Liquid or Gas Fill??

Is there a difference in my co2 tank being fill with gas opposed to being filled with liquid co2? And does one last longer then the other? I have a 15# tank and my gauge reads less than 1000psi. I would think that it would be around 2000psi but again this is my 1st time...and it seems to be going faster then expected...(I haven't even started to force carb anything yet...just pushing cleaning water through)?

Thanks,

Kug

Pretty sure all tanks are filled with liquid which turns into the gas form as it passes through the regulator (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Couple of potential reasons why your gauge is reading low.

1) Is it in a cold environment (refrigerator/cold outdoors)? This will make the gauge read lower than what it actually is.

2) You have a leak somewhere in the system. Make sure the area is quiet and listen for any hissing of air. Common leak points- where the regulator connects to the tank. The post on the kegs (improperly installed, worn, or missing O-rings).

You can't use the pressure gauge as an indication of the remaining CO2. It will read different pressures according to the temperature of the cylinder. The colder it is, the less pressure it will read but the volume of liquid CO2 will be the same. Once all the liquid has turned to gas in the head space, the pressure will drop rapidly.

McKBrew said:

Pretty sure all tanks are filled with liquid which turns into the gas form as it passes through the regulator (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

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The liquid turns to gas in the headspace of the cylinder, not in the regulator. You don't want liquid CO2 in the regulator. The CO2 will vaporize to maintain a consistent temperature dependent pressure until all the liquid is gone. So, as I said, the pressure will remain constant until just before the tank runs out.

You also have to be quite careful, as dealers can be completely ignorant. Bottles that are designed to fill other bottles (Like Paint Ball fill stations) use a "Siphon Tube" valve. It works just like the liquid side of your corny keg. There is a tube that runs to the bottom, thus allowing you to force liquid CO2 into the other bottle, thus filling it. A "Beverage" tank gets its CO2 in gas form from the top (as Fingers said) and will only equalize pressure when connected to another bottle...it won't fill it. My dealer (Local Ace Hardware) called me today and said that I had gotten a 50# tank with no siphon tube and that I could bring it back to him because he didn't' think it would work. He had himself convinced that I needed the wrong tank.

BigKahuna said:

My dealer (Local Ace Hardware) called me today and said that I had gotten a 50# tank with no siphon tube and that I could bring it back to him because he didn't' think it would work. He had himself convinced that I needed the wrong tank.

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My son has a 50# siphon tank for filling paintball stations and I have a 50# tank for my beer. I've often wondered what would happen if I connected a corny to the siphon tank. Other than ruining my regulator that is. It's only a hypothetical situation anyway because those tanks are HEAVY and he doesn't fill tanks in my bar so it isn't likely that I'll mistakenly hook up a corny in the garage instead of the bar.

Anyway, it's nice that he has the siphon tank for when my 5# tank runs out. As BigKahuna said, I can't fill the 5# from my 50# but I can fill it from HIS 50#.

Fingers said:

I can't fill the 5# from my 50# but I can fill it from HIS 50#.

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You can fill it from yours if you turn it upside down.

pldoolittle said:

You can fill it from yours if you turn it upside down.

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HE HE HE...That makes me laugh....That thing weighs about as much as SWMBO's Toyota! You'd need more than a Corny full to take care of that one.:cross:

CO2 is liquid at 600 psi and room temperature.

If your gage ever gets close to 2000 psi, RUN AWAY!

Fingers said:

You can't use the pressure gauge as an indication of the remaining CO2. It will read different pressures according to the temperature of the cylinder. The colder it is, the less pressure it will read but the volume of liquid CO2 will be the same.

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My tank is at about room temp. The only reason I ask this silly question is because the guy at one of my LHBS asked if it was liquid or gas filled when I asked about gauge reading? I knew it really couldn't be filled with gas cause yeah...it would run out real fast.

Thanks for the input guys!:rockin:

Hmmm, seems there's nothing here...

Another lost posting. Sorry dudes!