CO2 lasts how many kegs?

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Nostagar

Nostagar

Member
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Location
Casa Grande
Hello everyone! :mug:

I'm looking to get into kegging, and I'm wondering something that I would think would have been covered in the FAQ, but I didn't see it.

When kegging, you need a supply of CO2 or Nitrogen, with CO2 being vastly more popular.

The question I've got however, is: A 5-lb bottle of CO2 will be sufficient for how many kegs? just an average in your personal experience would be appreciated! :)

Thanks!
 
Much longer than you might expect. I have a 5lb tank that I still haven't had to refill after 6 months. I'm guessing about 8 cornies so far.
 
That's what I want to hear, the owner of the local Subway sold me a filled 20lb tank for $40
 
5-8 if you are force carbing with the tank. Roughly double if you prime the kegs with sugar and only use the CO2 to dispense.

What killed my first 5# tank was a leaky pressure relief valve. I was roughly 7 kegs in when it kicked (mixture of force carb or sugar primed kegs).
 
My 5lb tank only lasted 4 cornies. I did fill one with c02 to clean the lines before i made my diy line cleaner.

The crap part is it still has some c02 in it (when I unhook it and open it c02 comes out) but isn't carbing anymore kegs.
 
my last 5 lasted 5 kegs including force carbing and cleaning kegs out.
 
The general rule of thumb is that one pound of CO2 will carbonate and serve 5-10 gal of beer depending on carb levels, how much you use to purge, etc. So a 5# tank will usually last 5-10 corny kegs.
 
JuanMoore said:
The general rule of thumb is that one pound of CO2 will carbonate and serve 5-10 gal of beer depending on carb levels, how much you use to purge, etc. So a 5# tank will usually last 5-10 corny kegs.
Click to expand...

If you have everything buttoned up perfectly....then this.

However, I have gone through 30lbs of co2 in less than 5 kegs due to leaks. I even tested with soapy water and star san and it was undetectable. I now think I have everything sealed up correctly and am on my first true test of my 20lber. Moral of the story, check, double check, and check again or you'll get frustrated with an empty co2 bottle one morning and definitely NOT hit your .5 to 1 keg per lb of co2 estimate.
 
Brewnoob1 said:
If you have everything buttoned up perfectly....then this.

However, I have gone through 30lbs of co2 in less than 5 kegs due to leaks. I even tested with soapy water and star san and it was undetectable. I now think I have everything sealed up correctly and am on my first true test of my 20lber. Moral of the story, check, double check, and check again or you'll get frustrated with an empty co2 bottle one morning and definitely NOT hit your .5 to 1 keg per lb of co2 estimate.
Click to expand...

Definitely true. I learned this the hard way just yesterday on my first kegged batch....and it sucks the big one seeing as I'm only 2/3 of the way through the keg. I'm pretty sure I had a leaking pressure relief valve, but I need to check. I'm going to get my 5 lber refilled here this afternoon, and you better believe I'm gonna be spraying the heck out of everything.
 
Klickmania said:
Definitely true. I learned this the hard way just yesterday on my first kegged batch....and it sucks the big one seeing as I'm only 2/3 of the way through the keg. I'm pretty sure I had a leaking pressure relief valve, but I need to check. I'm going to get my 5 lber refilled here this afternoon, and you better believe I'm gonna be spraying the heck out of everything.
Click to expand...

I sprayed the heck out of mine and never found the leak. I just re-did all my clamps and re-tightened everything. So far, so good. Due to the leaks, I used to just charge my kegs after a few brews and turn off the tank in between. I'm testing now with leaving the tank on and keeping fingers crossed.

Good luck to you finding the culprit! Losing co2 is not so fun!
 
Do you guys have new seals? Do you use keg lube on all rubber seal surfaces? Do you hit the keg with 30 psi initially to fully seat the main seal?

Probably already are doing these things, but just a few tricks many people use. Keg lube is worth 100 times its weight in CO2.
 

Similar threads

iandanielursino
Anyone ever thought of trying to use CO2 from the same batch to bottle that batch?
Replies
13
Views
622
iandanielursino
iandanielursino
R
How do you go about serving with 100% Nitrogen?
Replies
16
Views
2K
fluketamer
F
Z
How many 16 gallon soda kegs with 5 lb Co2 tank?
Replies
2
Views
798
IslandLizard
IslandLizard
Clint Yeastwood
Best Way to Get Sanitizing Solution Out of Keg Full of CO2?
Replies
26
Views
2K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
Bayern1987
How long to leave beer in corny keg under CO2?
Replies
13
Views
1K
beren
beren

Latest posts

Back
Top