do with the o ring we were given (I only used the nylon o ring, and didn't get a rubber one like you did). My solution to that was turn off the main valve, and let the solenoid empty what's left in the regulator, which took about another half hour to 45 min. The wierdest part is, I let the pressure go down to zero and then unplugged the solenoid. When I came back the next morning I noticed the pressure had creeped back up to about 25psi - this is with the main valve turned off, the reg emptied, and solenoid disconnected.???:confused1: I'm beginning to think maybe the working pressure gauge is defective or extremely sensitive. Maybe someone else can answer that one, why would the pressure go back up to 25 psi from zero if the main valve is shutoff and the solenoid is unplugged? 

To make a long story short I'm shutting her down for good, and looking into getting a replacement rig. Good riddance!!! 

Sorry for the long post, hope I didn't hijack your thread...please let us know what you plan on doing moving forward.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

No worries about the hi-jack, I think this thread will help others in choosing the right system. 

Working pressure is known to change when the system is off or on but not as extreme as what we have. I think we should cut our loses, I would gladly give up 100 dollars if it means peace of mind. I'm not too sure about the plastic solenoid's melted groove either, it could of just been the way the plastic was made. Regardless of this fact, the solenoid is way too high for my liking. With only 7 hours of use, I could barely touch the thing it was so hot. 

I don't think the gauge itself is defective, we have two different gauges as mine is a bit bigger. I think it's just the stuff inside the regulator that is the problem. Just generally poor design, maybe the spring is slowly loosening up or the diaphragm is no longer flat but warp. 


I'm currently trying to source a list of stainless steel dual stage regulators, the Corona 211 looks quite nice. There is a few brewing stores in Toronto that sell regulators but I need a refund in order to get a new system.

Algae is already blooming up because of this fiasco.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Hey, attempted a refund after work today and after much arguing they said they going to call the manufacture. They wanted to ask them if working pressure going from 20 to 100 psi is normal in a pre-set regulator. Much respect to Alex for remaining calm and actually trying to resolve the problem. Their main argument was only "I" thought they were unsafe, I gave them several reasons and sources to look up. I even mention that the poorly translated MANUAL from the product states this. I even argued with them that working pressure does raise but not from 20 to 100 like Charlie's friend.

Charlie's friend brought the smaller regulator and he lives in Ottawa, I feel bad for him, I did this just for people like him. The kind that walks into the store and is amazed by the tanks and leaves with a regulator he thinks is going to give him the same result. 

There a reason why they don't let you see the solenoid in action, it's hot. I'm sure some excuse will be made, some reason will be given by fans of the store, but like charlie said and I experienced, there is a reason why the regulators are price the way they are. 

A good starter kit that is LESS than AI's kit and has good review is the Aquatek. It has a pre-set value of 30 psi which will still work with atomizer. And no, not the cheap kind you find at AI, the real kind sold by GLA.

You guys might ask, why do this if you thought the chinese knock off were bad? For you, for the starters in the hobby, for the people looking at a shiny regulator and are sold lies based on display tanks. If you wanted to grab something cheap, like a ph checker or something simple, by all means go to AI. For a full Co2 kit or their package deal, no. Simply no. 

I doubt I will hear back from them for store credit and that's ok. It's not the money that is important, it's the respect, it's the trust, it's helping each other out in the hobby. 

And finally, I want to offer my DICI Co2 kit free. If you are experience, want to test it out, take it apart and see what makes it tick, send me a pm. 

*Yes, totally free*. I will not give this away to someone new in the hobby, the solenoid fell off of mine and the new one they gave me heats up a lot.


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## pb300 (Aug 10, 2008)

I'd be willing to open it up to see what's inside, take pictures and report back. I have a feeling shipping might be kind of high though.

Someone closer to you should definitely take you up on this offer to see how this thing ticks.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

So guess I'll stay away from the AI system and go with something known. Thanks for biting the bullet I guess but sucks it's not well designed. Especially when everything else in their store is so nice.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

GeToChKn said:


> So guess I'll stay away from the AI system and go with something known. Thanks for biting the bullet I guess but sucks it's not well designed. Especially when everything else in their store is so nice.


Flyinghellfish bought the larger model, and I bought the more compact version, but essentially they're both flawed in the same ways. Hopefully someone with more expertise will be able to open his unit and give us a better indication of the underlying issue(s). As for AI as a retailer, I really like the other products they carry, and I've bought a starfire tank, a CO2 cylinder, diffusers, tubing, etc., all of which is excellent quality. Hopefully this serves to at least make the retailer rethink importing this specific product in the future. In the process, I've learnt that reputation is everything with regards to high pressured CO2 equipment, and a dependible warranty goes a long way.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Make your own judgement, I can only offer my experience and opinion on this particular unit.

Here something that made me chuckle about this whole experience.  Live and learn.


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## dmifflin (Mar 7, 2012)

if you still have it i would take it and do a r and d on it. i live in st thomas ontario just outside of london. i built engines for 3 years.and have an extensive electronics and electrical back ground. i was thinking of puchasing one until you did a review on it.
please let me know.


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## AquaLady86 (Jun 2, 2013)

Thank god you did this and now aquateks are $100.


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