Should I refill my CO2 tank

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rjester

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A friend gave me a 20# tank that he was using to fill paintball canisters. It still has some gas in it. He said that I would need to have it refilled if I was going to use it to dispense beer.

Does this sound right?

I just don't want to ruin my first kegging experience.
 
If there's liquid in there, it doesn't really matter if it's completely full or only has a little bit left; the pressure will be identical, and it'll carb and serve beer identically, whether there's 20lbs or 2lbs in there. Where you run into issues is if the CO2 has run down to the point of it just being gas remaining (at which point it's almost dead and ought to be refilled).
 
homebrewer_99 said:
What does your gage say you have remaining? :confused:
I'm going to pick it up this week. I don't think he has a gauge on it, so I'm relying on what he is telling me. When I receive my regulator I see how much is left. He was saying that there was a different type of CO2 in the tank. I was only aware of one type.
 
As long as he is using Co2 and not a mixture gas, then yes... Co2 is Co2 Some paintballers use a nitrogen mix, wich is great for a stout, but not so much on a hef or PA...
 
Drunkensatyr said:
As long as he is using Co2 and not a mixture gas, then yes... Co2 is Co2 Some paintballers use a nitrogen mix, wich is great for a stout, but not so much on a hef or PA...
I will check with him, but I'm pretty sure that it is only CO2.

Thanks for the quick responses.
 
there are always rumors floating about regarding "welding grade CO2, food service grade CO2, and medical grade CO2".

in speaking to places that actually fill CO2...they say there's no difference.
maybe 20 years ago they used lubricants in the machines that weren't safe for consumption...but nowadays I bet its all silicone lube and perfectly safe.

you should be able to find the Tare weight on the 20lb tank, which tells you the empty weight of the tank. put it on a scale and the excess weight tells you how much CO2 is left.
 
ONE MAJOR CAUTION: if it was used to fill paintball canisters, and he didn't invert the tank (mount it upside down) to fill, then that means it has a siphon tube - a dip tube going to the bottom of tank, siphoning liquid co2 through the valve. this is how those places fill the paintball tanks with liquid co2.

do NOT use a siphon tank on a regulator, it will slowly but surely destroy it, and maybe not even that slowly. it will literally freeze the regulator, and more importantly, the diaphragm.

go to a welding supply shop, and swap it for a regular, non-siphon tank, or pay them to take out the dip tube and replace the valve.

or, you can use the tank upside down to pull gas into the regulator, but this could cause issues in itself.
 
Stop !!!

Paintball CO2 contains OIL. Don't ask me how I know, but I do - the oil is necessary to lubricate the mechanism of the paint ball guns.

Have your refiller clean the cylinder. Tell him what it was used for and that there can be NO oil residue in it.



These things ain't getting any cheaper...............(Beavis selling golf balls)
 
gnef said:
if it was used to fill paintball canisters, and he didn't invert the tank (mount it upside down) to fill, then that means it has a siphon tube - a dip tube going to the bottom of tank...

Now I remember him saying that it had a siphon tube. I didn't know what that was at the time. I'll see if I can exchange it for a different tank.

It's a good thing my regulator and kegs didn't come in yesterday.
 
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