Co2 Tanks Rusting Away

[elpescador47]

When I bought my 45C in September, the bottom of the halon tank was severely rusted. The surveyor said it need to be replaced. The mechanic told me that halon was now illegal, and that the whole system would have to be replaced.

I dug around a bit, and my understanding is that while it is now illegal to produce Halon, it's not illegal to sell it. I read somewhere the the FAA still requires commercial aircraft to have halon fire suppression systems. Halon is really expensive. I tried to post a link to some FAQs, but I'm too much of a nnewbie and the site won't let me post links.

When a local fire protection company pulled the tank out (I was too afraid of the unfamiliar fittings and high pressure to do it myself), there were big flakes of rust (1/8" thick and greater) coming off the bottom of the tank. They didn't even want to hydro the tank, and I didn't blame them.

They tested the heat sensor/switch, took old tank, reclaimed the halon, found a used tank, did the hydro, repainted the now-certified used tank, filled it with my original halon, and re-installed it. I removed the tank cap and just put a thick piece of rubber underneath the tank.

They originally quoted my $500, and while they later tried to increase the price by a few hundred dollars, $500 is what I ended up paying.

The tank looks good, maintains it's pressure, and hasn't exploded, so I assume all went well. I hope to never need definitive confirmation.

 

[Diesel]

Good morning,

I am now the "new" owner of 43 dcmy... a great boat and outstanding prior owner (thanks Fred), formerly- Fin A Lee, located in New Port News, VA.

The timing on this perfect as I need to get the CO2 tank inspected, hydro'd and refilled.

Looking for recommendations for a company in the tidewater area that can handle this...

Also, will they expect me to pull the tank and take it to them? or do they generally have their service people in the field who can do this? Any idea of what costs to expect?

I am sure that I will reaching out to "the brain trust" much more in the future.

Also very interested in finding more Hatteras Blog sites (found a few).
Interested in other's experiences and find that there are almost always some valuable info and ideas.

Thanks everyone,

Dave

Try Hiller in Chesapeake .

 

[MikeP]

I'd suggest that rather than a rubber pad, the tank should sit on something that will allow air to circulate and any moisture to escape. A piece of diamond plate works well. If the tank is not too heavy it could be clamped/suspended above the decking but that's not practical for large tanks.

 

[rsmith]

It's a good idea to clean and paint the bottle when it's out for inspection.

 

[barkdee]

Well I'm into around 20 phone calls finding new tanks and the best I've done is find 35lb tanks from a welding gas supplier for $250. Problem is finding out if they can be used in place of the originals. A few more calls will hopefully clear this up.

Rust is coming off these tanks in 1/8"chunks. They sit in a oval 3/4" deep cutout that collects water-moisture. I'll maybe replace the wood the tanks sit on with a glassed over perforated piece of wood which will allow moisture to drain from the tank bases.

 

[dgltrader]

Thanks for the tip on Hiller in Chesapeake...the hydro is on the survey punch list

Dave