Airgas Prices

So Airgas just charged my wife $21.25 for an exchange on a 5 lb tank... I was expecting more around $12~$15. Its not like we are going to go broke over it but it feels like she just got ripped off... opinions?

That about what I pay for my 50lb tank...

I've been wonderering about this because I've heard about wide price variations.

Theory 1:
You buy a used tank on ebay or craigs. It's really a leased tank but you don't know it. You take it to somewhere to fill it.
A) They recognize the markings on it as theirs and charge you for he gas plus the rental fee from the last time it was filled.
B) They charge you extra because it's not thiers.

Theory 2:
They charge more for walk-ins or first time exchanges.

Theory 3:
When you get an exchange you are actually getting gas and liquid (the most a tank can hold) becase Airgas can pressure fill. If you are getting filled from a liquor store, you are only getting the gas becase they can only fill ffrom thier tank until the pressure is equalized. Therefore you get less gas.

Theory 4:
You go the chick mark-up. See Auto-Repair.
With all of the diversity around here you'd think that we'd have an expert in the field set us stright on this.

We had two gas supply shops in town until recently. Airgas bought the other one out, and lo and behold my cost for CO2 went from $11 to $21. Almost double. Competition is a good thing.

Well I called them and couldn't get a straight answer. He said their computers were down - what crap... O well, we'll see what it costs to exchange it next time when I take it in.

Just call them up and ask them what the charge is for a 5LB tank exchange (as if you weren't already a customer) and see what they tell you. If they say $11/12 then tell them how you were just charged $21.25 and see what kind of back pedaling they do.

I am not sure what or who airgas is but try to find a business that handle fire saftey, specifically extinguishers. These places have CO2 and for 5 lb tank it cost me 10 bucks i think.

Not bad. that 5 lb tank should last me about 15 kegs i suppose, so about a year.

Your wife got robbed, plain and simple! Before I found the fire extinguisher supply company 1 mile from my house that will fill my 10 lb tank while I wait, for $11, I used to use the local AirGas store. They charged $15 to exchange a 10 pounder.

John

You get 15 kegs out of a 5 lbs cylinder? Wow.

they charged me 19.95 for a fill of 5lb.. and 22 bucks for a hydrostatic test...
(the woman on ebay i bought it from told me it was new... i got burned)

I pay $8 for a 5 lb. exchange at an independent. Airgas just opened a store in McMinneville, I wonder what their price will be?

david_42 said:

I pay $8 for a 5 lb. exchange at an independent. Airgas just opened a store in McMinneville, I wonder what their price will be?

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They seem to just make it up as they go...

i exchanged a 20 lb tank at the local airgas in austin, tx, and it came out to 15 dollars total, i think it was 13 for the swap, and a 2 dollar compressed gas fee or some additional surcharge.

Well I just got home and looked at the receipt... $16.86 (plus tax) for the gas with a $3.00 hasmat fee?!? I've never heard anyone ever talk about a hazmat fee before...

yea, that should be the charge that i got on top of the swap cost.

i had it for all the compressed gas i swaped with them, oxygen, beergas, as well as co2

its all good... I don't think I'll go broke. And it'll easily last me 6 months to a year... so no worries. Just felt like they were taking me (rather my wife) for a ride - which I don't take kindly. Next time I'll call the fire extinguisher place here in town first next time.

I paid less than that to get my 5 lb. filled at Austin Home Brew on a Saturday. My 20# was about 15 bucks plus taxes to get filled at Airgas in Austin.

John Beere said:

its all good... I don't think I'll go broke. And it'll easily last me 6 months to a year... so no worries. Just felt like they were taking me (rather my wife) for a ride - which I don't take kindly. Next time I'll call the fire extinguisher place here in town first next time.

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I'd still give them a call Monday morning and just ask how much it would cost... ask if there are any other fees that would apply.

F$#@@ AirGas. I had a brand new 5lb cylinder come with my tank (not a mark on it) and I took it in to have it filled and they would only trade me out. They said they tried to find the nicest one but it still looked much rougher than mine. No worries though, they knocked a dollar off and only charged me $21. I thought this was a normal price.

I am not sure what or who airgas is but try to find a business that handle fire saftey, specifically extinguishers. These places have CO2 and for 5 lb tank it cost me 10 bucks i think.

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That is a great idea ! All the welding gas places around here want a small fortune to fill a tank.

this is why i just buy used tanks. they are cheaper in the first place, and i don't care if i swap them, as they are usually already ugly. haha.

Yeah, I realize your right now. It's just when you have that shiny new tank...it's so nice. I only owned it for 45 minutes. I wish I went your route and bought a roughed up tank in the first place. Crap, I think half the price of my new keg system was for that shiny new tank. Oh well, live and learn...and then drink beer!!!:fro:

haha. the way i figure it, i can get two used tanks, or more, for the price of one new tank. this is one of the reasons i have multiple co2 tanks. i wouldn't be able to do this financially if i had bought all new tanks.

but yea, having a nice shiny tank is nice. heh.

Multiple tanks are nice. Got a 5# in the kegerator, 5# in the lagerator, and a 20# for whatever else I need like pushing beer, purging kegs, filling bottles, etc.

Just FYI - I inherited a 20# tank that was years out of code - the original date stamp was 1965, the last one I could read was 1990 - Airgas in Crystal lake Illinois exchanged it for a 10# for $18.40 total.

I didn't think it was bad considering how old the original was.....

Skol!

Getting a 10# filled today for $13 and some change in Northern Michigan.

age of the tank isn't too important as long as it is still in good condition. when i swapped my 50 lb tank, the tank i received was manufactured in 1947. it is still in excellent condition.

what's most important is that it can pass hydrotest. SBN - it still looks like you got a good deal. at the airgas in austin, it costs nearly 30 dollars just for the hydrotest, and then for a 20 lb tank is about 15. even though you only got back a 10 lb tank, your costs are quite a bit lower than they could be.

Well all is right in the world... for some reason Airgas filled my 2.5 lb tank for free today. I think the dude was hot for my wife - but who cares? free gas!

I just refilled my 5lb at lunch and it cost me $8.58. You got hosed.