Doesn't the 'A' mean it's a 10 year certification instead of the normal 5 years?
No. A five pointed star after the date is the 10 year. The "A" is just the agency that certified that particular hydro testing company.
Doesn't the 'A' mean it's a 10 year certification instead of the normal 5 years?
Call around to welding shops. Surely there is one nearby with a humane swap policy.
My local chain is Central Welding. I can bring in any standard-size cylinder and they swap it for a filled one without even checking the date on it. My local homebrew shop even works with them, so I can swap at the shop if I wish.
Now if you have a shiny tank you want to keep, then you may have to travel much farther and pay more to find a place that fills. I've given up on owning CO2 tanks, I just swap ugly ones as needed.
I'm pretty sure most gas suppliers have the recert factored into the price. Air Gas here just swaps tanks out. If I swap a "pool" tank or get my personal tank filled the cost was the same last time I read my bill. If a tank comes in expired they just give you a pre-filled one and they recert the old one and put it back in circulation I think.
As for your LHBS charging you to recert their tanks is BS. Them taking your old expired tank and charging you a recert for it but then at the same time exchanging it for another of theirs that will expire in 2 months so they can charge you a recert again when you bring their old tank back is just plain fraud.
If you want that tank, buy a new one for, say $70. So your tank really costs $50 plus $20 for the initial "cert". When I pay to recertify, I get the full 5 years and then some. Fill it at 4 years 11 months and several months of use after the 5 year point, it gets recertified and refilled. Considering the cost of all your brewing hardware, the cost of owning your own tank is not really going to bankrupt you too much.If I’m paying for a recert I want that tank then. I’m entitled to the entire recert life that I paid for.
If you give me a half life tank in return charge me half.
I picked up a free 20# that expired back in 1997; it's showing about 675psi and feels like it may still have some liquid in it, but what are my options once it's empty? I know I can try to find a place that might swap it out and hope they aren't paying attention to the date but that feels dishonest. Or I can take it to a place that refills and pay the recert. fee, which would still be a deal. Is it reasonable to hope that a tank made in 1981 that is now 22 years past its last test might pass again? I guess if it fails and they condemn it I'm not really out anything. It did come with an old Taprite that I can rebuild, which looks to be in pretty good shape.
I split my time between downtown and out in the west burbs, Schaumburg area.What part of Chicago are you in? I know a place that swaps out 20# tanks from Praxair and they don't aren't too worried about dates, as long as the tank looks to be good.
The fundamental question underlying this thread is " who owns the tank?"
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