# Fire Extinguisher Co2 - For The Record!



## Spiderpig (13/8/08)

Hi Guys, 

For the record, are there any differences in the Co2 used in Fire Extinguishers to that needed for Kegging? I am trying to find an alternate source of Co2 to renting through BOC etc. Can a fire extinguisher recharge place refill my Co2 bottle for Home Brew purposes? They have said yes they can, but I want to make sure I am not going to kill myself with poisonous gas, or ruin perfectly good beer. What are everyone's thoughts?

Spiderpig


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## gibbocore (13/8/08)

the co2 used in the boc bottles is food grade and has been sterilised. My understanding is that the fire extinguisher ones have not been.


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## pokolbinguy (13/8/08)

There has been alot of feedback that CO2 is CO2 and basically it is the vessel it is being put into that deems it "foodgrade". There has been reports of people seeing both "food grade" cylinders and "non-food grade" cylinders filled from the same tanks at places such as BOC (I could be wrong so if you work for BOC don't come knocking on my doors with solicitors) 

If you already have a "food grade" cylinder that you own and they are willing to fill it go for it.

However if you are looking to use a fire extinguisher bottle then its a personal decision if you want to use one or not. (there is plenty of info on here about it).


I take no responsibility for this info...it is just what I recall from reading a bundle of stuff on AHB.

Pok


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## drsmurto (13/8/08)

Food grade, smood grade...

Food grade is lower in purity that analytical grade and costs a lot less. But it makes the general public feel safe........ woudl you rather consume something thats 90% pure or 99.99% pure.......

As for calling a gas food grade, thats plain funny.

Hmmm, someone needs a coffee :blink:


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## gibbocore (13/8/08)

it seems the boc guy got to me...


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## Screwtop (13/8/08)

Spiderpig said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> For the record, are there any differences in the Co2 used in Fire Extinguishers to that needed for Kegging? I am trying to find an alternate source of Co2 to renting through BOC etc. Can a fire extinguisher recharge place refill my Co2 bottle for Home Brew purposes? They have said yes they can, but I want to make sure I am not going to kill myself with poisonous gas, or ruin perfectly good beer. What are everyone's thoughts?
> 
> Spiderpig




All this has been done to death before.....Ring the refiller and ask them, as I did. BOC said "we fill from the same tank, but for beer gas we ensure all fittings are cleaned before filling and after and the cylinder is sent out with a bung in the outlet to stop anything from getting into it". Go ring your supplier and tell us what they say re food grade etc.

Screwy


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## Batz (13/8/08)

gibbocore said:


> the co2 used in the boc bottles is food grade and has been sterilised.


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## kook (13/8/08)

gibbocore said:


> the co2 used in the boc bottles is food grade and has been sterilised. My understanding is that the fire extinguisher ones have not been.



Can someone explain to me the difference between sterile and non sterile gas?

What bacteria/microorganisms can live in such a high concentration of CO2, and would be carried over through the cylinder?

I thought that CO2 itself was used in some sterilisation techniques?


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## PostModern (13/8/08)

My LHBS said he could sell me some food grade, sterilised iodophor.


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## gibbocore (13/8/08)

Batz said:


> View attachment 20600



purity would have been a better word. I used to purchase Medical CO2 used for inflating abdomens while performing laproscopic surgery for a bunch of Private hospitals in sydney. Albiet we purchased from linde, it was classed as sterile gas. Don't ask me how they did it but it must have something to do with the filtering and purity of the gas in the sterile bottle.


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## ~MikE (13/8/08)

it's CO2, doesn't have to be sterilised. very few organisms will survive anerobic conditions, i can't think of anything that will grow on nothing but aluminium and CO2.


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## Batz (13/8/08)

gibbocore said:


> purity would have been a better word. I used to purchase Medical CO2 used for inflating abdomens while performing laproscopic surgery for a bunch of Private hospitals in sydney. Albiet we purchased from linde, it was classed as sterile gas. Don't ask me how they did it but it must have something to do with the filtering and purity of the gas in the sterile bottle.




It's all the same gas,be it industrial or medical grade..believe me I worked there.

This subject comes up about once every couple of months,it always a gas :lol: We had some inflated abdomens here a few weeks back,sure wasn't C02 but !

Batz


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## InCider (13/8/08)

In my kegging setup I run beer line from the fire extinguisher to a randall with a solution of sodium met to the keg. This ensures that all the gas is sterilized on its way to the keg and gives me piece of mind in my brewing. None of the solution every enters the beer line from the randall to the keg. Some of the brewers on this forum may think this is overkill, but IMO it's cheap insurance. Running through a weak bleach solution is not recommended as it passes some of the bleach scent to the beer. I'll post a pic of my setup if anyone is interested.

Cheers,

InCider.


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## Zwickel (13/8/08)

Batz said:


> It's all the same gas,be it industrial or medical grade..believe me I worked there.



+1
....and CO2 doesnt need to get sterilized, its per se steril by itself

:icon_cheers:


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## Screwtop (13/8/08)

InCider said:


> IMO it's cheap insurance.




Thought your All Grain Insurance Services policy covered that Sean :lol:


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## NickB (13/8/08)

InCider said:


> . I'll post a pic of my setup if anyone is interested.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> InCider.



Would LOVE to see a pic mate.....


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## InCider (13/8/08)

Screwtop said:


> Thought your All Grain Insurance Services policy covered that Sean :lol:



It's not covered under the limits and exclusions of the AGIS policy. It's always in the small print!!!!




NickB said:


> Would LOVE to see a pic mate.....



Just warming up the box brownie... :lol:


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## Tim (13/8/08)

I think the issue with extinguishers is the bottle. They line the insides of some extinguishers with coatings and paints which may be toxic (and may flake off with age), where as a food grade vessel will not have these coatings.
This debate is as old as the aluminium will give you alzheimers debate - oh and the lead in brass will kill you myth.


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## Screwtop (13/8/08)

Tim said:


> I think the issue with extinguishers is the bottle. They line the insides of some extinguishers with coatings and paints which may be toxic (and may flake off with age), where as a food grade vessel will not have these coatings.
> This debate is as old as the aluminium will give you alzheimers debate - oh and the lead in brass will kill you myth.




Yes....it must have been time to add that old chestnnut as well, anyone checked back on some of the many past threads on this same topic to see if we're keeping on schedule with all of the same old crap.


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## Batz (13/8/08)

Tim said:


> This debate is as old as the aluminium will give you alzheimers debate - oh and the lead in brass will kill you myth.




Testing Brass Faucets and Fixtures 
Click here for printable version 
Background:

Brass is a metal alloy primarily composed of copper, tin and varying amounts of lead. Antique brass may contain very high levels of lead, while brass manufactured in the United States after 1986 usually contains no more than 7-8% lead. In both instances, the lead may leach from the brass. 

Brass containing faucets and submersible pumps:

Brass is found in faucets and submersible well pumps. As the water sits in brass faucets, lead may leach into the water in excess of the EPA action level of 15ppb (parts per billion). This is especially true for the 12 million water wells that are equipped with brass bearing submersible pumps. Recent studies have demonstrated that the lead level in well water standing in contact with brass for eight hours increased as much as 20 fold. Under these conditions the lead levels sometimes exceeded 50ppb! Although EPA regulations of 1986 limit lead in brass faucets to 8%, this regulation does not apply to submersible well pumps.

Method: To determine if a faucet or submersible pump is leaching lead into water use LeadCheck Aqua II.

If your house was built before 1986, make sure your pipes and solder joints are lead free by testing them with LeadCheck Swabs first. 
Allow the water to sit inside the faucet or well pump for at least overnight (18 hours). 
Collect the first 130ml of water from the faucet directly into the glass bottle provided with the kit. 
Continue with the test as described in the instructions. 
Examine the test strip for a pink to red line. 

Interpretation:


If a pink to red color appears on the test strip, lead is present in the water at or above 15ppb. If lead is present in this first draw, it is likely that the lead is leaching from a brass component in the faucet. Run the water for a couple of minutes and then collect a second bottle of water to test. A negative test on this second sample confirms that the source of contamination is in the faucet. It can take up to four hours of running time to clear lead contamination originating from a brass component in a submersible pump. 
If no pink line is observed on the test strip - your faucet does not have lead containing brass components.


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## Tim (13/8/08)

Batz said:


> Testing Brass Faucets and Fixtures
> Click here for printable version
> Background:
> 
> ...




Ok, the lead one might not be a myth. (sorry to get off topic)


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