Safety of disposable oxygen tanks

[NicePelos]

Anyone know the safety of using the disposable oxygen tanks you get from the hardware store? It's not medical grade, but the cheap regulators you can get on home brew websites recommend their use.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I have yet to do something with mine. I'm thinking that they might be returnable. I need to look at them closer. If they are not returnable I'm gonna drop them in a wal-mart bag and into the trash they will go.

BTW - Welcome to HBT. I grew up in Brookfield. I have relatives in North Riverside.

 

[Revvy]

I've been keeping mine too wondering what to do with them.

 

[cgruelle]

I've been keeping mine too wondering what to do with them.

On the first Saturday of every month, the county I live in will take things like these, propane tanks, oil, paint, and such. Check with your county and see if they do something like that.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Some of the Lowes stores will take them back. Some of the recyclers will even take them "if" they don't notice the valve is in place.

I found I had waaaaay too many of these empties and opted instead to go with a re-fillable bottle. Turns out the regulator I had for those lil red bottles would creep up and I'd waste a bottle quickly.

 

[bendavanza]

They are steel, so they are recyclable. If your city doesn't take the metal, there will be a metal recycler somewhere who will. Don't expect much cash but it's better than the landfill.
If you are asking if they are ok for aerating wort, there are small sanitary filters that you use inline to prevent anything nasty from getting into your beer.
I've read a lot about medical vs welding grade o2 and it's basically the same.

 

[Bobby_M]

Check with your town recycling center. Mine allows drop offs of all kinds of stuff and they definitely have a section for pressure tanks. That's where I scored a free O2 regulator ;-) gloat.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

They are steel, so they are recyclable. If your city doesn't take the metal, there will be a metal recycler somewhere who will. Don't expect much cash but it's better than the landfill.
If you are asking if they are ok for aerating wort, there are small sanitary filters that you use inline to prevent anything nasty from getting into your beer.
I've read a lot about medical vs welding grade o2 and it's basically the same.

Ayup. AFAIK the only real difference is that the medical grade stuff is "source traceable" and I have even read that many industrial grade suppliers actually provided a purer product to welders.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Check with your town recycling center. Mine allows drop offs of all kinds of stuff and they definitely have a section for pressure tanks. That's where I scored a free O2 regulator ;-) gloat.

Good point! - I should call Lowes then Waste Managment.

 

[Homercidal]

Never seen these. Any pics? I just shake to aerate my wort, but these things might be useful for some other purpose some day. I assumed you had to get O2 from a medical supply shop.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Never seen these. Any pics? I just shake to aerate my wort, but these things might be useful for some other purpose some day. I assumed you had to get O2 from a medical supply shop.

No you get it as Lowes or Home Depot. Any retail place that will sell welding equipment for the homeowner.

BernzOmatic at Lowe's: 1.4 Oz. Oxygen Fuel Cylinder

 

[BrewBeemer]

On the above post stating 1.4 oz. that must be a misprint as that size is a 14 oz bottle.

You want welding equipment go to a welding supply not a Home Depot store. Those bottles will cost you big time, not to sound harsh but they are expensive for such a small volume.

My owner own bottle holds 260 cu/ft of O2, it gets exchanged app once every year unless i'm into gas welding or cutting steel instead of the Plasma cutter. The money saved by having owner owned vs a lease bottle plus refills of smaller or disposable is many times over. The best use of a Home Depot disposable bottle so far was to drill out the neck to allow filling with old reloading powder with a detonator cap added. We used a ships auger the same diameter as the bottle and placed the bottle into the hole in the center of a 4' diameter dead oak tree at the ranch. Big Boom!!!!!!!! tree be gone. That has been the best use of a disposable bottle unless I mention the one about a full one thrown into the burning fire pit. It went BOOM!!! also.

Bier, guns, powder, fire, Clampers what could go wrong?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Nope it's not a misprint.

You get a whopping 1.4 Ounces of O2 in that bad boy.

 

[bendavanza]

Another good beer related use for oxygen is hangover relief. I had a smoothie shake that was infused w. oxygen from a bottle with a straw (like wd40) and it took me from a crushing hangover to one where I could function. I'm sure with our homebrew ingenuity we could do a better jog of oxygenating than a straw, although I would not want to put a stainless stone in a shake. Also good for altitude sickness.

 

[fastricky]

Another good beer related use for oxygen is hangover relief. I had a smoothie shake that was infused w. oxygen from a bottle with a straw (like wd40) and it took me from a crushing hangover to one where I could function. I'm sure with our homebrew ingenuity we could do a better jog of oxygenating than a straw, although I would not want to put a stainless stone in a shake. Also good for altitude sickness.

This I will have to try!

 

[Thumper]

Yes O2 is a good hangover treatment. Back in the day when I went to work with a hangover, I would jump in a airplane and suck some O2.

 

[giligson]

Yes but you would have to inhale the oxygen rather than swallow it (BTW an iv infusion of saline is the best cure for a hangover - but not necessarily available to everyone)

Back to the topic.
Before I bought my own 10lb tank i had a couple of these overpriced disposable tanks around (used for micro welding) and I agree they are a huge waste of money for welding but homebrewers get quite a few batches out of them since you only oxygenate for about a minute.

I found the tanks made useful containers for offcuts of brass and steel that I had to organize. If you depressurize them first, you can cut the top off with a hacksaw.

 

[the_bird]

Remember, you should be seeing very few bubbles on the surface when adding O2 to the wort. Any bubbles on the surface is wasted O2; the O2 should just BARELY be leaving the tank. You should be able to get at least ten or twelve batches per bottle, I'm probably a bit less than that but I'm also one who isn't as careful about not wasting O2!

 

[Schlenkerla]

Remember, you should be seeing very few bubbles on the surface when adding O2 to the wort. Any bubbles on the surface is wasted O2; the O2 should just BARELY be leaving the tank. You should be able to get at least ten or twelve batches per bottle, I'm probably a bit less than that but I'm also one who isn't as careful about not wasting O2!

What size aerator, 2 micron or 1/2 ?

I was thinking 1/2 is for o2

 

[the_bird]

I use the aeration wand from Williams Brewing, which is 2 micron. They CLAIM 20-30 batches per O2 bottle, I'm nowhere near that (which means I'm doing something wrong!)

 

[Dog House Brew]

20 to 30 batches? Man am I intoxicating my yeast with O2. I'm getting more like 3 to 4 batches and aerating my starters for the batches. How long do you aerate your wort? I'm aerating about 30 seconds or so.

 

[giligson]

residual O2 in the headspace is also useful - remember O2 has limited soluability in water. What you don't want to do is actually introduce enough oxygen that it starts to bind with (i.e. destroy) your yeast and hops etc..

 

[BrewBeemer]

Nope it's not a misprint.

You get a whopping 1.4 Ounces of O2 in that bad boy.

Sorry boss reread my reply again as it said the size of a 14 oz bottle, nothing about the volume of the bottle or the contents be it propane, Map gas or any other gas. Kind of a trick reply but my reply regarded to the physical size of that posted bottle picture.

 

[BrewBeemer]

I use the aeration wand from Williams Brewing, which is 2 micron. They CLAIM 20-30 batches per O2 bottle, I'm nowhere near that (which means I'm doing something wrong!)

Did they state the size of the batches? My wild guess they must be using one gallon batches to "CLAIM 20-30 batches" per O2 bottle"

 

[Schlenkerla]

I use the aeration wand from Williams Brewing, which is 2 micron. They CLAIM 20-30 batches per O2 bottle, I'm nowhere near that (which means I'm doing something wrong!)

I'm with you there. I think the 1/2 micron would do a better job of breaking up the o2 into smaller bubbles.

I'm guilty of cranking mine open to look like its got a raging full boil. ~30 sec. I'm prolly just wasting o2.

 

[BrewBeemer]

I'm with you there. I think the 1/2 micron would do a better job of breaking up the o2 into smaller bubbles.

I'm guilty of cranking mine open to look like its got a raging full boil. ~30 sec. I'm prolly just wasting o2.

On the .5 micron did you happen to have a pressure reading on the line to the stone to create the stone covered in bubbles?

I have been using a Holley carburetor fuel inlet (bronze crushed bead unit) that I had new spares that seems to work as a cheap and fast stone. I know a 2.5 or a .5 stone should be used this is why i'm asking about the pressure required to create the bubbles.

As far as O2 being wasted i've used the 260 cu/ft welding bottle for years so the volume used and extra wasted isn't a factor.

 

[Schlenkerla]

On the .5 micron did you happen to have a pressure reading on the line to the stone to create the stone covered in bubbles?

I have been using a Holley carburetor fuel inlet (bronze crushed bead unit) that I had new spares that seems to work as a cheap and fast stone. I know a 2.5 or a .5 stone should be used this is why i'm asking about the pressure required to create the bubbles.

As far as O2 being wasted i've used the 260 cu/ft welding bottle for years so the volume used and extra wasted isn't a factor.

I don't know I have that 1.4oz red bottle and a 2 micron nozzle on a brass rod. I open the regulator and let it rip for 30 seconds. I have such a good krausen going that the dry yeast floats on the foam. (I don't always rehydrate-depends on how much beer I drink.)

 

[boo boo]

A lot of places here such as Crappy Tire that used to carry these have discontinued them.
I did find some at a home hardware store today.

 

[BrewBeemer]

That sounds like your pressure to your stone is about what the O2 bottle can produce without any flow. Now that brings up another question; what is the static pressure of these small O2 bottles, has anyone added a pressure gauge and got a pressure reading? And what is it I must ask?

Using a .5 micron stone must take a higher line pressure to get the results you stated about almost a full boil off the stone.

 

[Catt22]

The best use of a Home Depot disposable bottle so far was to drill out the neck to allow filling with old reloading powder with a detonator cap added. We used a ships auger the same diameter as the bottle and placed the bottle into the hole in the center of a 4' diameter dead oak tree at the ranch. Big Boom!!!!!!!! tree be gone. That has been the best use of a disposable bottle unless I mention the one about a full one thrown into the burning fire pit. It went BOOM!!! also.

Where I live, that sort of thing is a felony. Not to mention it sounds exceedingly dangerous. Especially throwing a full oxygen cannister into a fire pit. Are you crazy?

 

[BrewBeemer]

Nope on your first reply plus keep your head down no worries with explosives.
Feds, WTF are they? I've worked with them years ago, idiots is my opinion after working with many of these
tax dollar milking people.

On our ranch we do what we darn well please including some .50 caliber firing as well M16 selective firing plus a few pieces from the Israel Army in long and short barrel. We have our own set of rules, many came from Nam years ago.
I bet C-4 and Sentix explosives must be above your head in handling and use also. Sounds like certain people have lived sheltered lives. Well sorry I mentioned a few fun things to do now back to the brewing forum.

 

[Catt22]

You're talking to a Viet Nam combat veteran sonny boy. None of what you said changes the fact that you are breaking federal law in more than a few ways with all of that. C-4, Sentix and whatever other explosives you guys are playing with are not toys. I've been around my share of explosives, including drilling and blasting for excavation. I've qualified as expert with an M16. I've shot 50 cal. machine guns and M60's too. Fired a few Claymore's and M79's. I like guns and shooting just like you. I draw the line at the illegal and/or dangerous stuff. Tossing a full oxygen cylinder into a fire pit is nothing less than plain stupid IMO. It's all a lot of fun until someone gets killed by a piece of shrapnel to the throat. Have fun explaining that to the police when they arrive. Got grenades?

 

[BrewBeemer]

No comment on that last item, keeps 'em guessing and by which country and were they could be stored is the question. Yes with bottles in the fire pit we're behind a berm safe and sound, what you think we were standing around waiting for ignition? Feds that's another story not to be posted in the open, all I can say is I had two FBI face down with both my .44 Redhawk and the browning Highpower drawn until I found out who these idiots were busting onto my property thru the side gate. The dropped arms first until i found out their problem. I never had my 9mm out of my hand, holstered the Redhawk. Funny to see two fat FBI pigs with suits all torn up after being tripped on big rocks plus a little broken skin and blood. No fear I won on that conflict. I rather felt good after this little event. A case the wife was involved in besides dumping a tail with her BMW, this started the idiots busting onto my property. They didn't know I was a competition silhouette shooter at the time.
Yes I believe in the law only when they know their limits of power, go over it's game over.
Now back to this brewing forum which is great not like the fed idiots. Topic closed.
PS, called "sonny boy" is not a problem with me i'll still respect you i'm only 56 and just behind you. Been there also. I rather call it topic closed before our great moderators and other members get bent out of shape.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Is it safe to store these canisters indoors when not in use?

 

[BrewZer]

Is it safe to store these canisters indoors when not in use?

Yes. They do it at Lowe's...you can do it, too.

 

[IslandLizard]

Is it safe to store these canisters indoors when not in use?

I would double check that the regulator/valve connection to the tank doesn't leak. People have reported losing the content between brew sessions, due to a poor/leaky valve connection. Some resort to removing the regulator/valve from the tank during storage. That will prevent any leaking to occur.

 

[BrewZer]

I would double check that the regulator/valve connection to the tank doesn't leak. People have reported losing the content between brew sessions, due to a poor/leaky valve connection. Some resort to removing the regulator/valve from the tank during storage. That will prevent any leaking to occur.

Oh, yeah. Definitely unscrew the regulator. You'll lose a bit with the pop as the tank's internal valve seats, but it beats letting it all out over time.