Beer Forum

I have an old tank of CO2, from probably the early 90s, that's still reading a little under 1000 psi on the regulator. I took a whiff of the gas, and it has an industrial smell to it, almost like an old garage.
I've used this tank over the years to (more or less) purge carboys and bottling buckets with no ill-effects, but I'm just getting the final pieces together to start kegging, and I'm wondering if this smell is going to show up in my beer.
I can't say I've ever smelled the CO2 from another tank, so I don't know if this is common. I suppose it could be from the (equally old) regulator, but all the same, will it show up in the finished product?

Thanks

Just go swap it for another...

Definitely swap it out for another. It definitely sounds like the certification is out of date. If you go to get it filled someplace, you will have to pay for recertification in addition to the cost of gas. If you just go in for an exchange and don't mention it being out of date, they often don't even bother to check the date so you get the exchange for the price of gas only. I've done this with a tank I found that was 10 years out of date.

Generally, I get my tanks (I have four of them) refilled as it is a bit cheaper, but if the certification date is getting close, I go ahead and get an exchange so I can avoid the fee.

Wayne

Thanks for the replies...
I think it's a 20 lb tank (roughly 8" diameter x 29.25" to the top of the valve.) I'm considering trading it for a smaller tank that would fit in both my fridge and chest freezer. Is there any disadvantage to doing this (besides having less gas on hand?) I imagine I could trade back up to the larger size for a nominal fee, once I build out a kegerator with holes drilled for gas line, taps, etc. Am I right? Do the exchanges work that way? That is, pay a little more or less to exchange for a different size?

Thanks again

does it burn the nose or smell musty/rotten?? if nothing else, take up mig welding.

I filled a ziplock bag with it, to see if the smell hung around, and all I got a few minutes later was the same tingly, suffocation sensation I get when I stick my head down into the chest freezer/fermentation chamber. Couldn't detect the smell at that point. But rather than take the chance on five gallons of beer, I'll take it to a shop tomorrow, and exchange.

Cheers