What have you done with your old C02 bottles?

[Old School 626]

Seriously,

A few years ago I scrapped some decades old 20's and 16's and now I find myself in the same boat with 3 20 ounce PE bottles that are out of hydro, have lousy valves and I can replace them (if I wanted to) for about the same cost as hydro testing. It's be a shame to just toss them.... So what did you do? What should I do?

[going_home]

Take them to Walmart and trade them in on filled ones ?

Seriously, people still use CO2 ?


:ninja:

[MANN]

I continue to use mine. :eek:

[Sniper Steve]

I have the same question, has anyone ever taken off the valves and recycled the bottles and brass ends seperately. I was gong to try that this year with about 50 that I have.

[BigEvil]

What is the going rate for aluminum at the scrap yard these days?

[camfcocker]

there is a rhino exchange program at i think lowe's where you can either exchange them for new in date tanks or they give you store credit, I think it was like 14 bucks for a 20 oz. There is a thread on it at mcarterbrown somewhere. May want to check into that.

[aerosaaber]

I handed one to a guy who had borrowed it from me for the day.
I filled it once and never used it and I knew he would and my gear bag got lighter.

[maniacmechanic]

What is the going rate for aluminum at the scrap yard these days?

depending on grade about a dollar a pound , give or take yellow brass is right around 3 $ give or take

[BigEvil]

depending on grade about a dollar a pound , give or take yellow brass is right around 3 $ give or take


So in other words, leave the valves on, and put them on the scale at the scrap yard FILLED :D

[my automag]

So in other words, leave the valves on, and put them on the scale at the scrap yard FILLED :D


NOOOO! :eek:


:nono:


OUCH to you for even sharing that idea. Mr.Evil, you know better, :spit_take .


:ninja:

[BigEvil]

NOOOO! :eek:


:nono:


OUCH to you for even sharing that idea. Mr.Evil, you know better, :spit_take .


:ninja:


Who me?? :P


Ok, plan B: Fill the co2 tanks with cement. :ninja:

[Rudz]

Blue Rhino does buy backs thru Lowes, but only for 20 oz tanks, apparently its a decent amount of money too

[Old School 626]

I checked into the Blue Rhino thing and what I found was that they will exchange my empty out of hydro 20 for an in hydro 20 with 16 ounces of C02 in it for a Jackson ($20 for you youngins). They will not issue a credit for the return of a bottle. I wanted to get another propane tank instead and they said "no dice".

So, if I wanted to run C02 I can buy a "new" bottle for $16 and pay $2 for a fill or pay $20 for theirs. But I don't want any more C02 bottles unless they are under the 2" rule so these options are out.

So back to what to do with these.....

I can recycle the three tanks that I have and recycle them for .... around $5 which is just what it would cost in gas to drive to the recycler. This is a less than zero sum since my time is worth something.

I'm thinking of cutting them in half and letting my wife plant flowers in them. Or, giving one to my dog that seems to eat everything. Or get seven more and a bowling ball......

[sjrtk]

Just toss them in the corner of the shop and forget about them unless you will have more aluminum or brass scrap to generate.

[Rudz]

I checked into the Blue Rhino thing and what I found was that they will exchange my empty out of hydro 20 for an in hydro 20 with 16 ounces of C02 in it for a Jackson ($20 for you youngins). They will not issue a credit for the return of a bottle. I wanted to get another propane tank instead and they said "no dice".

So, if I wanted to run C02 I can buy a "new" bottle for $16 and pay $2 for a fill or pay $20 for theirs. But I don't want any more C02 bottles unless they are under the 2" rule so these options are out.

So back to what to do with these.....

I can recycle the three tanks that I have and recycle them for .... around $5 which is just what it would cost in gas to drive to the recycler. This is a less than zero sum since my time is worth something.

I'm thinking of cutting them in half and letting my wife plant flowers in them. Or, giving one to my dog that seems to eat everything. Or get seven more and a bowling ball......


I wonder if Blue Rhino/ Lowes changed there policy, or some employee didnt know wtf they were talking about?

[chatua]

I only have one CO2 bottle from '84 I believe that's still in prime condition and is still holding the same fill as the last time it was filled 20 somethin years ago. Never been hydro'd. I take it out when I feel like shootin the SMG62. So yea, I guess my answer is I use them lol.

[Watcher]

Just toss them in the corner of the shop and forget about them unless you will have more aluminum or brass scrap to generate.

This. My closet has about 40 misc sized CO2 tanks and almost as many brass valves to match. I'm just going to scrap them whenever I'm not too lazy to drive to the yard.

[Spider-TW]

This. My closet has about 40 misc sized CO2 tanks and almost as many brass valves to match. I'm just going to scrap them whenever I'm not too lazy to drive to the yard.
You might be able to sell the valves. Anyone looking for siphon or anti-siphon setups has a hard time nowadays with the valves that have a groove milled down the side from the vent hole in the threads.

[Watcher]

You might be able to sell the valves. Anyone looking for siphon or anti-siphon setups has a hard time nowadays with the valves that have a groove milled down the side from the vent hole in the threads.

That's how most of the valves are. I work at a local shop and when people bring out of date tanks in and we tell them we can't fill them (and also tell them how much rehydro costs) sometime they leave them for us to dispose.

My way of "disposing" of them is saving the burst disc for shop parts, spinning off the valve, taking the bottle gastket for shop parts, opening the valve up, keeping the valve spring for shop parts, removing the valve seal from the piston, then putting the piston (if it's brass) back in, putting the setscrew (if it's brass) back in, then jogging the tank and voided valve to my truck.

Doesn't happen often, but happens enough that I have a decent pile of them.

My shop has enough good valves stocked up anyway, we don't need to save the crap ones from ExtremeRage, JT, and Guerrilla tanks... Not that we'd want to.
We deal with Worthington and Ninja, and rarely but sometimes PMI. They have much better tanks with much better valves on them.

[Frizzle Fry]

I've made bells out of my old SCUBA tanks. Maybe some c02 tanks would sound good? I've got plenty myself.

[2BAD4U]

clean them up & sell them @ your local piantball field next time U play. im sure some1 can use an extra tank... :)

[OPBN]

clean them up & sell them @ your local piantball field next time U play. im sure some1 can use an extra tank... :)
As mentioned in the first post, the tanks are out of hydro and cannot be refilled.

For what to do with them, as mentioned, recycle or call a local field, maybe they can rehydro themselves and would want them?

[2BAD4U]

As mentioned in the first post, the tanks are out of hydro and cannot be refilled.

For what to do with them, as mentioned, recycle or call a local field, maybe they can rehydro themselves and would want them?
OK, paperweight... :)

[kruger]

I paint mine Red, put "BOMB" on 'em and use them as props at my field. If you lose one, no big deal. they also work as props at the bigger games at other fields. Even if they are not legal for that game, it will make players/tanks stop and eyeball them real careful trying to figure out what they are. Great for ambushes :D

[kobeastly]

cut the top off and make pen holders.

I had an idea a few years ago that unfortunately wouldn't have worked due to lack of power but I'll share it anyway. I can usualy get them filled anyway out of date or whatnot if I were so inclined. I was going to pick up some cox .049 engines and do a CO2 conversion attach a prop and instant prop powered rocket to launch and not care if I recover.

[fishmishin]

At the warehouse for the company I used to work for one of the guys built a launcher with a huge expansion chamber, and he would shot all of the old 9oz tanks out of it. He could usually hit between 100-150 yards with them. Lots of fun if you have the room. I have an a/c control solenoid, powered by 2 9volt batteries that I was thinking of using to make a mortar style launcher with a remote launch button to launch the butt load of 9oz tanks I have, it even has a safety. I am curious to see how far I can get one to launch with a bigger expansion chamber. I have a couple of full bulk co2 tanks that were given to me to use for fills and I was considering just using my fill station directly from the bulk tank to the launcher. Cycle it a couple of times to cool it down and then get a good fill in the expansion chamber and watch those 9's fly. If I ever get around to putting it together I'll make sure to post some video.If I make it through it that is :D

[halB]

Back in my day, we didn't need no hydro dates on no co2 tubes. And then some punk kid kills another punk kid, and bam, we gotta throw our old tanks away.

Is there any other reason to have a hydro date on them? Aside from that incident.

[athomas]

Any CO2 tank under 2-1/2" in diameter doesn't need hydro, just a visual inspection. As long as it looks good, its good to go. You can put regulators on the bottles and safely fill them to 1750psi with air and use them for low profile pump gun air tanks as well.

[neppo1345]

Take the valve off...

Bandsaw then in half lengthwise...

Basic stand m/f laser-cut plywood...

Ashtray.

[bound for glory]

i very nearly cracked someone in the head with my last 7oz. really...

[Courgar Hunter]

The shop I work at is in the ghetto and we get all the gang bangers coming in that have bought tanks off of craigslist and most are out of date and the end up buying a new tank but damn after a month we have a crap ton of tanks piling up.

In the equipment room I have started to put tanks in those big 55 gallon barrels I'm about to bust a nut if I have to keep moving the damn thing, last trip to the scrap yard was like a good 4hundo.

But ya blew my mind when I was told we had to start hydro'ing tanks