Where to find cheap co2 tanks

CornyKegs 728
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MizzouBrewer

MizzouBrewer

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I've been contemplating building my own kegerator out of a mini fridge and a door mounted faucet and shank (to hold one corny). Everything about the project is pretty cheap except for the CO2 tank. Anyone know where a poor college kid could find a cheap tank to get him through grad school?

Thanks!:mug:
 
I would keep my eye on Craigslist. I check it once a day, and type what you are looking for in the search option. I've picked up all six of mine on there.
 
I'd keep an eye on craigslist if you're looking for a good deal. You could call local gas suppliers... no idea about MO gas suppliers though.
 
Check with your local gas supplier. They will usually lease a tank to you for a reasonable charge. This will cost you less in the short run with the added benefit that you never have to pay for a hydro test. Craigslist can be a good source, but in my area much of the stuff listed is overpriced. You have to be patient and jump on an item right away when you do find a good deal.
 
+1 on leasing.
I'm in southern IA, and we can lease a CO2 tank for less than $15 per year, plus refills from Air Gas.

I bought my first tank, for a great price. I think I paid around $50 for a new aluminum 5# tank. Which I promptly had to exchange for a crappy steel one because I can't get one filled here.

You'll be money ahead until year 5 by leasing a tank, at which point you'd have to have your tank hydro tested for $35, which would make break even around year 7 for buy V.S. lease

Another perk to leasing is that you can get a 20# tank later, if you want to.
 
I got a good deal on by talking to a fire extinguisher supply store. They had a pile of old 5# CO2 extinguishers that couldn't be re certified for fire use, but were fine otherwise. (The guy said something about the fire marshal not approving units made by companies no longer in business)

All I had to pay for was the new valve and a fill, ~$50 iirc.
 
do you have a pic? i'm having trouble seeing how you could hook up a regulator to a fire extinguisher? maybe from a installed system?

i got my co tank by exchanging a mig welding tank. the mig tanks come up on cl more often then the co2 in my area.
 
They replaced the fire extinguisher head with a normal tank valve. That was the part I had to buy. CO2 extinguishers are really nothing more than a special valve on a normal tank. Replace with a standard tank valve and you'd never even know it had a previous life (other than being bright red).
 
My local fire safety shop also sells extinguishers with co2 valves for homebrew, etc. The extinguishers were 15lb co2 tanks already, not the dry powder kind. This way it's already hydro'd and filled. koetter in dallas
 
SweetSounds said:
+1 on leasing.
I'm in southern IA, and we can lease a CO2 tank for less than $15 per year, plus refills from Air Gas.

I bought my first tank, for a great price. I think I paid around $50 for a new aluminum 5# tank. Which I promptly had to exchange for a crappy steel one because I can't get one filled here.

You'll be money ahead until year 5 by leasing a tank, at which point you'd have to have your tank hydro tested for $35, which would make break even around year 7 for buy V.S. lease

Another perk to leasing is that you can get a 20# tank later, if you want to.
Click to expand...

You know I never thought about leasing tanks from AirGas. That's probably the best idea I've read here in ages! :rockin:
 
SweetSounds said:
You'll be money ahead until year 5 by leasing a tank, at which point you'd have to have your tank hydro tested for $35, which would make break even around year 7 for buy V.S. lease
Click to expand...

I thought that when you leased a tank that they swapped them for fills giving you a different tank each time and you would never have to pay for the hydro. I've never leased one, so I don't know how it works or if it's the same everywhere.

The $35 for a hydro is way high. I recently got my 20 lb tank hydro tested for only $12. Seems the prices for both the fills and the hydro tests are all over the place.
 

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