How much co2 is left in my tank with 400 tank psi

[HHP]

OK,

I am deployed to iraq and my wife is kegging my beer. It is ten gallons, in two corneys.

I have a 10lb co2 tank and she reports that the high pressure gauge reads 400psi at ambient temperature of about 90f.

Is this enough co2 to carb my 10 gallons at 2.5 volumes and keep it under pressure for the next three months? I really dont want to have have to remove the regulator and take the tank in to get it filled, I can do that when I get back.

If that is enough to carb the beer, will it serve all ten gallons? (this would be a super-bonus, because then I wouldn't have to get it filled until after the beer was consumed and I was about to leave back to Iraq)

 

[Ridemywideglide]

I will say yes, based on experience with mine.... You should be golden.

 

[Gfei]

At 90 the pressure should be easily over 800 psi. If it's that low I would say it's running on vapors.

 

[tesilential]

At 90 the pressure should be easily over 800 psi. If it's that low I would say it's running on vapors.

Yup. Once you're under 800 psi at room temp theres no more liquid co2 left.

And damn your house is way too hot! I thought I had it bad here at 78* for a few months.

 

[HHP]

I realize theres no more liquid co2 in the tank, but there is still 400psi worth of it ... is that enough for these ten gallons? I am going to hope that Ridemywideglide is right...

The ambient temp is what the temp is outside, because the fridge is in the uninsulated shed.

 

[JuanMoore]

From my experience, vapors are barely enough to fully carb 5 gal, and if the gauge only reads 400 @ 90F, I'd guess it's been running on vapors for a while.

 

[jd3]

I'd get it filled now so you don't have to worry about it later. As soon as it starts dropping from 800 I expect to get less than a few weeks at holding. If carbing and serving, then it is a day or two.

Some Military wife you got there, kegging your beer for you!

IF she can do those steps, I'm sure she can handle swapping the co2 and this way it will be ready to go when you return.

THanks for your service! Come home safe and enjoy.

 

[jagec]

400 psi of gaseous CO2 at 90F in a 10# tank (volume = 411 cubic inches I think) is .74 pounds. That is probably too little to fully carb and serve a 10 gallon batch.

Have your wife weigh the bottle on a bathroom scale and subtract the tare weight that is printed on the side for a more accurate figure.

 

[Bookem15]

I am not sure about your co2 issue but just wanted to thank you for your service to our great country. My son leaves June 20th for the marines bootcamp.

Thanks again and come home safe and enjoy a home brew with your wife.

 

[mcaple1]

Yup. Once you're under 800 psi at room temp theres no more liquid co2 left.

And damn your house is way too hot! I thought I had it bad here at 78* for a few months.

He's in Iraq bro...from experience I can tell you that when you get back from the ME, 90 feels like 60. I've had some of my friends turn the heat up in the house when it was 70 in my house because they were too cold.

 

[jagec]

Actually, I just did the math from the other side, and assuming that you need 25 gallons of CO2 at standard conditions (20 degC, 1 atm) to carbonate, and 10 gallons of CO2 at serving conditions (10 psi above atmospheric, 40 degF) to dispense, that's about 0.5 lb. Which mean that he may still have enough...maybe.

The thing to do is to just hook it up to the gas. As long as you don't have any leaks, it will find its own equilibrium. Keep your fingers crossed...

 

[HHP]

Thanks for the kind words everyone! This is my second and LAST tour. I should be home safely right around the holidays (hopefully).

I'd get it filled now so you don't have to worry about it later. As soon as it starts dropping from 800 I expect to get less than a few weeks at holding. If carbing and serving, then it is a day or two.

Some Military wife you got there, kegging your beer for you!

IF she can do those steps, I'm sure she can handle swapping the co2 and this way it will be ready to go when you return.

THanks for your service! Come home safe and enjoy.

She is awesome, working full time, and going to grad school full time for her MBA. But she is at the end of her fuse with brewing stuff, she has taken gravity readings, racked my barleywine, pitched some brett in the barleywine secondary, kegged this beer, and reattached the co2 in my kegerator. More than I could have expected from her. She has told me in no uncertain terms 'this is not her hobby and she doesn't like doing this, and that five gallons of beer is heavy!'. I cant expect much more out of her.

Luckily my buddy just moved in a mile down the road and has agreed to get the co2 tank filled. Because time is not a factor, he is going to do it in about three weeks when it is convenient for his schedule.

I figure I will get what I can out of the tank in the way of carbing this beer, and get it filled. Because no one is drinking it, its semi pressurized and in a refrigerator I figure it doesn't really matter.

Anyways, drink a beer for me

 

[beaksnbeer]

You can always add 1/3 cup of sugar or malt to keg then add co2 and let it keg condition and carb itself.Just to be on safe side. God Bless and thank you for you service.