CO2 in a Scuba Bottle

[Wyntah]

Hi all,

I was talking to a friend about wanting to add CO2 injection to my setup and he offered me a Scuba Divers bottle that he suggested was no longer suitable for diving but would be more than adequate for CO2.

I've been reading up on people who have converted various bottles (welding, fire extinguisher etc) to aquarium use but its all a bit of a mystery to me. Im willing to buy an off the shelf product, but Im put off by the low capacity of the bottles (I dont want to spend all my time travelling to and fro from my local hydroponics store).

In short I'm looking for advice. Would the tank my friend offered be viable or should I be looking for something more proprietary?

Cheers

 

[aardvark1]

SHould be viable; but not sure if it could be filled (DOT regs and all).

GAs bottles have to be certified and all....

 

[Ulan]

The connectors might not fit, either. Most gas bottles in critical areas have specific connectors for different types of gases in order to prevent any mix-ups.

 

[Cityfish]

Many Fire extinguisher/ safety product service companies are the best source for retro fitting and pressure testing old tanks <IMO>. I had to go to two places to find a shop that had the right wheel valve for CO2 gas supply. My tank was converted from liquid CO2 supply. It had the wrong type of valve an odd size tank thread. United Fire and Safety had the valve, tested the tank, and filled the bottle.

 

[Star_Rider]

check the scuba tank they can be made from either aluminum or steel the aluminum tanks are rated for 3500psi(compressed air)

the steel tanks can go higher.

the fittins can be removed and you may be able to find replacement valves for CO2.

however, if a tank fails pressure testing I'd be skeptical anyone would fill it.

not sure where CO2 falls in pressure. could be a factor. (I believe CO2 tanks are rate lower)

 

[Ulan]

CO2 tanks hardly ever exceed 1100 psi, but this is a warm room in Arizona. At normal room temperature, it should be about 850 psi.

 

[Star_Rider]

CO2 tanks hardly ever exceed 1100 psi, but this is a warm room in Arizona. At normal room temperature, it should be about 850 psi.

I thought so but I wasn't sure. At any rate you'd most likley have to get the scuba tank test/certified . and refitted as i know the valve on the SCUBA tank is set up to accomadate the first stage of a regulator.

 

[Wyntah]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the assistance. This is really food for thought.

 

[Wyntah]

I decided that in all likelihood that testing and retrofitting the tank would probably end up costing more than buying something that would be suitable in the first place. So I managed to pick up a 2kg tank at a reasonable price. The next job is to find a decent regulator and solenoid.

Thanks again for your help guys, I'll try to pop in when I'm set up and let you know how it turned out.