# Co2 tank tests



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

When they test those things what do they test for? I have a huge tank I found in a garage of a house I lived in a few years ago, and I think I am gonna make the transition to a pressurized system, and it would be great if I could use that thing...


----------



## Thirston (Mar 23, 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_test

Check the test date on your bottle. I believe most bottles need to be tested every 5 years, some newer bottles are good for 10 years.

In the future, you can keep from having to pay for hydro tests by swapping bottles rather than filling your own.


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

I love wikipedia, thanks!


----------



## reybie (Jul 18, 2007)

If you have a local gas place close to you that swaps tanks for filled ones, bring it in for a full one. Some of our local shops here just give you a full one for your empty.


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

I would have to have it tested before I swapped though, right? And I don't really know how common this tank is, I sure haven't seen one this big before. It looks to be the standard width of a 5#, but I would guess it's maybe 5 feet tall? The tank comes up to my neck before the valve...


----------



## reybie (Jul 18, 2007)

Some places don't require you to have it tested, just an outright swap. Some might give you grief about it. It might not be a CO2 cylinder, it sounds like it's too heavy to be lugging around


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

It is insanely heavy. It has a co2 sticker on the side though.


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

They might charge you for the price of the refill plus a maintenance fee which is around $2.50. Including taxes, it should cost around $20 plus or minus a few dollars.


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

I did a little research and I am pretty certain it's a 50# tank, weighing about 135 empty. Dang! I moved it once by myself, and this sounds about right.


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

D9Vin said:


> I did a little research and I am pretty certain it's a 50# tank, weighing about 135 empty. Dang! I moved it once by myself, and this sounds about right.


If you can deal with the size, you have the ticket! Using the largest cylinder that you can carry and have a place to house it is the way to go IMO. It will last a long time before refills. If you swap it out for a filled one, I think that the prices that I gave you are still very close to correct. It could be a little higher, but not much.

I hope that you can match this up with a good regulator, solenoid and needle valve. I don't know if you have one already, but a two stage regulator (I like Victor models [VTS, HPT or SGT]), an Ideal needle valve that has a "1" as its center number with a Vernier caliper handle (like a V52-1-12 or V54-1-12) and a good solenoid (I prefer the Burkert 6011 with Buna-N seals [00463938 or 00463939] and a LED cable plug [008 403 or 008 409]) are an excellent combination that will perform very well over a long period of time.


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, I figure it's a pain to move it, but they are all a pain, so I would rather haul it once or twice a year. And the fact that it's free doesn't hurt. Local welding supply quoted me 28 bucks for a swap, not bad. As for the regulator, I have a cheapo aquatek on the way, haven't heard any rave reviews on it, but I haven't heard any horror stories either. I figure I can use it for a bit, see what I think, and look out for a deal on a good dsr and needle valve.


----------



## reybie (Jul 18, 2007)

If you don't want to deal with the heft, some places that primarily deals with commercial gas will accept trade ups or downs on tanks. Our local vendor will give credit towards the fill.


----------



## D9Vin (May 12, 2011)

That is definitely something I will ask about. With the regulator, it will be taller than the aquarium, haha.


----------



## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I have 4 CO2 tanks. Two are 20# and the other two are 5#. If I could afford to swap on of my 20# for a 50#, I would do it.

You have an Aquatek regulator on the way. I suggest that you either get a very good needle valve to run inline or simply replace the stock needle valve with a very good one like the Ideal 52-1-12 or V52-1-12 or the Fabco NV-55-18. The Fabco NV-55 with hose barbs is a good one to run inline. The low flow Swagelok, Parker and Nupro metering valves are very good as well.

Fabco NV-55 with #10-32 ports and hose barb connections









Fabco NV-55-18 with 1/8" NPT ports









Ideal 52-1-12









Ideal V54-1-12 with Vernier caliper handle









Swagelok low flow metering valve with tubing fittings









Swagelok low flow metering valve with 1/8" NPT ports and Vernier caliper handle


----------

