Pressure test question

[newell456]

I'm thinking of buying a 20 lb co2 tank for $50 but it's last pressure test was more than 5 years ago. The guy says he bought it at auction but ended up not needing it, so he never used it. I'll ask him if he'll give me a refund if it fails, but it's just some guy off craigslist. What are your experiences with tank pressure tests if there are no visible signs of damage? It's worth it if it passes, but I don't want to get stuck with a useless tank.

 

[WortMonger]

You can take it in and see if a welding supply shop or other CO2 gas carrier would swap you taht for a bottle deposit, then you just buy your gas and keep swapping the bottle. They may or may not take it depending, some get older bottles from time to time though and have no trouble taking them. I think they may get something for making sure they get bad or older bottles off the street. Then again, they may tell you they can take it and get rid of it for you, then try to rent you a bottle at full price. If that is the case, take it to a scrap yard and get your money, but you always want to have a safe bottle.

 

[david_42]

The only time I've seen a CO2 bottle fail was when someone knocked a 100 lb bottle onboard a ship & the valve snapped. So, it wasn't actually the bottle, but it did fly a ways.

I think $50 is high for a out of date 20 lb bottle. Find out what a hydro will cost you and let the guy know.

 

[malkore]

You can take it in and see if a welding supply shop or other CO2 gas carrier would swap you taht for a bottle deposit, then you just buy your gas and keep swapping the bottle.

except you'll pay full price for the cylinder deposit, so he may as well just go 'lease' a cylinder to start with and save $50.

at least that's how the welding shops here roll. $85 deposit for a 5lb tank, $115 for 10lb. then you just swap and pay for the fill, haz-mat handling, and tax.

 

[newell456]

The only time I've seen a CO2 bottle fail was when someone knocked a 100 lb bottle onboard a ship & the valve snapped. So, it wasn't actually the bottle, but it did fly a ways.

I think $50 is high for a out of date 20 lb bottle. Find out what a hydro will cost you and let the guy know.

$17 for the hydro test. I'm not sure the price is high because I haven't seen any cheaper anywhere, and even when I see them cheaper on ebay, the shipping makes them more expensive, and this is local pickup. The only pause I have is the gamble on the hydro test. All the co2 places around here want way to much for a tank.