Used tanks

[WAnabee]

I picked up some used tanks. Is there a good way to test their integrity short of just getting them filled and see if they frost over? Do these look like they could work? One had a few hundred very old straws, looked up one was a dairy bull from '92. Any insights appreciated this is all new to me. Just looking to be able to store straws for a month or two during breeding season for 15 cows or so.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Just fill it and see what happens.
I don’t think I would have rolled the dice on something that old but if the price was right they might have been worth it.

 

[GoWyo]

My tank is an old Union Carbide tank with an ABS sticker on it and the stamp says 1978. As long as it keeps holding, I am going to use it.

 

[WAnabee]

Just fill it and see what happens.
I don’t think I would have rolled the dice on something that old but if the price was right they might have been worth it.

You may very well turn out to be right! If one or the other of them works I should turn out OK. How old you think they might be? Older than the 90's apparently

 

[SBMF 2015]

You may very well turn out to be right! If one or the other of them works I should turn out OK. How old you think they might be? Older than the 90's apparently

I may be all wrong but I would guess late’70’s

 

[Ebenezer]

If they are the same day tanks, watch the N2 level. If one drops quicker than the other, it's time to junk it.

 

[WAnabee]

I may be all wrong but I would guess late’70’s

Cleaning out the old straws last night and one had '88 printed on it, Just one that I glanced at out of hundreds so im sure there are older ones. There was also some small glass vials, I wonder what era those would have been from?

One of the tanks is shot, i looked inside with a good flashlight and noticed corrosion and some holes in the inner chamber so I'm down to hoping for one working tank.

 

[farmerjan]

The small glass vials are Ampules... semen came in them before they started using straws. 1950's to maybe in the 1970's..... They had a couple cc's and one way to use them is to get some new straws from a semen company, thaw an ampule, and then draw the semen into a syringe and needle, and carefully put it into a straw to use as normal... no longer able to find the pipettes and small bulb that would draw semen out of the ampule... If they stay frozen, they should still be good. Used to thaw them in ice water for about 10-12 minutes...

 

[Ebenezer]

Been using some amps the past few years. they work fine.

 

[farmerjan]

Been using some amps the past few years. they work fine.

What is your method of using them? I would prefer to use the pipette and bulb.... only did them that way and only a couple times so still a relative newcomer to ampules. Read about drawing them into a new straw to use like normal. I used 1/2 cc straws as a relief breeder, haven't used the 1/4 cc straws ....I got away from AI but really would like to do a few again... and I have several hundred straws in a tank and some ampules... few odd breeds like true holstein fresian (beef type) and some Welsh black... mostly just old angus semen... bought out a guys tank full after he had quit and sold off some of the breeds...

 

[Ebenezer]

Pipette and a syringe instead of the bulb. I'm using older Angus.

 

[DLD]

COBA rep that filled my tanks for years told me to tap on them lightly with a fairly heavy padlock - if you get a ringing sound they should be good, if it’s a dull thud they’ve lost their vacuum. It seems to hold true. My father in laws tank from the early ‘70’s held good up until about 5 years ago. We quit using it when it got low in 60 days (it was originally a 120 day tank).

Edit to add; Pics just loaded for me. We’re still using an MVE Apollo SX 34 that my brother bought in the late ‘70’s. Several newer ones have given up on us while that one is still working.

 

[moses388]

One of the tanks is shot, i looked inside with a good flashlight and noticed corrosion and some holes in the inner chamber so I'm down to hoping for one working tank.

A tank that has lost its vacuum cannot hold semen, but may work as a dump tank. Dump tanks are used for transferring LN. e.g. Take a dump tank to town and get LN rather than driving around with your good tank.

 

[RDFF]

I'd just fill it with LN and wait to see how long the charge lasts. The padlock thing might work if you are "tuned in" to knowing what it should sound like. But you'd probably have to have a known "good one" and a known "bad one" to get that "tuning" down pat.