Semen tank

There is a semen tank that came up for sale locally. It is a MVE SC 20/20 but is 15 years old. The guy said they had a dairy but only AI'd for one year so the tank was only used for one year. It's been sitting in his basement with nothing in it. It also only has 3 cannisters so it probably only holds 250 straws which is enough for me. I offered him $100 and he took it. Is this a good deal? I would think that since it was only used one year it still has some use in it.

nck21 said:

There is a semen tank that came up for sale locally. It is a MVE SC 20/20 but is 15 years old. The guy said they had a dairy but only AI'd for one year so the tank was only used for one year. It's been sitting in his basement with nothing in it. It also only has 3 cannisters so it probably only holds 250 straws which is enough for me. I offered him $100 and he took it. Is this a good deal? I would think that since it was only used one year it still has some use in it.

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Looks like a good deal to me.  If I were you I would have it filled and let it sit for a month or two before I put any semen or eggs in it.

Mike

That's what I'm gonna do. The welding place in town said it'll cost $40 to fill it up...

get a gauge and see if loss is within spec or a spec you can tolerate.

It would have been better if it had been in use, but it still may be good. I was told that if you want to store your tank over a period of time that you should empty it and take the plug/cork out and store it upside down. My tank has never been MT. I bought it in 1987 used & it is a good tank. You'll know fairly quickly if it is going to be good or bad by condensation on the tank if bad. Great price if it cks out good. You may not want to fill it up all the way during your ck period if it saves you some money.

Watch that tank real close once you fill it.  A 15 year old tank could be a big gamble.  I bought a new MVE for $400 last year to replace a 12 year old tank that was starting to leak (shorter intervals between fills).  If you do much AI it is worth the extra money for a relliable tank.  The 15 year old tank for probably be okay if you are just breeding a few cows and don't have much invested in semen and embryos.  Good luck.

you can tell if they have a structural problem if, once you fill them and let the vapor settle, then take a flashlight and shine it down in to view the nitrogen.  if it is swirling, or has some kind of activity like someone is blowing a slight bit to create turbulence in the nitrogen, then the tank is probably not as reliable as you want/need it to be.  the nitrogen should be setting calmly in the tank with no disruptions, like a calm lake.

I also discovered a year old MVE XC 20 tank with 120 units of holstein semen for $500. If i could get rid of the semen I might be able to make money on it. I already agreed to purchase the 15 year old tank but this sounds like a good deal. the guy said it holds a charge for 6 months and has been filled.

A MVE XC20 tank is rated as having a working holding time of 135 days not six months. The XC20 I believe is an updated version of the tank you pictured above.  Unless you are sure you can sell the Holstein semen I suspect you would be better off buying a new XC20 on sale with a full warranty.