Tank Whisperers, what do I have here?

[JetSmooth]

I've slowly been collecting equipment for kegging, then took a hiatus from brewing for a while. At first, I bought a kegging setup from Keg Cowboy (5lb tank, regulator, hoses 'n' stuff). The secondary gauge was bent so they sent me a replacement (nicer than the first). I never bothered to replace it and it seemed to work, so I have a spare gauge laying around.

A friend gave me a 5lb tank and regulator with the secondary reg smashed to hell. Since the Keg Cowboy reg I have works, can I replacement gauge in its place?

Last, I picked up a 20lb tank free from someone online. They were moving and just wanted it gone. I think between the two 5lb tanks, I won't ever use it. I really need a new pump and think I'll try to sell it. What can I get for it? I can't decipher the stamp on the top to see if it's within hydro testing range. I took a panorama photo with my iPhone of the top. Can anyone see the date?

Mystery #3 -

I'm not taking offers on it here, so be honest about how much y'all think I can get for it.

 

[bcrawfo2]

Before you sell the 20 pound tank....look at the economics of filling.

In my area, it costs me $20 to fill a 5 pound tank, $25 to fill a 10 pound, and $35 to fill a 20 pound.
It won't take long to recover any certification costs you may have.
I just bought a 2011 certified tank for $60 on Craigslist.

 

[JetSmooth]

I thought about that. But space is a premium lately and I'm trying to pare things down. When I set up my kegerator, the tank will likely sit on the outside, making the 20lb hard to work with.

I can see the photos came out pretty small. I don't suppose anyone can advise on what I'm looking for as far as a hydro date?

 

[DrunkleJon]

+1 on possibly using the 20# and selling off a 5#er. if you haev the space for it, not having to go for refills and the added savings of refilling the 20# really can pay off.

 

[smokinghole]

How is a little more vertical space a problem to work with on the 20lb tank? The footprint is about the same. I use a 20lb cylinder for my kegerator and I keep a little 5lb.er around to transfer homebrews and other dumb stuff like purge my fermentors. The 5lb is easy to move around so while I burn through it fast it's a $14 swap out for me to get another full tank. My 20lb is mine and I have to drop it off and wait to get it filled so the 5lb is also back up for while the 20lb is getting filled. Also my 20lb tank is stupid heavy because its an OLD steel tank. I'm talking around 100lbs empty.

I don't know how much a hydro test costs for you there but I'd just keep the 20lb. If its full use it till its empty and then take it for refill and possibly hydro.

 

[tre9er]

no reason why you can't replace the high pressure gauge on the regulator. Just make sure which it is: left or right hand threads first, and get replacement gauge accordingly. A solid used regulator should fetch $40 with both gauges.