grat5454

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I used the volunteer welding supply. It was easy and only took two minutes. It cost $11.47 for a 5 pound tank.

STAD

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I am currently faced with an issue. I have a CO2 tank that was called "odd ball as sh!t." The local welding supply will not swap it, and they don't do filling. The only place in town that does to filling said that it needed to be hydrotested. Hydrotesting is down out of town and is a 70 mile round trip. So the cost of gas, the cost to test, the cost of filling, plus having to test it again in a few years just to pay everything all over again? Am I better off just buying a used one and having it filled for $83? On that note, if I am just swaping them, but I purchased one, I should never have to have one tested because it will be the responsibility of the merchant to test the equipment he's giving me, correct? Buying used and swapping sounds better than the filling option. Let me know!

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JVD_X

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Buying a used tanks and trading them in a you say is the best option for exactly the reasons you point out.

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- JVD_X

deprogram

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Just as a follow-up footnote: I'm faced with the same dilemma, but in Renton, WA.

My LHBS will exchange cylinders, and so will every welding shop around here, for around $12-$16. None that I have found will fill on premises. For the record, the cheapest was Central Welding at $12.14 for a 5 lb exchange.

However, I have found that Kent Oxygen will fill on premise if you leave the tank. $20 for 5 pounds. I think I am going to go this route.

There are reasons I want to keep my brand new tank. I think the $4 or so is worth it. I can explain why, if necessary

Bulls Beers

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I have a local welding shop charge me 10 bucks...My local LHBS will exchange my brand new tank for a crappy old one 25 bucks..I'll stick with the local welding shop...

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ombre42

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I ran out of CO2 on New Year's Eve and was at the welding supply store 35 minutes before they closed trying to get my new aluminum tank refilled.
They had shut their pumps down at 2pm so they could not refill (the usual time I did not know about).
They swapped my 5lb new aluminum tank for a 10 lb steel tank for the same price as a 5 lb. fill.
They put my name on the aluminum tank and will swap it back when I'm done with the 10 pounder. I DIDN'T EVEN ASK, THEY OFFERED!
Rockford Industrial Welding Supply, you rule and saved New Years!
Hope everyone else has good experiences like this.

underwaterdan

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I have brought this up before, and I disagree. I believe there is food grade C02 and non food grade. It isn't the gas itself that is food grade, but the vessel they use to store it and dispense it that is food grade. Just think of it as SCUBA tanks. Compresed air is compressed air(work with me here) but if your tank has any rust or other contaiminants in it, it is no longer good usable air and causes serious problems when you breath it.

tuoply

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^^I would agree with that, but you're not actually breathing the beer co2 in. I would think that any sediment, rust, etc., would precipitate out to the bottom of the beer. Worst case is you're getting a little more iron in your diet

Pongo

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My supplier did say they fill tanks differently based on what they were used for. I didn't get the chance to ask him what the difference was (was @ work when he called to ask), but the food grade filling vessel makes sense. I should probably follow up on that when he drops it off.

FxdGrMind

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I'm stopping by to have my "NEW" 5# tank filled at Praxair on my way home tonight!

I'll try and remember to ask them the difference. I'm thinking if their pump is "Wet/oil bath" rather than "DRY" that they would use a oil/air separator to remove the oil from the CO2 for the "Food Grade" stuff... But that's just me thinking off the cuff.

I'll find out tonight.

Cheers