maltoftheearth
Well-Known Member
I live one hour away from my "local" home brew store and will soon need to have my CO2 tank refilled. What sorts of places might do that for me? And what sorts of prices are you getting when you go there?
Airgas. I just swap, too, so I no longer have a shiny tank but I also don't have to worry about hydro cert dates.
So Airgas requires you to use their tanks?
Yeah, most places do a swap and won't fill your tank. They either send them off to another facility to be filled or just can't fill your tank because of policy. So you get a cruddy old steel tank when you swap out your shiny new one.
If I were to do it again I wouldn't have bought my own and just put down a deposit on a swapper. I drive 30 miniutes to get mine filled when the airgas is right up the street next to another place that does the same.
I was advised by my fire extinguisher place that the "crudy old steel" tanks are actually better than the new shiny aluminum ones.
So Airgas requires you to use their tanks?
Are there any concerns about the co2 being clean enough to go into a food product? welders and firemen don't usually eat from their tanks.
In Chicago west suburbs, out the door inclusive of hazmat and local taxes:
AirGas, West Chicago: $24 5# exchange
Terrace Supply, Schaumburg: $21 5# exchange.
This place was recommended to me by a local homebrewer, but I have not tried them yet:
Pain Co2 exchange, Addison: $17 fill your 20# tank. This strikes me as a better alternative to the industrial and welding supply houses, especially considering the cost.
They apparently supply the regional food and beverage services.
For reference the fire extinguisher place I use filled my 20# tank for $17.
Nope. I've acquired tanks from other homebrewers, and they've never questioned where I got them, and they aren't Airgas tanks. Pretty sure as long as they don't say "PROPERTY OF COCA-COLA," you're good to go.
Since keeping your tank cool on the way to get a fill is a bit of a PITA, most gas distributors will fill the tank slightly, let it cool, then dump the pressure from the tank quickly to cool it to sub-zero temps before the actual fill.
They won't fill it if it is out of cert... or, more accurately, they will charge you to certify it before filling it.
As far as not filling if it has a "property of" on it? I've never heard of someone being turned away.
I actually picked up an old 20lb steel tank, and I just noticed that it has a coca-cola stamp on it . It looks like the last stamp was '95.
How certain are you that they won't fill this tank?
I ask because the Airgas around me, actually allows re-fills, so maybe the policy's differ from store to store.
TomSD is correct. I've been denied because my old steel one was out of Cert. It's expensive to get it recertified, $40 I think. However, the place I went to rebuilt the valve for me for no charge.
Also, if my experience is similar to your area, you will have to leave the tank there for them to certify it and come back another day to pick it up.
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