5# Co2 tank overkill for small batch brewing?

[El Nino]

Hey guys,

I was thinking of kegging beers, since bottle conditioning sounds like it takes patience (something I need to work on lol). However, mini kegging systems sound like they can get expensive after a while buying Co2 cartridges.

I was wondering if I'm primarily doing 2.5 gallon batches (no plans to upgrade size because of room constraints), is a 5lb co2 tank overkill if I'm just going to be carbing 2.5 gallon kegs? I was looking at the price for those and it seems like there isn't any price difference between a 2.5lb or 5lb tank.

 

[enkamania]

Bigger tank, less trips to get it refilled.

 

[brewslinger]

Bear in mind that as the CO2 tank gets larger the cost doesn't rise that much more:

My approximate local prices from a recent fill:
5lb - 22
10lb - 30
15lb - 32

Lost my receipt so going by memory.

 

[TallDan]

5lb is definitely not overkill. I'd consider 5lb a minimum size for any semi-permanent kegging setup.

 

[El Nino]

Ok thanks guys