hey y'all, today i got lucky, i got to do some picking from an old abandoned bar. I came out with more corny kegs than ill proabably ever need and also an old (im guessing 20lb) co2 tank that is pretty full. This bar has been shut down for apx 3-5 years, was wondering if the gas was still good to use, and how to go about filling my 5lb tank from the bigger one ie what precautions i should take, steps, and if i need additional equip
The gas should be fine. How do you know it's pretty full? Did you weigh it and compare it to its tare weight? You can't. Edit: Well, you probably could with some jury rigged, unsafe equipment. I certainly wouldn't advise trying.
"Should" be fine but a building sitting unheated and no A/C for that long kills everything. Could of had a moisture build up inside tank that could lead to off taste in beer. I would blow out and see if any discoloration comes out of tank. Also hopefully tank wasn't at the end of its inspection cycle.
Transferring CO2 from tank to tank is done all the time. Search Google for "CO2 tank to tank transfer" for the details. Essentially you are transferring liquid CO2, if you are uncertain about how all this works the chance of a problem is a near certainty. If you goof there is a real danger of injury. It is likely your tank is overdue a hydrostatic test. DOT requires tanks to be tested every five years for structural integrity. The last date will be stamped crudely on the neck. It will look something like 06 08, which is month and year. If over 5 years no commercial CO2 facility will touch it (by law and insurance requirements). But a new hydro test is no big deal, in my area it cost around 25 bucks. But don't let me discourage you . . . learn the procedure, insure the tank is up to date, and have some great pours.
I could be wrong, but, I don't believe a CO2 tank will rust on the inside. Steel needs oxygen to rust. It's a pretty safe bet there's no oxygen inside that cylinder.
My supplier doesn't care about the date. He'll happily swap it for a full, certified tank. He fills and inspects tanks for a living and he's big on customer relations.
Yes, absolutely . . . I mis-stated no one would touch it, they just won't fill it. Exchanges eliminate the need of worrying about hydro dates.
correct. if there was water from atmosphere in the tank, then there is oxygen from atmosphere as well. so in theory the inside could rust. (if the CO2 was not pure to begin with, the air that went along for the ride became pressurized as well, and then the water vapor dropped out, like in the tank of an air compressor). but, if there is any water inside a CO2 tank then that indicates a leak or impure CO2. in which case there is no CO2 or bad CO2, and the tank is worthless. kind of irrelevant at that point. Cheers.
