A few questions about a CO2 tank

[rarobe01]

I'm looking to start kegging and save a little money at the same time. My parents have a home draft system that they probably haven't used since the 80's and offered to give me their CO2 tank. My first question is; how can I figure out what size tank it is? It is a steel tank that is approx. 27" to the top of the valve and approx. 8" in diameter.

My second question is that since it's so old should I have it inspected somewhere? I opened the valve and the pressure gauge on the regulator registered around 80psi though I'm not sure how accurate that is since the numbers only went to 60psi.

On to the last question...I read that having a steel tank could affect the flavor of my beer but it was only mentioned in passing. Will this be a profound affect or closer to the barely noticeable?

Thanks in advance.

Rob

 

[greatschmaltez]

Your tank is roughly about the same size as a 10 lbs co2 tank... Maybe a little bigger. Nobody will refill your co2 tank unless its inspection stamp is current, they are good for 5 years. You can normally get them inspected locally, just call around to hardware stores/weld shops or the fire department and they can probably get you on the right track. Not sure about the last question but I'd be surprised if that's an issue being that its stainless steel.

 

[ajdelange]

A lot of suppliers do not fill tanks but rather swap them for a filled one (this is especially likely to be the case where the supplier has several outlets in an area all served by a central processing facility). Some of these will just give you a new tank whether the hydro is current or not. Some will say that your tank is out of hydro and charge you an extra few bucks for the test.

 

[2bluewagons]

Not sure about suppliers in your area, but where I am Airgas is probably the best deal around. They just swap cylinders with you for less than $20. You'll likely get a brand new aluminum cylinder full of CO2 for your steel trade-in.

DO NOT take that old cylinder somewhere that is shady enough to just refill it for you without hydro testing it first. Very dangerous if the cylinder cannot withstand the pressure. If it passes the test, then you are good to go. But I would just try to swap it out then you are set. A 10-lb cylinder new is $100-150 if not more depending on where you look.

 

[brew_ny]

Some will say that your tank is out of hydro and charge you an extra few bucks for the test.

my guy charges you the cost of the test 25 buck here in NY and the 20 bucks for the gas if it is a 20 LBer

but then you have a tank that has an up to date hydro test so you can refill or just exchange anywhere

all the best

S_M

 

[zachattack]

Not sure about the last question but I'd be surprised if that's an issue being that its stainless steel.

The steel tanks aren't stainless. If the tank ran out and beer backed up into the steel CO2 tank, it can rust on the inside, and hypothetically this can lead to off flavors. Some "beverage grade" steel tanks are glass-lined to prevent this. I don't think there's a realistic chance of this happening, but I fill (rather than swap) my brand new aluminum tank just in case.