Oxygen tank

[slackerlack]

I have a scuba tank that has been sitting collecting dust for years. Can I get this filled with pure O2 and use it to aerate my wort? If so, where can I get this filled in the Carrollton area?

[billneumann]

I would guess you could not get it filled with pure oxygen because of liability reasons. If you breath pure oxygen it will kill you?? There is only 18% oxygen in the air we breath?? Oxygen tanks and machines in hospitals and mine at home are set around 2 on them. This means 2 liters per minute. It should work with what percent oxygen they fill them with or least better than fish tank pumps. MY THOUGHT.
Bill Neumann

[BigWally]

Air is 21% oxygen and extended exposure to 100% oxygen will lead to oxygen toxicity. The valves for O2 tanks are different, so you could not get that SCUBA cylinder filled with oxygen. There are a lot of considerations to take into account when filling a cylinder with pure oxygen, the primary one being explosion. So go ahead and sell that cylinder on Craig's list if you are not going to use it for SCUBA. Also, if it has not been used in a few years, it is probably out of hydro date and will need to be re-certified.

The cheapest and easiest way to oxygenate your wort is to buy the O2 bottles from any of the home improvement stores. They are located in the area with the propane bottles. You''ll need a regulator, either of the local homebrew shops should have them, they left-hand threads instead of right-hand to fit the O2 bottles. I have found that one will last me around 10 brews. You don't need to run the O2 more than once or twice while filling your carboy for no more than about 15-20 seconds each time.